The Intellectual Infrastructure Underpinning Records Management within Pfizer Central Research
| Published date | 01 April 1998 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000007228 |
| Date | 01 April 1998 |
| Pages | 11-23 |
| Author | Jean Samuel |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
The Intellectual Infrastructure
Underpinning Records
Management within Pfizer Central
Research
JEAN SAMUEL
Abstract
In discussions with fellow professionals regarding the progress that Pfizer
Central Research is having in installing and implementing its Central Electronic
Archive (CEA) there is always surprise expressed that its development is com-
plementary to, and has the same intellectual base as our hard copy Records
Centre. Although the mantra of “regardless of medium” has been used in the
records management world for at least a decade, it now seems that it was only
thought to apply to the need for records management not the actual process.
When formal records management, in the form of the Records
Management Unit (RMU) was established at Pfizer Central Research,
Sandwich, it was fully recognised that the programme and operations
put into place must both anticipate and be applicable to electronic
records. This resulted in an intellectual schema developed by records
management, the concept of which is equally effective regardless of
medium. The schema, known within RMU as the Matrix, is the back
bone of accessions, retrieval and retention scheduling operations. It has
become clear that our success relied heavily on the fact that, although
implemented across many products and systems, the Matrix concept
stands independently of them. Members of Pfizer Research records
management team have repeatedly been asked to publish this concept for
others in the field to share, particularly in terms of understanding the
CEA approach, and so this paper.
Records Management Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, April 1998, pp. 11–23
Records Management Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1, April 1998
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