Based for more than fifteen years at the School of Librarianship and Information Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the EBSI) records management training has firm roots at the…
Abstract
Based for more than fifteen years at the School of Librarianship and Information Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the EBSI) records management training has firm roots at the University of Montreal. Even when relations between librarianship and records management were at their lowest — I am thinking here of the “battle of the manuscripts” in 1973 — the EBSI continued to offer records management training. A tradition has been established and this is not to be sneezed at because, like Rome, university courses cannot be built in a day. Maurice Lebel, the famous Quebec academic, once said, “It takes 25 years of hard work to build up a quality department.” The EBSI celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary in 1987, and records management courses have now been running in the department for some fifteen years. We can therefore rightly claim that at the University of Montreal records management is able to develop within the framework of a well‐established school.
Carlos Guardado da Silva, Luis Corujo and Maria Miguel Duque Perdigão
This study aims to examine the archives’ role in Portuguese public policies from 1976 to 2021, based on an analysis of decision-making and support mechanisms, as well as other…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the archives’ role in Portuguese public policies from 1976 to 2021, based on an analysis of decision-making and support mechanisms, as well as other legal and normative instruments (diplomas) associated with relevant policies and legal actions in government programs, major planning options, sectoral programs and legislation.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation was based on a qualitative methodological framework that follows the document analysis method, consisting of four phases: research; first reading; critical reading and data collection; and analysis and interpretation.
Findings
Survey results identified the presence of the archives on government agendas and supported tracing an evolution in the development and application of measures in this area. Additionally, it was possible to relate these measures to socioeconomic and political contexts and to previously identified reference studies. The conclusion is that the place of archives in Portuguese public policies between 1976 and 2021 was still based in historical and heritage dimensions, excluding the aspect of information management, which was not even included within the concept of archives.
Originality/value
This is an original case study of the state of Portuguese archive policies, compared against reference works such as Couture(1998) and more recent national developments as considered in the works of Silva(2019).
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To share the experience of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s approach to managing its records, using an e‐mail system.
Abstract
Purpose
To share the experience of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s approach to managing its records, using an e‐mail system.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary importance of communication between the headquarters and delegations of a global organization such as the ICRC lead it to use its e‐mail system to manage its “official” current records. The Lotus Notes system applies best practice principles of records management as defined in the ISO 15489 standard.
Findings
After almost a decade of operation the e‐mail system meets the requirements of managing official current electronic records, however, advice sought from an independent expert highlighted the lack of integration of other records, such as word documents, would cause problems in the future.
Practical implications
The e‐mail records management system is to be modified to cover both the official institutional records and the administrative documents.
Originality/value
This paper is a useful case study showing how a global organization with software solution constraints has successfully used a global e‐mail system, based on widely used groupware product, to manage its official records.
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Zawiyah M. Yusof and Robert W. Chell
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…
Abstract
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.
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Zawiyah M Yusof and Robert W Chell
This article is the result of a brief survey, conducted across the Internet by researchers from the Archives and Records Management Programme at the University of Wales at…
Abstract
This article is the result of a brief survey, conducted across the Internet by researchers from the Archives and Records Management Programme at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. The authors discuss the need for records management training and education world‐wide, and the emergence of records management as a subset of information management, with an acknowledged impact on the systematic and efficient management of organisations. They show how the focus of records management has shifted over the recent past from the archival management of unwanted documents, to the management of electronic systems, giving records managers an equal standing with other professionals in the field of information management. Using a comparison between Malaysia, where much of the training is provided by visiting consultants, and the United Kingdom, where records management training is provided by the universities, the authors conclude that the needs of qualified and well‐informed professionals in this distinct field is dependent upon the training and education provided by courses in universities world‐wide. Their survey, however, reveals that there is no standard approach to the training provided by these institutions: some are likely to reflect their archival origins, others represent various streams of the broad context of information studies.
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Zawiyah M. Yusof and Robert W. Chell
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…
Abstract
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.
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Basma Makhlouf Shabou, Julien Tièche, Julien Knafou and Arnaud Gaudinat
This paper aims to describe an interdisciplinary and innovative research conducted in Switzerland, at the Geneva School of Business Administration HES-SO and supported by the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe an interdisciplinary and innovative research conducted in Switzerland, at the Geneva School of Business Administration HES-SO and supported by the State Archives of Neuchâtel (Office des archives de l'État de Neuchâtel, OAEN). The problem to be addressed is one of the most classical ones: how to extract and discriminate relevant data in a huge amount of diversified and complex data record formats and contents. The goal of this study is to provide a framework and a proof of concept for a software that helps taking defensible decisions on the retention and disposal of records and data proposed to the OAEN. For this purpose, the authors designed two axes: the archival axis, to propose archival metrics for the appraisal of structured and unstructured data, and the data mining axis to propose algorithmic methods as complementary or/and additional metrics for the appraisal process.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on two axes, this exploratory study designs and tests the feasibility of archival metrics that are paired to data mining metrics, to advance, as much as possible, the digital appraisal process in a systematic or even automatic way. Under Axis 1, the authors have initiated three steps: first, the design of a conceptual framework to records data appraisal with a detailed three-dimensional approach (trustworthiness, exploitability, representativeness). In addition, the authors defined the main principles and postulates to guide the operationalization of the conceptual dimensions. Second, the operationalization proposed metrics expressed in terms of variables supported by a quantitative method for their measurement and scoring. Third, the authors shared this conceptual framework proposing the dimensions and operationalized variables (metrics) with experienced professionals to validate them. The expert’s feedback finally gave the authors an idea on: the relevance and the feasibility of these metrics. Those two aspects may demonstrate the acceptability of such method in a real-life archival practice. In parallel, Axis 2 proposes functionalities to cover not only macro analysis for data but also the algorithmic methods to enable the computation of digital archival and data mining metrics. Based on that, three use cases were proposed to imagine plausible and illustrative scenarios for the application of such a solution.
Findings
The main results demonstrate the feasibility of measuring the value of data and records with a reproducible method. More specifically, for Axis 1, the authors applied the metrics in a flexible and modular way. The authors defined also the main principles needed to enable computational scoring method. The results obtained through the expert’s consultation on the relevance of 42 metrics indicate an acceptance rate above 80%. In addition, the results show that 60% of all metrics can be automated. Regarding Axis 2, 33 functionalities were developed and proposed under six main types: macro analysis, microanalysis, statistics, retrieval, administration and, finally, the decision modeling and machine learning. The relevance of metrics and functionalities is based on the theoretical validity and computational character of their method. These results are largely satisfactory and promising.
Originality/value
This study offers a valuable aid to improve the validity and performance of archival appraisal processes and decision-making. Transferability and applicability of these archival and data mining metrics could be considered for other types of data. An adaptation of this method and its metrics could be tested on research data, medical data or banking data.
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Co‐ordinated by their scholarly association, textile/apparel faculty from multiple universities have succeeded in establishing a World Wide Web server dedicated to providing…
Abstract
Co‐ordinated by their scholarly association, textile/apparel faculty from multiple universities have succeeded in establishing a World Wide Web server dedicated to providing information from across their disciplines to enhance instruction. The process of server establishment and Web‐site creation including funding, determination of information for posting, problems encountered, and future plans are reviewed. Other faculty could use this as a guide in establishing servers and Web sites for their own disciplines.
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THE earliest libraries in any kind of community were run by interested members of the community with enthusiasm but no special training. Their communities asked them for very…
Abstract
THE earliest libraries in any kind of community were run by interested members of the community with enthusiasm but no special training. Their communities asked them for very little more than they could get or do for themselves but did not care to find the time for, and because the librarian was one of their own, but no longer functioning fully in their world, the members of the community tended to have, however loyally or gently, a lower opinion of the man and consequently hisoffice. For the failed academic or businessman this was little less than just, but it was quite unjust to the profession of librarianship.