docupació

Docupació is a term used in some Catalan-speaking contexts to refer to the practice of documenting, organizing, and preserving information resources, including records, documents, and other data. It encompasses both the creation of records and their long-term management across analog and digital formats. The aim is to ensure information is accurate, accessible, and safeguarded for legal, administrative, and historical purposes.

Core activities in docupació include records management, metadata creation, classification, indexing, and the establishment of retention schedules. Practitioners work to capture materials at the point of origin, assign consistent metadata, store items securely, and enable efficient retrieval. Digital aspects emphasize preservation, format migration, and safeguarding against tampering or loss, often through backup strategies and authenticating procedures.

Standards and best practices play a key role in docupació. Metadata frameworks such as Dublin Core or PREMIS support interoperability and long-term access, while institutional standards like ISO 15489 guide records management practices. Technology—ranging from document management systems (DMS) and electronic records management systems (ERMS) to content management systems (CMS)—facilitates workflows, access control, and versioning.

Legal and ethical considerations are central, including privacy protection, data security, and compliance with public records or freedom of information laws. Challenges include digital obsolescence, data fragmentation, and resource costs. Proper docupació enables transparency, accountability, and historical continuity while supporting effective information governance in organizations and public institutions. See also documentation, records management, archival science, and metadata standards.