Managing government information

Active records services

Records management services and processes that support day-to-day business operations and decision making, including:

• file folder maintenance
• document preparation and filing
• access requests and request tracking
• file manual maintenance
• annual file room cleanup
• file room orientation

Detailed information on active records services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

ARMC guidance

The Alberta Records Management Committee (ARMC) provides guidance and direction to government organizations on the records management program through the following documents:

Notices of change

• Managing Records Impacted by Appraisal for Selection – December 21, 2018

Circulars

• Administrative Records Disposition Authority (ARDA) Amendment #17
• ARMC Schedule Review Guidelines – 2004-03
• Application of Justice Records Schedules to Justice Lawyers' Records at Seconded Offices – 2018-002
• Backups – Scheduling and Disposition – 2008-004
• Date Range Amendments to Records Retention and Disposition Schedules – 95/96-007
• Delegation of Responsibility to the Secretary – 2025-001
• Destruction of Purged Disciplinary Records – 2010-004
• Disposition of Imaged Source Records – 2009-01
• Documenting Concurrence Conditions – 2016-001
• Duplicate Certificates of Title – 2004-04
• Ending the creation of one-time schedules – 2019-001
• FOIP References in Records Schedules – 2009-02
• Inadvertent Destruction of Records – 2018-001
• Justice Lawyers' Records and FOIP Requests – 2015-002
• Management and Disposition of Ministers’ Records – 96/97-004
• Ministers’ Records Created Prior to April 1995 – 2006-01
• Ministers’ Records Created Since April 1995 – 2006-12
• Mixed Box Conditions Resulting from ARDA Amendments – Update – 2006-03
• Senior Records Officer Appointments and Signing Authority for Records Scheduling and Disposition Documentation – 2016-002
• Transfer of Approved Records Schedules – 2002-02
• Transfer of Confidential Transitory Records for Destruction – 2002-01

Classification

• Classification scheme development – detailed information on classification development services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required)

Content management

• Content management policy – states the requirements to which departments will adhere when managing content, which encompasses all records, data or information, regardless of format, state or classification
• Information controller and information custodian directive – defines the roles and responsibilities of information controllers and information custodians in the Government of Alberta
• Document Naming Conventions – outlines the recommended naming conventions for documents
• Information Handling When Decommissioning Systems and Applications
  • guidance on decommissioning Government of Alberta systems and applications
  • high-level overview of scenarios that require the migration of Government of Alberta data and information
  • instructions to meet information management obligations (such as the proper application of records retention and disposition schedules)
• Information Lifecycle – a visual representation of the stages of information management lifecycle
  • Government of Alberta policies, processes, guidelines, and procedures must be followed to effectively manage information at each stage of its lifecycle.
• Safeguarding government information – provides guidance on how to safeguard information and ensure sensitive information is only accessed by those that are authorized to do so
• Litigation Response and Information Discovery Directive – details the information management obligations for all Government of Alberta staff when responding to litigation holds and engaging in information discovery activities
  • supersedes ARMC circular ‘Roles and Responsibilities during Litigation and Discovery 2014-001'
• Management of Instant and Text Messages Directive – details the information management obligations for all Government of Alberta staff (which includes, but is not limited to, contractors, volunteers, appointees, interns and students working with a public body) when handling instant or text messages
• Email decision diagram – provides guidance on how to distinguish between emails that are official government records and those that are transitory

Forms management

Enterprise Information Management is responsible for managing the design, development, maintenance, storage and distribution of an inventory of electronic and paper forms used by both the Government of Alberta and the general public.

Detailed information on the forms management services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

Government reorganization

The senior records officer is responsible for completing these transfers.

• Managing Information During a Government Reorganization – lists information management activities to complete following an election or a government reorganization
• Records Schedule Reconciliation Instructions – details instructions for transferring approved, cancelled, expired and draft records schedules, and for deleting draft records schedules that are no longer required

Imaging management

Enterprise Information Management is responsible for:

• creating and maintaining a list of vendors who provide digitization services
• offering advisory services on digitization best practices
• providing subject matter expertise for digitization projects

Detailed information on imaging management services provided to Government of Alberta clients, such as document digitization or microform conversion, is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

Inactive records storage

Enterprise Information Management oversees the storage and management of inactive records. Inactive records are records that are no longer needed to support day-to-day operations, and are maintained in secure off-site locations. All stored government information must be retained until it can either be destroyed or sent to the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Detailed information on inactive records storage services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

Records in ministers’ offices

The nature of information found in ministers’ offices requires strong foundational guidelines to protect it from security and privacy risks.

• Managing Records in Ministers’ Offices Guideline – offers specific guidance for managing the information produced and used in ministers’ and deputy ministers’ offices
• Managing Records in Ministers’ Offices Presentation – details information on records management and the FOIP Act, focusing on ministers’ and deputy ministers’ offices

Records retention and disposition

Guidance

Enterprise Information Management provides advice to ministries on the development of all records retention and disposition schedules, and secretariat support to the ARMC.

Detailed information on schedule development services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

• Developing Records Retention and Disposition Schedules – offers guidance on the Government of Alberta’s approach to scheduling and techniques for developing high quality schedules
• Preparation of Records Schedules for the Disposition of Imaged Source Records – offers guidance on the management of source documents that have been converted into a digital format, since older records schedules may not provide guidelines for disposing scanned records

Enterprise-wide schedules

These schedules can be used by all Government of Alberta ministries, agencies, boards and commissions:

• Finance – 2022/015 – used for records relating to financial activities in the Alberta Government ministries and agencies that currently use ARDA to disposition financial records
• Human Resources – 2025/001 – used for records relating to human resource activities in the Alberta Government ministries and agencies that currently use ARDA to disposition human resource records
• Administrative Records Disposition Authority (ARDA) – 1986/050-A018*  – may be used as a records retention and disposition schedule for common administrative records in Alberta government ministries and agencies
• Backup Systems – 2003/043-A001 – provides a common approach to backups for all ministries, agencies, boards and commissions of the Government of Alberta
  • provides a legal disposition authority to dispose of the records associated with the backup process, and the content of the backups
• Executive Office Records – 2007/020-A002 – used for records relating to executive actions made in support of legislated mandates and corporate governance
• Legal Services – 2017-004-A001 – used for records relating to Legal Services Division's legal and strategic activities across the Government of Alberta
• Action Requests – 1992/129-A001 – used for responses to action requests received from Ministers' Offices
• Ministers' Offices – 2002/041-A001 – used for ministry and cabinet records that are generated or received by ministers in their capacity as ministers of the crown
• Transitory Records – 1995/007-A003 – transitory records containing sensitive or confidential information must be securely destroyed or deleted
• Damaged Records Schedule 2011/002-A002 – used for records that have been damaged (for example: harmed, contaminated or spoiled) during a disaster
• Wellness, Health and Safety – 2023/002 – used for records relating to employees' vaccinations and exemptions from being vaccinated

Senior records officer

A senior records officer (SRO) is responsible for implementing the records management program in each ministry, agency, board and commission. Contact information for each SRO, listed by organization, is maintained by Enterprise Information Management.

Supporting applications

Enterprise Information Management administers the following applications to support the delivery of information management services to government clients (login required):

• Forms Client Relationship Management (CRM) – manages the forms management process, from client request through the design, development, testing, reviewing and publishing stages
• Government of Alberta Central Forms Repository (CFR) – provides a restricted access point to internal government forms for employees, contractors and agents of the Government of Alberta
• Inactive Records Information System (IRIS) – assists Government of Alberta organizations with moving inactive records to the Alberta Records Centre for storage or direct final disposition
• Online Records Retrieval System (ORRS) – assists Government of Alberta organizations with requesting inactive records from the Alberta Records Centre
• Records Scheduling System (RSS) – facilitates the development, review, appraisal, approval and amendment of records retention and disposition schedules

Transfers and disposition

Enterprise Information Management supports the systematic and controlled disposal of the Government of Alberta’s information assets, including:

• facilitating destruction of paper or electronic records
• transferring records to the Provincial Archives of Alberta for preservation
• suspending disposal in response to legal holds

Detailed information on transfer and disposition services provided to Government of Alberta clients is available through the Service Catalogue (login required).

Government of Alberta employees must identify records, and determine when to retain valuable information assets and when to dispose of obsolete information. Refer to Official and Transitory Records: A Guide for Government of Alberta Employees.

Government of Alberta employees must dispose of electronic records on shared drives and SharePoint according to government procedures. Refer to the IMT Policy Instruments for more information.

Vital records

Use these resources to assist in the development of vital records programs that support business continuity planning in the Government of Alberta.

• Identifying Potential Vital Records – describes 5 main categories of vital records to consider
• Vital Records Coordinator Role: Potential Responsibilities – outlines tasks a vital records coordinator may be asked to participate in or organize
• Vital Records Coordinator’s Contacts – provides a template to collect relevant business continuity contact information
• Vital Records Inventory, Part 1: High-Level Organization Summary – provides a template to identify vital records that support critical, vital, necessary and desired services
• Vital Records Inventory, Part 2: Detailed Records Information – provides a template to detail the series title, use and medium of the vital records identified in Vital Records Inventory, Part 1

Contact

Connect with us to ask questions about the Government of Alberta’s information management and sharing programs and services.