Skip to main content
Records Authority
Category: Roles and Governance

ARMA International

Also known as:
Simply put

ARMA International is an American not-for-profit professional association that serves people who work in managing and governing information and records, whether in paper or electronic form. It provides resources, education, and networking to support professionals in the fields of records management and information governance.

Formal definition

ARMA International is a not-for-profit professional association for information professionals, focused primarily on records and information management and the broader discipline of information governance. It positions itself as an authority on managing records and information across both paper and electronic formats, and has offered a definition of records and information management as the field of management responsible for establishing controls over records and information. According to its own materials, the organization has operated as a professional community in this field for more than 70 years, offering members resources, education, and professional connections. The scope of this entry is limited to identifying the association itself; it is distinct from the standards bodies and regulatory authorities that issue formal recordkeeping standards, though ARMA is frequently referenced by practitioners as a source of professional guidance.

Why it matters

Professional associations such as ARMA International play a supporting role in the records and information management field by acting as a source of practitioner guidance, education, and community. For information governance officers, records managers, and archivists, membership organizations of this kind are often where professional norms are shared, where terminology is discussed, and where practitioners can connect with peers working through similar challenges. According to its own materials, ARMA has operated as a professional community in this field for more than 70 years, which reflects a sustained presence rather than a recent entrant.

Understanding what ARMA is, and what it is not, helps practitioners cite the right authority for the right purpose. ARMA is a professional association, distinct from the standards bodies and regulatory authorities that issue formal recordkeeping standards or impose statutory obligations. It is frequently referenced by practitioners as a source of professional guidance, but guidance from a professional association does not carry the same status as a published standard or a legal requirement. Treating association resources as equivalent to formal standards or regulation can lead to misplaced reliance, so it is worth keeping the distinction clear when documenting the basis for a program decision.

Because ARMA has offered its own definition of records and information management, describing it as the field of management responsible for establishing controls over records and information, it is also a reference point for how the discipline is framed in professional discourse. Practitioners may encounter this framing in training and community materials, though how any organization applies these concepts will depend on its own policies, sector, and jurisdiction.

Who it's relevant to

Records managers
Records managers may draw on ARMA as a source of professional guidance, education, and peer connection relevant to managing records across their lifecycle. Its resources can inform practice, though they should be understood as professional guidance rather than as formal standards or legal requirements.
Information governance officers
Because ARMA describes itself as serving professionals in information governance as well as records management, information governance officers may find its community and educational resources useful for connecting with peers and framing the discipline. As with any association material, its guidance is distinct from the policy, risk, privacy, and security obligations that an organization must meet under its own governance framework and applicable law.
Archivists
Archivists working alongside records and information professionals may encounter ARMA as a reference point in professional discourse, including its definition of records and information management. It is one professional community among several relevant to those managing records with long-term or permanent value.
Compliance and information professionals evaluating sources
Practitioners who need to cite an authoritative basis for program decisions should note that ARMA is a professional association, not a standards body or regulator. It is frequently referenced for professional guidance, but formal standards and statutory retention or disposition requirements come from other bodies and depend on jurisdiction and sector.

Inside ARMA

Professional Association
ARMA International is a professional membership association serving practitioners in records management and information governance, providing a community and resources for the field rather than acting as a regulatory or standards-setting government body.
Guidance and Professional Resources
The organization has historically developed guidance materials, educational content, and reference resources intended to support practitioners in managing records and information across their lifecycle. The specific scope and titles of these resources may change over time, and details should be verified against current publications.
Recordkeeping Principles
ARMA International is commonly associated with a set of high-level recordkeeping principles that articulate general expectations for governing records and information, addressing areas such as accountability, integrity, protection, compliance, availability, retention, disposition, and transparency. These are framed as principles rather than detailed technical specifications, and practitioners should consult the source material for exact wording.
Education and Professional Development
The association typically supports professional development through educational offerings and community activities for those working in records management and the broader information governance domain, though the precise programs available depend on the association's current offerings.

Common questions

Answers to the questions practitioners most commonly ask about ARMA.

Is ARMA International a standards-setting body that issues binding records management requirements?
No. ARMA International is a professional membership association, not a formal standards development organization in the sense of a national or international standards body, and it does not issue binding requirements. It develops guidance, educational resources, and frameworks intended to inform professional practice, but adherence is voluntary and depends on organizational policy. Where formal standards are needed, practitioners typically look to bodies responsible for standards such as the ISO 15489 or ISO 30301 series, and any regulatory obligations arise from law rather than from association guidance.
Does the Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles framework carry legal force?
Not in itself. The Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles framework associated with ARMA International is a set of high-level principles intended to guide the design and assessment of recordkeeping programs. It functions as a professional reference and maturity-oriented tool rather than as a source of legal obligation. Legal force for records management typically derives from statutes, regulations, and case law that vary by jurisdiction and sector, not from association-published principles, though organizations may choose to align their programs with such principles as a matter of policy.
How can an organization use ARMA International resources to support building a records management program?
Organizations often draw on ARMA International's guidance, publications, and educational materials as reference points when designing policies, classification schemes, and retention practices. Such resources can help frame program objectives and assessment criteria, but they are typically used alongside applicable standards and, critically, the legal and regulatory requirements specific to the organization's jurisdiction and industry. Practitioners generally treat association materials as informative rather than prescriptive, adapting them to organizational context.
What role can a maturity-oriented principles framework play in assessing an existing records program?
A principles-based framework of the kind ARMA International has published can support self-assessment by offering a structured way to evaluate how well a program addresses areas such as accountability, integrity, protection, retention, and disposition. Organizations often use it to identify gaps and prioritize improvements. It is generally most useful as a diagnostic and planning aid rather than a compliance checklist, since actual compliance obligations depend on the applicable legal and regulatory regime.
Should professional certification or training from an association be treated as a substitute for legal or regulatory advice?
Typically not. Professional development, certification, and training offered through associations such as ARMA International can build competency and shared vocabulary among records and information governance staff, but they are not a substitute for jurisdiction-specific legal or regulatory advice. Organizations often supplement professional education with counsel from legal, privacy, and compliance specialists when interpreting statutory retention periods, legal holds, or other obligations that vary by jurisdiction and sector.
How should ARMA International guidance be reconciled with formal standards and internal policy?
In practice, association guidance, formal standards, and internal policy tend to operate at different levels. Standards such as those in the ISO 15489 or ISO 30301 series provide recognized reference models; association materials can offer supporting guidance and principles; and internal policy translates these, together with applicable legal requirements, into binding organizational rules. Where these sources appear to conflict, organizations generally give precedence to legal and regulatory obligations and to their own governing policy, using standards and association guidance as informative inputs.

Common misconceptions

ARMA International is a standards body whose guidance carries the force of law or is legally binding.
It is a professional association, not a legislative, regulatory, or governmental authority. Its principles and guidance are voluntary reference frameworks; actual legal obligations for retention, disposition, and privacy derive from statutes and regulations that vary by jurisdiction and sector.
The recordkeeping principles associated with ARMA International are limited to records management in the narrow sense.
The principles are generally framed at the level of information governance, addressing the broader accountability framework spanning policy, compliance, protection, and retention. Records management, concerned specifically with the control of records as evidence across their lifecycle, overlaps with but is narrower than this broader governance scope.
Following ARMA International's guidance guarantees compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Adherence to any single association's principles does not by itself ensure legal or regulatory compliance. Requirements such as statutory retention periods, legal holds, freedom of information obligations, and privacy duties differ across jurisdictions and sectors and must be assessed independently against the specific rules that apply to an organization.

Best practices

Treat association guidance and recordkeeping principles as reference frameworks that inform program design, not as substitutes for jurisdiction-specific legal and regulatory requirements.
Consult the current, authoritative source material directly rather than relying on paraphrased summaries, since an association's resources, programs, and principle wording may change over time.
Map high-level principles such as accountability, integrity, protection, compliance, retention, and disposition to your organization's own policies, procedures, and control frameworks.
Validate any retention, disposition, or privacy expectations against applicable statutes and regulations for your specific jurisdiction and sector before implementation.
Distinguish records management activities from broader information governance responsibilities when applying the principles, ensuring the lifecycle control of records is addressed alongside wider governance concerns.
Where a specific detail such as a standard number, date, or figure is needed, verify it against a primary source rather than assuming it from general familiarity with the association.