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Archival Science (2004) 4: 7197 Springer 2005
DOI 10.1007/s10502-005-6991-9Records Management Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS)ANDREW GRIFFINInternational Monetary Fund,* 8508, 16th Street, Appt. 622, Silver Spring, MD, 20910,
USA(E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected])Abstract. The International Records Management Trust has demonstrated that there is
currently little capacity or infrastructure in the developing world for managing government records as authentic evidence of policies, transactions, activities and entitlements. Records management itself will not halt corruption and bring about
accountability, but it is an essential contributor to public sector integrity. The Records
Management Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS) provides a means of assessing
records management policies, procedures and resources against established international standards. It uses a diagnostic model, based on the records life cycle, to identify
strengths, weaknesses and risk areas, and links with a database of training and capacitybuilding materials that can be used to plan improvements. Designed initially to measure
records and information systems in the nancial management, human resource management and legal and judicial areas, it can also be applied generically. The RMCAS
software application will shortly be available, free of charge, through the Internet or in
CD-ROM format. RMCAS can be applied exibly to take account of variations in size
of institutions and the administrative contexts in which they operate, as well as developmental and national aspirations. It can be applied to both paper and digital records
and assesses the relationship between paper and electronic systems.Keywords: assessment methodology, capacity building, good practice, life cycle of records, online archival evaluation tools, standards, trainingIntroductionThe International Records Management Trust,1 working in partnership with the World Bank, has developed a Records Management
Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS) as an objective means of
assessing, against international standards, the strengths and weaknesses* The views expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as those
of the International Monetary Fund.1 The International Records Management Trust, based in London, is a UK registered charity
established by Dr Anne Thurston in 1989 to help develop new strategies for managing public sector
records. Its work is supported by national and international donors including the World Bank,
United Nations Development Programme, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the UK Department
for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, as well as by other
organizations and individual governments. See http://www.irmt.org72ANDREW GRIFFINRecords Management Capacity