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Appraising the value of statistical records of the European Central Bank for retention scheduling purposes

Paloma Beneito Arias (Records Management Specialist, European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

Records Management Journal

ISSN: 0956-5698

Article publication date: 3 October 2008

1971

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the practice of records retention in relation to statistical records and to provide answers and solutions to the challenge of retention from two perspectives: by offering some recommendations on how to approach the identification of validated retention periods and by presenting findings resulting from the practical use of this recommended approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The research presented in this paper was conducted for the final dissertation of the BSc (Hons) Information and Records Management Programme at the University of Northumbria. A Delphi study was used as the method to achieve the research objectives.

Findings

While answers to the question of what retention value should be attributed to records vary enormously depending on who is asked, this research shows that the involvement of end‐users to gather feedback and attempt to reach a consensus of opinions on retention periods is successful and provides meaningful results, and can also help in gaining end‐user support in the subsequent schedule implementation.

Practical implications

Successful implementation of a retention schedule is more likely to happen if end‐users are involved from the start in the design process and if they understand the benefits of this tool. In this respect, involving end‐users in the retention decisions throughout the performance of a Delphi Study has revealed to be very effective and is therefore recommended for attaining similar objectives.

Originality/value

The paper presents a validated method for assigning retention values to records that could be applied by practitioners in other organisations. Further information on the resulting retention schedule can be obtained by contacting the author.

Keywords

Citation

Beneito Arias, P. (2008), "Appraising the value of statistical records of the European Central Bank for retention scheduling purposes", Records Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 205-220. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690810916456

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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