What is recordkeeping metadata? | New South Wales Recordkeeping Metadata Standard (NRKMS) | Mandatory recordkeeping metadata | Implementing recordkeeping metadata

Recordkeeping metadata is data that facilitates the use and management of records. Particularly in electronic applications, metadata can be a key means of improving a system and helping it to meet recordkeeping requirements.

Recordkeeping metadata is a tool that enables you to describe records, people and business activities in a suitable amount of detail to ensure:

• better information accessibility
• improved records management, and
• greater accountability in business operations.

How is recordkeeping metadata useful?

A number of everyday activities within your organisation involve the capture of metadata about your records or rely on metadata being available. Examples include:

• identifying personal information that must be protected under Privacy legislation
• accessing documents sought under Freedom of Information legislation
• transferring records to another organisation as a result of administrative change or privatisation
• tracking ministerial correspondence
• identifying vital records as part of disaster planning
• transferring archives to State Records, or
• documenting the destruction of records.

State Records has developed a recordkeeping metadata standard for the NSW public sector. This standard identifies the metadata elements that should be employed within recordkeeping systems to help achieve the benefits outlined above.

The NRKMS is in two parts:

NSW Recordkeeping Metadata Standard - Part 1: Introduction and summary , and

NSW Recordkeeping Metadata Standard - Part 2: Technical Specification (MS Word, 1.26MB).

While public offices are encouraged to consider the full standard and implement components that are appropriate to their requirements, certain elements are considered the minimum necessary for the effective use and management of records over time.

Go to the minimum recordkeeping metadata required under the New South Wales Recordkeeping Metadata Standard (NRKMS) for basic records control.

Strategies for Documenting Government Business: The DIRKS Manual contains a wide range of guidance about achieving better recordkeeping in the NSW public sector. For an overview in this document of how to implement recordkeeping metadata and a discussion of the objectives it can help you to achieve, see Doing DIRKS to specify and apply recordkeeping metadata.