The Series Filing System is based on the organizational structure of the institution. The system begins with the records of the office or department with each additional series representing the next layer of the institution. This may sound confusing but is actually an easy system to set up and use. The next few pages will lead you through the different parts of the system.

The idea behind the Series System is to set up a universal system that will work well for all parts of the institution. In the Series System the records are grouped in organizational units called records series. A series is a group of files or documents maintained as a unit because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, have a particular form or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation or use. Most office's files can be divided into the six broad series listed below:

The following pages explain each of these series in detail with examples of the types of records that will fall into each series.