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The purpose of this paper is to present, on the one hand, the findings of a survey conducted during 2012 in Iceland and, on the other hand, the results of interviews held in 2015 concerning why it was felt that the authorities withheld information either about subjects of general public interest or about public expenditures.

A survey questionnaire was sent in March 2012 to almost 2,000 Icelanders randomly selected from the National Registry. The response rate was almost 67 per cent. As to the interviews held in 2015, these were with individuals who were known to understand well the government’s actions, both as to provision of information to the public and the opposite, suppression of information. The interviewees were chosen purposively. The survey was modelled on other research and resources concerning open public information and other research that had examined trust towards public authorities and the influence of freedom of information acts on government information practices.

The research revealed that both participants in the questionnaire survey and the six interviewees in the later study felt that information was kept secret for a variety of reasons. Most felt that information was kept under wraps by the government, both about subjects of general public interest or about public expenditures, and that both transparency and traceability were less than sufficient in the public administration of Iceland.

The results could be of value to public authorities who want to improve the provision of information and practices according to the freedom of information act. They could also bring diverse and valuable opportunities to the profession of records managers as to documentation and registration, as well as others who practice information management.

The survey adds valuable information and fulfils a need for a better understanding of why public authorities suppress the provision of information in Iceland. Although the research cited was limited to Iceland, the findings may be of value also to public authorities and researchers in the Western World, Australia and New Zealand to give a few examples where the culture and the practice of government may not be that different, as well as in other countries. The two studies can, therefore, lay the foundation for further research into the field.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research on collaborative personal knowledge registration (PKR). It seeks to explain the interrelationship between records professionals and human resource (HR) and training professionals, as well as the views of management and quality managers on collaborative PKR. It aims to raise awareness of records professionals as specialists in information management, including personal knowledge.

Qualitative methodology was used to conduct the research. It was a multiple-case study, covering 12 organizations in Iceland. In these organizations, 32 professionals were interviewed. The research sought to understand how PKR was being facilitated, as well as how personal knowledge was made accessible and usable for employees.

The organizations had not been as successful as anticipated in PKR. The role and responsibility of records professionals was limited in the PKR process. Different professionals seemed unaware of the possible synergy effect of collaborative PKR.

There is a lack of studies that explore the juxtaposition and collaboration of records professionals and HR and training professionals in organizations. The aim of this research was to bridge this gap. Its originality lies in how it approaches diverse professions and their collaborative PKR effort. This research provides a valuable practical and theoretical contribution to a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of information and records management. It can lay the foundation for further research into the field.

Many organizations are challenged by different and, perhaps, opposite, registration and protection obligations of information regarding their employees. The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizations balance the registration obligations of the Icelandic equal pay standard (EPS) and the protection requirements of the general data protection regulation (GDPR). It aims to raise awareness of how information professionals can ensure that documentation on the education and skills of employees is authentic, traceable and secure.

The analytical framework covered multiple-cases and semi-structured interviews with various professionals and comprehensive documentary analysis.

The findings indicate that the organizations were not properly prepared for the implementation of the EPS and were hesitant regarding further registration of personal information due to GDPR. Documentary analysis also revealed critical attitudes towards the legal endorsement of the standard and its potential success.

There is a lack of studies explaining the juxtaposition of information and records management and the legal and regulatory environment. This paper provides a unique description of how information and recordkeeping practices function with the requirements of the EPS whilst complying with GDPR. The results could bring valuable opportunities for the information profession regarding the development, implementation, administration and maintenance of documentary evidence regarding the requirements of international and national standards and legislations and advance their collaboration with other professionals in the management of information.

ISO 9000 certification is a necessary entry ticket for an organisation for selling its products abroad in new markets. The costs involved in establishing a quality system and having it certified can be substantial, but all the respondents found the investment in the certification to be paying off. The area needing most improvement before the quality system could be introduced was records management (RM). It is also what seems to go wrong most frequently as detected by the quality auditors. The ISO 9000:2000 standard places no less emphasis on RM than its predecessor, and the demand for well designed RM programmes will not diminish. The new ISO 15489 standard on RM is an excellent guide for this work.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings of a survey conducted during 2010 in the Icelandic organizations that held certification according to the ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard.

The organizations were questioned about problems in obtaining and maintaining certification, what motivated the quest and which were the benefits. Information on the software used and the cost and the time it took to obtain certification was also sought. A questionnaire was sent to those in charge of the quality management programme in the organizations. The questionnaire contained both open‐ended and closed questions. A comparison was made to a previous Icelandic survey from 2001.

The results show that necessary improvements were needed regarding information and records management (IRM). The reasons for obtaining certifications were mainly demands from customers, a way to introduce more disciplined work procedures and transparency, and to gain a better overview in management. The main benefits from receiving the certification were regarded to be improved management and improvement in meeting demands from customers and public authorities as well as improved IRM, more disciplined work procedures and increased traceability. Organizations involved in an international business believed the certification was a great benefit. Obtaining certification took on average two years and five months. The cost amounted to about £65,500.

Although the survey is limited to Iceland, this knowledge may also be of value to researchers, records managers and managers in other countries. The survey can lay the foundation for further research into the field.

The results could be of value to organizations that want to implement or re‐implement a certified quality management system. They define various factors that can support a better and a more reliable implementation of quality management systems. The results show that certified quality systems bring varied and valuable opportunities to the profession of records managers.

The survey adds valuable information and fulfils a need for a better understanding of the status of ISO 9001 in Iceland.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of studies conducted during the period 1986‐2010 in 75 Icelandic organizations on how employees classified or did not classify information and records.

A qualitative methodology was used, involving open‐ended interviews, participant observations and internal documentary material.

The studies revealed that very few of the organizations used a functional classification scheme (FCS) organization‐wide to classify records when the data collection took place. When FCS was not used, records were variably stored unclassified or were classified by the employees according to individualistic schemes made up by themselves. It was further discovered that influential factors in a successful implementation of FCS were user participation in designing FCS, proper training and top management support in its use.

The findings could be practical for organizations that intend to improve information and records management and to maximize efficient retrieval of records for business and legal purposes. They could be a starting point in successful introduction of FCS in organizations, both in Iceland and abroad.

There is a lack of systematic analysis of studies on classification of records and FCS, not only in Iceland but in other countries as well. The findings provide new knowledge on how employees classify or do not classify records and use or do not use FCS and of which are the most influential factors in a successful implementation of such schemes.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research conducted in Iceland during the period 2001‐2005 and in 2008 on how employees view their use of Electronic Records Management Systems (ERMS).

Qualitative methodology was used. Four organizations were studied in detail and another four provided a comparison. Open‐ended interviews and participant observations were the basic elements of the research. The research discovered the basic issues in the user‐friendliness of ERMS, the substitutes that employees turned to if they did not welcome ERMS, how confident employees were in their computer use and how they felt that their work could be shared and observed by others.

Employees seemed to regard ERMS as a groupware for constructive group work and not as an obtrusive part of a surveillance society. The research identified training as the most important factor in making employees confident in their use of ERMS. Participation in adapting the classification scheme to the ERMS changed the views that employees had regarding the user‐friendliness of the ERMS and their effectiveness as users.

This topic has not been studied as regards ERMS before. The research identifies the most important implementation factors and the issues that must be dealt with to make employees more content, confident and proficient users of ERMS.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings of a survey conducted during 2012 in Iceland with the intent of examining public opinion on government provision of information, i.e. whether the public felt that the authorities withheld information, either about subjects of general public interest or about public expenditures, if the authorities felt there was a reason to do so.

A survey questionnaire was sent in March 2012 to almost two thousand Icelanders. This was a random sample selected from the National Registry. The response rate was almost 67 per cent. The survey was modelled on other research and resources that had examined trust toward public authorities and the influence of Freedom of Information Acts on government information practices.

The survey discovered that the greater part of the citizenry felt that the authorities did keep important information of general public interest secret often or sometimes. Only 2-3 per cent of them believed that this never happened. Most of those surveyed felt as well that important information about public expenditures was often or sometimes withheld. Only 3-5 per cent of the respondents were of the opinion that this never happened.

The results could be of value to public authorities that want to improve the provision of information and practice according to freedom of information act. They could also bring varied and valuable opportunities to the profession of records managers as well as others who practice information management.

The survey adds valuable information and fulfils a need for a better understanding of what the public believes regarding government provision of information in Iceland. Although the survey is limited to Iceland, these findings may also be of value to public authorities and researchers in the Western World, Australia and New Zealand, to give a few examples where the culture and the practice of government may not be that different, as well as in other countries. The survey can lay the foundation for further research into the field.