ABSTRACT
Administrative records are collections of documents containing mainly factual information compiled in a variety of ways (directly from those concerned, or indirectly from employers, schools, doctors and others acting as informants), which are used by organisations to record the development and implementation of decisions and activities that are central to their functions. They are typically large in number, with high content rigidity and narrow content scope, and are often available for considerable stretches of time. Examples are health service records; school records; membership records of trade unions and other voluntary associations; company accounts and personnel records; marriage, birth and death registers; electoral registers; tax and social security records; police, court and prison records.
