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Records management in the next millennium: the global perspective was the title of the 4th International Records Management Congress held in Edinburgh between 27 and 30 April 1998. More than one hundred delegates from four continents gathered at the Sheraton Grand Hotel to hear keynote addresses and papers from different parts of the world. But, as is usual at conferences, it was not only in the formal sessions that discussion raged about the challenges facing records and archives professionals as the year 2000 approaches. This report will highlight some of the key themes which emerged.

This article considers the benefits of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for records management in the light of the development and aims of NVQs generally. It traces the development of the records NVQs within the national forum of the Information and Library Services Lead Body and provides details of their content at the various levels.

WordStar and dBase II are used for a very wide range of small‐scale applications within a general policy of making computers available to all library staff. Ease of use is aided by having menu‐driven programs and providing appropriate instructions for each application. Descriptions are given of typical projects from straightforward word processing of user education documents to databases that require conversion between text and data files.

Explores the newly emerging information discipline of records management, focusing on its current status in the UK where it is represented by a range of sector‐specific and general for information professionals organizations. Investigates the issue of education and training in this developing field in the context of a research project on continuing vocational education for records practitioners, which is being undertaken by the Department of Information and Library Management at the University of Northumbria. Early results from the project identified two main training needs: one relates to a specific area of information management, that of managing electronic records, and the other relates to the general area of strategic approaches to management. While records management involves some skills and knowledge which are different from those already mastered by library and information professionals there are significant overlaps in terms of cataloguing, classification, indexing, identifying and meeting user needs and the challenge of dealing with information in electronic form. Contends, therefore, that in the changing and sometimes shrinking market of some of the more traditional library sectors records management may offer the opportunity to develop or shift one’s career path while remaining within the discipline of information management.

This is the second part of a two‐part article which examines the various definitions accorded to the two key terms in records management – the records and records management. Variations in their definition have lead to confusion which affects the formulation of theory to underpin the discipline. Having discussed the changing definition of a record in Part 1 in this part the authors discuss the various definitions of records management.

This article examines the various definitions accorded to the two key terms in records management ‐ the records and records management. Variations in their definition have lead to confusion which affects the formulation of theory to underpin the discipline. This problem is to be discussed in two separate parts. Part 1 discusses the changing definition of the ‘record’ as it evolves from an archives perspective, through a management perspective to an information technology perspective. These changes have lead to changes in the status of records. This is discussed as records as objects vs records as electronic objects. However, this is not a new issue. It was recognised by Jenkinson as early as 1922. The debate on the definition of records concludes that any new definition needs to take account of the component parts of a record: the information, the medium and the function. Part 2 will discuss the various definitions of records management.

Records management was identified as an emerging research theme in the last Research Assessment Exercise return from the School of Information Studies, University of Northumbria at Newcastle. This article examines how, since then, the School has approached developing its research profile in records management and highlights issues applicable to other researchers in the subject area within the UK. The School’s medium to long term strategy for records management research is presented

In July 2000, eight BBC staff graduated from the University of Northumbria at Newcastle with an Advanced Diploma in Lifelong Learning (Records Management). This is the first award in a new and innovative framework aimed at meeting the needs of industry in a flexible way. Explains the model for lifelong learning awards, which focuses on the individual or group of individuals and their specific education and development needs, and evaluates its use as part of a training programme at the BBC. The evaluation, based on the views of the student participants, other BBC staff involved and staff from the university, is overwhelmingly positive. The award has had a significant impact on the roles and responsibilities of the BBC staff as well as the status of records management within the BBC. With the collaboration, support and commitment of all those involved, the model was successful in empowering participants both as learners and records professionals.

This article aims to review the book Managing Electronic Records edited by Julie McLeod and Catherine Hare.

The book is evaluated in the context of other related titles, the authors' and editors' aims for the text, the needs of professionals in the field and the reviewer's views on required content.

The reviewer concludes that the book is one of the very best collections on electronic records to have been published.

The article reviews this book within the context of other titles, thereby informing readers of the broader range of resources in this challenging area.