Electronic records management

In this article, there is a brief history about the development of computers, their role in organizational activities and their utilization by archivists for preserving records and computerizing archival activities. Furthermore, records are defined and their characteristics, originality, credibility, integrity, and capabilities are discussed. The content, form, and structure of electronic records are studied and Electronic Records Management (ERM) has been introduced as the best solution for maintaining content, form, and structure in a record keeping system. Afterwards the features of ERMs are discussed. These features include: record creation form, management and preservation of records, the ability to produce metadata, the possibility of rearrangement of records. Photocopying and selection of records, preparing reports and security concerns are also discussed.