OBM247

Records Management for Office Professionals

STUDENT NAME : Dayangku Dhamirah binti Ag.Arshad

STUDENT ID : 2020573865

ASSIGNMENT TITLE : Mind Map (Chapter 5 : Subject Records Management)

PREPARED FOR : Madam Emilia binti Abdul Rahim

 Need for Subject Filing
Subject records management: an
alphabetic system of storing & retrieving
records by their subject/topic.
- Subject filing is recommended when
the range of topics is wide.
- Appropriate for catalogs, clippings,
correspondence, inventory list, etc.
Dictionary Arrangement
- Subject folders are arranged behind A-to-
Z guides in correct alphabetic order by
specific subject.
- Also referred to as topical arrangement &
straight dictionary arrangement
Dictionary File Arrangement Characteristics
- Primary guide labels contain letters A to Z in
alphabetic order.
- Special guides identify folders referenced often.
- General subject folders are used to store
records related to the subject title.
- Captions on general subject folders include the
alphabet letter & the subject title.
- Subject titles are not subdivided.
Encyclopedic Arrangement
- A subject filing arrangement in which records
are arranged in alphabetic order.
- Records are divided into broad groups & then
subdivided into more specific topic (this can
accommodate larger volume of record)
- Main division are PRIMARY subject heading
(titles/topic), SECONDARY (second-level
heading), and the most specific heading are the
third level or TERTIARY subject heading.
Chapter 5: Subject Records
Management
Subject Filing Procedures
Inspecting: Check for release mark
Indexing: Select filing segment
Coding: Code main subject & subdivisions in
the text, write the subject in the upper right
corner, underline cross-reference subjects
with a wavy line, place an X in the margin.
Cross referencing: Prepare cross-
reference sheets for alternative subjects,
file under alternative subject titles.
Sorting: Sort by main titles, then
subdivisions.
Filing: File in subject folders.
Retrieving: Use master/relative index to
locate records.
Subject Code
- Write long subject with subdivisions in
the top right corner of a record.
- For one-word subject, the subject code
may consist of the first letter of the word
& next 2 or 3 consonants word.
- The code should be recognizable as an
abbreviation of the word in the subject.
Subject Filing – Advantages
- Subjects are easier to remember than names.
- Related records are easy to find.
- Related records are not scattered throughout
the files.
- Files can easily be expanded by adding
subdivisions to main subject titles.
- Subject filing is appropriate for storing large
volumes of records.
- Security is provided because names are not
visible on files.
Arranging Guide & Folder
Straight Line Filing
- The guide tab & folder tabs occupy single
horizontal positions that are readable in a straight
line from the front to the back of the file.
- Preferred because:
* The eye scans in a straight line.
* Folders are added & deleted with no disruption to
the file arrangement.
* Commonly arranged in staggered pattern in
vertical storage equipment because it was thought
to provide for easier reading of caption.
Guide Arrangement
- Alphabetic guides are the major file divisions & are considered the
primary guides in the alphabetic correspondence name file.
- They are fifth-cut guides place in the first position (moving left to
right) & precede all the other matter.
- Secondary guides are special name guides and special subject
guides interfiled alphabetically.
- They are subdivision of the primary alphabetic guide they follow.
- They are fifth-cut guides placed in the next position to the right of
the primary guides.
- Folders are containers used to hold & protect records.
- A general folder holds records to & from correspondents with a
small volume of records.
- An individual folder holds records for an individual correspondent.
- A special folder follows a special guide.
Geographic Filing Procedures
Inspecting:
- Inspect each incoming letter to be sure it has been
releaser for filing.
- Check each paper to see that it has been dated.
- If no date appears on the record, write or stamp
the current date on the record for filing purpose.
 Encyclopedic File Arrangement
Characteristics
- Primary guide captions are general
subject titles.
- Secondary guide captions are
subdivisions of general subject titles.
- Folder captions include main subject
titles & subdivisions.
- Is indirect access system: a filer may
need to reference an index before a
record can be files/retrieved.
- A general subject folder with the
same label caption as the primary
guide is inserted behind the last
subdivision folder that subject.
Subject File/Index
- After choosing the
dictionary/encyclopedic arrangement,
next step is to select the subject heading.
- Subject file list (AKA index) is complete
listing of all subject heading in a subject
filing system.
- Only one person should be responsible
for assigning subject & maintaining the
subject file list (to avoid chaos)
Classification
- The process of analyzing & determining
the subject content of a record & selecting
the subject heading under which it will be
filed.
- Must be concise, accurately descriptive of
the content.
Subject Filing – Disadvantages
- Main subject titles & subdivisions may overlap.
- Concise, clearly defined & uniformly stated subject
titles may be difficult to select.
- Inconsistent subject coding on records may make
storage & retrieval difficult.
- Users may not remember exact titles.
- Planning & maintenance are required to assure
consistent use of approved subject titles.
- Subject filing is expensive because experienced filers
are required.
- An experienced records analyst may be required to
create the subject titles to assure that logical subjects
are selected.
- Indexing, coding & cross referencing take more time
because each record must be read carefully and
thoroughly.
Need for Geographic Filing
- Geographic filing: method of storing & retrieving records in
alphabetical order by location of an individual, an
organization/a project.
- The need of geographic succeed in many areas of our social
& political lives as well as business & industry.
Geographic Filing Method
- Geographic system are tailored (modified) to fit the need of the
organization.
- The filing segment in geographic filing includes geographic filing
units first, followed by the correspondent’s name.
- Arranged from major to minor geographic units.
Storage Arrangements
Dictionary storage arrangements: Lettered guide plan & location name
guide plan.
Encyclopedic storage arrangements: Lettered guide plan & location
name guide plan.
Coding:
- Geographic location is considered the first part
of the filing segment so mark the locations
clearly.
- Circle geographic units in the name & number
them to show their rank in indexing order.
- After that, index the correspondent’s name
according to the alphabetic indexing rules.
- Use diagonal lines to separate the filing units &
number them to show their indexing order.
Preparing cross-reference:
- As in alphabetic filing, cross-reference is
sometime necessary.
- example: a compound name/an unusual
name may require a cross-reference, or a
letter may contain useful info about another
company/person.
Sorting:
- Sort letters & other records by geographic
units, starting with the major geographic
unit & continuing until all units in the filing
segment have been used.

Rules 3: Punctuation & Possessives
- All punctuation is disregarded when indexing
personal & business names.
toletters/words & index the names
- Close up the
as one unit.
- Names are indexed as written.
Rule 4: Single Letters & Abbreviations
a) Personal names
- Initials in personal names are considered
separate indexing units.
- Abbreviations of personal names & nicknames
are indexed as they are written.
- Do not spell out abbreviations/try to outguess
shortened names.
b) Business names
- Single letters in business & organization names are
indexed as written.
- If single letters are separated by spaces, index each
letter as a separate unit.
- An acronym is indexed as one unit regardless of
punctuation/spacing.
Rule 5: Titles & Suffixes
a) Personal names – A title before a name, a seniority
suffix, or a professional suffix is the last indexing unit.
b) Business names – titles in business names are
indexed as written.
Guide Plan
- Lettered guide plan: an arrangement of
geographic records with primary guides
labeled with alphabetic letters.
- Location name guide plan: an arrangement of
geographic records with primary guides
labeled with location names.
Geographic File Index
- An index systematically guides the access to
specific items contained within a larger body
of information.
- The alphabetic index & the master index are
useful indexes when filing by location.
Alphabetic Index
- The index may be in form of:
* type list, card file/computer-generated list.
- Info in the index must include:
* Correspondent’s name, state name, city name.
Following manner should be followed:
- Before filing a record, refer to the alphabetic index to
see if the name of the correspondent is in the index.
Master Index
- A master index is a complete listing of all
filing segments in the filing system.
- Advantages of computer database is
apparent: 2 useful indexes can be printed
from a single input of records.
- Folder labels & mailing labels can be
prepared, as well, from the same stored
data.