What is information management

Information management (IM) involves creating, organizing, accessing, and disposing of information in the workplace. This includes things like emails, documents and data.

In government, managing information is a fundamental responsibility. Every employee plays a role in ensuring that information is accurate and easy to find throughout its lifecycle.

Information management makes your job easier. It is the backbone of how we work, deliver services, and make decisions. Good IM will help you:

• stay organized: spend less time searching for files so you can focus on what matters most
• make confident decisions: access the information you need to make better, faster decisions
• be transparent: ensure that government actions are documented and easily accessible
• stay secure: protect data from breaches and unauthorized access
• meet legal and policy requirements: The Archives Act and Information Management Policy AD 7114 outline how public information is managed in New Brunswick
• preserve history: benefit from well-kept records of the past while ensuring today’s information remains available in the future

A record is any document, email or file that captures business activities, decisions, or transactions. Managing records properly ensures information is accessible, secure and retained for the right amount of time.

As a public employee, it's important to manage records carefully. Learn how to identify records.

A retention schedule tells you how long to keep records before securely destroying or preserving them. Every record follows a lifecycle:

1. Active: You use the record regularly, like project files, financial documents or communications. Keep these well-organized and easy to find in your organization's shared drive, records management system or file room.
2. Semi-active: The record is no longer part of daily work but must be kept for legal, financial or reference reasons. Electronic records can stay in your organization’s shared drive or records management system. Paper records should be sent to the Records Centre.
3. Final disposition: When the information is no longer needed, it is either securely destroyed or preserved at the Provincial Archives for historical purposes.

Many public organizations have trained records professionals who can help you out. If you don’t know who to contact, you can reach out to an Information Strategist at the Provincial Archives.