Managing the records system

LAST WEEK I dealt with the different methods of filing and, as you know, nothing accumulates in the office as fast as paper.

RECORDS ARE kept because they contain useful information; filing systems are developed in order to retrieve this promptly and efficiently. If records are often removed from the files without charging them to a borrower, the system will soon become useless.

Although every worker should feel responsible for maintaining an effective office information system, it is the responsibility of the file clerk to protect the records placed under his/her control. Therefore, some type of charge-out and follow-up system must be developed to ensure the return of borrowed documents to the files.

CHARGE-OUT

When materials are borrowed from a file, an ‘out guide’ is prepared for the removal of such document(s). This form gives the date, name of file, name of borrower and department, and date returned. If, after a reasonable period of time, the borrowed documents are not returned, the filing clerk will make enquiries to find out why the documents have not be returned. This is the follow-up process.

THINNING/REMOVING INACTIVE FILES

Once the items on a file become too old to be of any use, they should be removed from the file. The filing clerk is not normally the person to judge what is or is not useful, but he or she may need to set up a system to pass out a section of files to the supervisor at intervals, so that obsolete items can be removed and shredded. Alternatively, the filing clerk may be given a fixed time period and told to remove documents older than this.

Papers removed from a file should be checked to make sure that no recent papers have been misfiled and removed by mistake. A note or cross-reference slip may be placed on the file to indicate that papers have been removed and either destroyed or stored elsewhere.

INACTIVE FILES

Occasionally, files may become completely obsolete: those for customers who no longer purchase from the organization, staff who no longer work there, suppliers who have gone out of business, and so on. Once the supervisor is satisfied that such files will no longer be referred to on a regular basis, they may be thinned down to the bare essentials and moved to the archives where all the company’s old records are kept. They must be microfilmed and stored in microform, to save space; after a further period, they may finally be destroyed.

FILING EQUIPMENT

Equipment must be purchased to store and protect records. The purchase may incur large financial investments; therefore, factors such as location, type of documents, and availability of funds must be considered. I will now look at the different ones.

MICROFILMING

Microfilming provides a way of retaining documents for a longer period while file storage space is reduced. Microfilming is the process where original documents are photographed on to a strip of film to record them in miniature form and has the following advantages:

■ Space saving – Savings in terms of filing space and floor space.

■ Efficient retrieval – A letter on a microfilm can be located in a few seconds.

■ Security– An extra copy of the microfilm can be easily be made, which can then be stored in a different protected location.

■ Durability– Film, most of which is fireproof, has longer lasting qualities than paper.

THREE-FOUR-DRAWER FILING CABINETS

Correspondence and other documents are grouped according to specific classifications and placed in pocket files made of sturdy, durable manila card. The filing drawer is divided into sections by the use of guide cards or tabs clipped on to the files.

Files inside the drawer can be supported in either of two ways:

(i) Vertical files – These stand upright, behind each other, and are firmly secured at the bottom.

(ii) Suspension files – Each file carries a hooked metal strip on each side of the top opening. Inside each filing drawer are metal runners, attached at the front and back, on which the files can be hooked. The files are always kept in an upright position.

LATERAL FILING

Lateral filing is a system of storing material on shelves, in cupboards or on racks. Lateral filing units can be stacked from floor to ceiling; they save space and a large number of files can be seen at one time.

COMPUTER STORAGE

Electronic data processing equipment can store more information and retrieve it faster than any other system. Information can be stored on diskettes or on the hard drive. Some advantages of his equipment in any organisation are: it is cost-effective, it saves both time and space, and gives the added advantage of allowing amendment. Information can be retrieved by a printout or displayed on a screen.

This is all for now. Be productive.