Information Governance, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 9 Information Governance and Records and Information Management Functions ^*

Records and information management (RIM) is a key impact area of information governance (IG)—so much so that in the records management (RM) space, IG is often thought of as synonymous with or a simple superset of RM. But IG is much more than that. We will delve into the details of RM here—a sort of crash course on how to identify and inventory records, conduct the necessary legal research, develop retention and disposition schedules, and more. Also, we identify the relationship and impact of IG on the RM function in an organization in this chapter.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines (business) records as “information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.”¹ It further defines RM as “[the] field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.”²

RIM extends beyond RM (although the terms are often used interchangeably) to include information—that is, information such as e-mail, electronic documents, and reports. For this reason, RIM professionals must expand their reach and responsibilities to include policies ...