D.2 How does your recording policy fit in?#

Section B.4.1 recommends HER officers to prepare a recording policy. This document should identify both the sources of information that are locally available to the HER and also provide a framework to identify gaps or weaknesses in the information base (this may have already been provided by an HER Audit, see section B.2.4). HER officers are recommended to make reference to their recording policy when planning programmes of work to maintain or enhance the record. When planning to incorporate either new material or information held in backlogs, some key issues to consider are:

• Does the information provided lie within the sphere of interest of the HER, or has the information a more natural home elsewhere?
• Does the information provided by a source contain enough detail to meet the HER's requirements and the HER Basic Compliance Specification set out in Annex 1 of Benchmarks for Good Practice? (Chitty 2002).
• Does the information duplicate existing material in the HER?
• Could the information be more easily acquired from another source?
• Can the information be incorporated into the HER without extensive additional work?
• How high a priority is this new information in relation to your research framework?
• Does the material involve the acquisition of physical archive? If so is it original material, in which case is the HER the most appropriate body to hold it after incorporation? Is digital archiving required? Reference should be made to the HERs collection and disposal policy for archive material.