Evidential Value

What is Evidential Value?

Evidential value refers to the value of a record based on its ability to provide evidence about the functions, activities, decisions, processes or transactions of the organization that created or maintained it. It helps determine how effectively a record documents what an organization did, how it operated and why particular actions or decisions were taken.

In records management, evidential value is considered during records appraisal to determine which records provide significant evidence of organizational activities and should be retained for longer-term reference or archival purposes.

Key Features

• Evidence of Activities: Shows what functions, activities or transactions an organization carried out.

• Organizational Context: Helps establish how records relate to the functions and processes that produced them.

• Decision Documentation: Provides evidence of decisions, approvals and actions taken by an organization.

• Records Appraisal: Supports evaluation of records for their ongoing evidential significance.

• Historical Documentation: Records with significant evidential value can contribute to understanding how an organization operated over time.

• Context Preservation: Helps preserve relationships between records and the activities that generated them.

Benefits

• Better Records Appraisal: Helps organizations identify records that provide significant evidence of their activities.

• Improved Accountability: Supports documentation of organizational decisions and actions.

• Stronger Governance: Helps maintain evidence of business functions and processes.

• Historical Understanding: Preserves information that can demonstrate how an organization operated over time.

• Informed Retention Decisions: Supports decisions about which records should be retained for longer-term or archival purposes.

Conclusion

Evidential value helps determine the significance of records based on the evidence they provide about an organization’s functions, activities, decisions and transactions. It is an important consideration in records appraisal, retention and long-term records management.