Although records and information management is a crucial function of most companies today, records management at one time was not recognized as being important in the organization. Advancements in technology and the reproduction of electronic documents are steadily causing organizations to change the way they think about records management.

Marcel Robles and Mark Langemo (1999) define records management as:

The professional management of information in the physical form of records from the time records are received or created through their processing, distribution, and placement in a storage and retrieval system until either eventual elimination or identification for permanent archival retention. (p. 30)

This definition is all-inclusive because it notes the significance of the records manager's role in the management of information from the time it is received to either its elimination or its permanent archival retention in the organization. The Emerging Technologies Advisory Group of the Association for...