Category: Records Lifecycle Concepts

Maintenance and Use

Also known as: Records Maintenance and Use

Simply put

Maintenance and use refers to the range of activities involved in keeping records organized, accessible, and in usable condition while they are still needed for ongoing business. In the records context described here, this term is associated with managing records within a Federal agency. It covers the practical work of caring for records during the active portion of their lifecycle, rather than the later stages of transfer, permanent preservation, or destruction.

Formal definition

In recordkeeping, maintenance and use denotes the set of activities associated with managing records during their active phase, encompassing the ongoing control, organization, and provision of access to records so they remain usable while they support current business or administrative activity. The evidence available frames this term specifically in relation to managing records within a Federal agency; its precise scope may therefore vary by jurisdiction, sector, and organizational policy. Practitioners should distinguish maintenance and use, which concerns the care and accessibility of records in use, from downstream disposition processes such as transfer, permanent preservation, or destruction, which fall outside this phase. Broader dictionary and asset-management senses of "maintenance" (for example, the servicing of equipment or the general act of keeping something in an existing state) are related in concept but should not be conflated with the recordkeeping meaning.

Why it matters

Maintenance and use covers the active phase of the records lifecycle, when records are still being relied upon to support current business or administrative activity. If records are not kept organized, accessible, and in usable condition during this phase, an organization risks being unable to locate or rely on the evidence it needs when it needs it. The value of a record depends on more than its mere existence; it must remain findable and fit for use for as long as it supports ongoing work.

Because the evidence available frames this term specifically in relation to managing records within a Federal agency, the precise scope and requirements will depend on jurisdiction, sector, and organizational policy. Practitioners should be cautious about generalizing any single national or agency practice as universal. What holds across contexts is the underlying principle: sound maintenance and use practices during the active phase help preserve the accessibility and usability of records while they remain in demand.

Maintenance and use also matters because it is frequently confused with adjacent concepts. It should be distinguished from downstream disposition processes such as transfer, permanent preservation, and destruction, which fall outside this phase. It should likewise not be conflated with the broader everyday sense of "maintenance" applied to equipment or physical assets. Keeping these boundaries clear helps organizations apply the right controls at the right stage of the lifecycle.

Who it's relevant to

Records managers

Those responsible for controlling records across their lifecycle need to apply appropriate organization and access controls during the active phase, and to distinguish maintenance and use activities from disposition activities such as transfer, permanent preservation, or destruction.

Federal agency records staff

Because the term is specifically associated here with managing records within a Federal agency, staff operating in that context are directly concerned with keeping records organized, accessible, and usable while they support ongoing agency business. Specific requirements will depend on applicable rules and agency policy.

Information governance officers

Those overseeing broader accountability frameworks benefit from understanding where maintenance and use sits within the lifecycle, so that active-phase care of records is coordinated with policy, access, and later disposition decisions without conflating the phases.

Compliance and administrative staff who rely on active records

Personnel who depend on records to carry out current business or administrative activity have a stake in maintenance and use, since the organization, accessibility, and usability of records during the active phase directly affect their ability to find and rely on the records they need.

Inside Maintenance and Use

Access and Retrieval

The controlled processes by which authorized users locate and obtain records during their active life. Effective retrieval typically depends on sound classification, indexing, and metadata captured at creation or capture, and is often governed by permissions that reflect security classification and privacy obligations.

Access Controls and Permissions

Mechanisms that determine who may view, use, or amend records. These controls help protect confidentiality and support the integrity of records, and they generally vary according to organizational policy, sensitivity of the content, and applicable jurisdictional privacy or security requirements.

Integrity and Authenticity Maintenance

The ongoing measures that keep a record reliable, complete, and unaltered except through authorized processes, and that preserve evidence of its origin and context. Maintaining integrity and authenticity is central to a record's continued evidential value, as distinct from merely storing information.

Usability Over Time

Ensuring records remain able to be located, retrieved, presented, and interpreted for as long as they are required. This can involve managing storage media, formats, and system dependencies, particularly where records must survive technological change.

Tracking and Audit Trails

The recording of actions taken on records, such as access, movement, and amendment. Audit trails support accountability and can help demonstrate that integrity has been maintained, though the extent of tracking often depends on organizational policy and the sensitivity of the records.

Version and Copy Management

The practices that distinguish an authoritative record from drafts, working documents, and copies, so that users can identify the record relied upon as evidence. Clear management of versions and copies reduces the risk of acting on non-authoritative information.

Common questions

Answers to the questions practitioners most commonly ask about Maintenance and Use.

Is maintenance and use the same as simply storing records?

No. Storage is only one component. Maintenance and use encompasses the full set of activities that keep records accessible, intelligible, and trustworthy while they remain in active or semi-active status, including ensuring continued authenticity, integrity, and usability, controlling access, tracking use, and managing changes such as location moves or format migrations. Treating it as mere storage understates the ongoing controls required to preserve records as reliable evidence over time.

Does the maintenance and use phase mean records are being edited or altered?

Generally, no. In recordkeeping, 'use' refers to accessing, retrieving, referencing, and relying on records, not to changing their content. A properly captured record is typically fixed, and its integrity depends on protecting it from unauthorized alteration. Where legitimate changes occur, such as adding metadata or migrating format, these are usually managed as controlled, documented actions that preserve the record's authenticity rather than as informal editing.

How can access to records be controlled during the maintenance and use phase?

Access controls are typically applied according to classification, sensitivity, and the roles or permissions of users, and are shaped by organizational policy as well as applicable privacy, security, and freedom of information obligations, which vary by jurisdiction and sector. Controls may include permission settings, authentication, and separation of duties, and are often paired with logging so that access can be monitored and reviewed.

What should be tracked to demonstrate that records remain trustworthy while in use?

Organizations often maintain metadata and audit information covering actions taken on a record, such as when it was accessed, moved, copied, or migrated, and by whom. This tracking supports the continued authenticity, reliability, integrity, and usability of records and can help evidence proper handling. The specific elements captured depend on organizational policy, system capability, and any applicable regulatory expectations.

How is usability preserved when systems or formats change over time?

Usability can be affected by technology obsolescence, so records may need controlled format migration or measures to maintain the ability to render and interpret them. Such actions are typically documented to preserve integrity and the evidential value of the record, and to maintain the links between a record and its metadata and context. The appropriate approach depends on the record's retention requirements and its expected period of use.

How does the maintenance and use phase connect to later disposition decisions?

Maintenance and use keeps records accessible and reliable through the period in which they are needed, while disposition addresses the eventual outcome once retention requirements are met, which may include transfer, permanent preservation, or destruction depending on policy and jurisdiction. Effective maintenance, including accurate classification and metadata, supports defensible disposition later by ensuring records can be identified and their status understood when the time comes.

Common misconceptions

Maintenance and use is simply about storing records until they are destroyed.

Maintenance and use concerns the active management of records so they remain accessible, authentic, reliable, and usable while needed. Storage is only one aspect; this phase is distinct from later disposition, which may include transfer or permanent preservation rather than destruction.

Any accessible copy of information can be treated as the record.

A record is distinguished from mere information, data, drafts, and copies by properties such as authenticity, reliability, integrity, and usability. Maintaining records typically requires identifying and protecting the authoritative record rather than relying on incidental copies or transitory information.

Making records easy to access is inherently at odds with protecting them.

Appropriate access and adequate protection are generally complementary rather than opposed. Access controls, permissions, and audit trails are intended to enable authorized use while preserving integrity and meeting privacy or security obligations, which vary by jurisdiction and sector.

Best practices

Establish and enforce access controls and permissions that reflect the sensitivity of records and applicable privacy and security obligations, recognizing that requirements depend on jurisdiction and sector.

Maintain audit trails that capture access, movement, and amendment so that accountability and the continued integrity of records can be demonstrated.

Distinguish and clearly label authoritative records from drafts, copies, and transitory information so users can rely on the correct version.

Preserve authenticity and integrity by permitting changes only through authorized processes and by keeping evidence of a record's origin and context.

Monitor storage media, formats, and system dependencies to keep records retrievable and interpretable over the period they are required.

Support retrieval through sound classification, indexing, and metadata applied at creation or capture, and review these arrangements as needs and systems change.