Award-nominated guide update aims to help FE and HE organisations with records management
The Jisc guide to records retention management has been updated after input from a 30-strong group of sector stakeholders.
The Jisc records retention management guide, a vital resource for further education (FE) and higher education (HE) records managers, recently received a significant update.
The updated guide was developed in collaboration with the leading sector body – the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) - and a working group of 30 FE and HE records managers.
Records retention management is of vital importance to both FE and HE organisations because knowing when to delete or archive records improves the security of their data by keeping only what needs to be kept. It also helps institutions reduce their data footprint and lessen their environmental impact.
Featuring advice on retention periods to reference current legislation including the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UKGDPR), the guide will be updated regularly from now on thanks to a collaboration between Jisc and IRMS. The last update prior to this was in 2019.
A feedback form on the guide allows individuals to suggest amendments making this a community supported resource.
The guidance will also help institutions to tag and manage digital records in new software environments, most notably Microsoft365.
The success of the project has resulted in a nomination for an IRMS ‘Team of the Year’ award, to be announced in May at the IRMS Conference.
Suzy Taylor, groups director, IRMS said:
"The importance of this structured approach to recordkeeping that Jisc has supported within the HE and FE community can’t be understated. The IRMS believes having a consistent framework, developed according to best practice via BS 10025:2021 and the PRSA Model RM Plan, is vital to maintaining records management standards within the sector."
Anne Grzybowski, Records Manager, Heriot-Watt University said:
"The Jisc BCS and accompanying RRS have been essential tools for records and information managers working in FE and HE for over two decades. I am delighted that they have been updated to help a new generation manage records and information in our evolving digital environment."