Records Management Journal

Joseph, Pauline; Hartel, Jenna

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-06-2016-0017

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the concept of information in records and archives management (RAM) from a fresh, visual perspective by using arts-informed methodology and the draw-and-write technique.Design/methodology/approachStudents and practitioners of RAM in Australia were asked to answer the question, “what is information?” in a drawing and then to describe the drawing in words. This produced a data set of 255 drawings of information or “iSquares”, for short. Compositional interpretation and a framework of graphic representations by Engelhardt were applied to determine how participants envision information and what the renderings imply for RAM.FindingsThe images reveal an overwhelming recognition in RAM of the diversity of media formats of information and the hyperconnectivity of information in networked information systems; and illustrate the central place of human beings within these systems. These findings offer striking, accessible illustrations of major concepts in RAM and enable new understandings through the construction of stories.Practical implicationsThere are both pedagogical applications and practical implications of this work for students, practitioners and knowledge workers. The graphical representations of information in this research deepen the understanding of textual definitions of information. The data set of iSquares provides opportunities to create new storyboards to explain information definitions, practices and phenomena in RAM disciplines, and, to explain related concepts such as data, information, knowledge and wisdom hierarchy.Originality/valueThis is the first study in RAM disciplines to provide visual illustrations of information using graphical image representations.

Namukasa, Juliet

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-04-2016-0011

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the influence procurement records management had on the performance of the procurement function under the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).Design/methodology/approachThe study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. Procurement records management was the independent variable, while procurement performance was the dependent variable. The study also adopted a simple correlation and case study design. An accessible population of 101 respondents was identified, with 93 forming a sample. An 88% response rate was realized.FindingsResults indicated that procurement records management had a significant effect on procurement performance. Whereby, there was a positive and statistically significant relationship between records creation and procurement performance; there was a positive relationship between records maintenance, preservation and procurement performance; and, finally, records access and use also had a positive significant influence on procurement performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis research focused on the central region of Uganda, and yet, Uganda has got so many other regions which operate the NAADS programs. This means that research was conducted within a defined scope. Therefore, based on this, the researcher could not generalize the research findings.Practical implicationsFindings imply that ethical practices should be emphasized and custodians of procurement records be held accountable for their actions, as this will help in the support of proper record-keeping and avoid documents not being on file, misplaced or misfiled, which negatively affects procurement performance. Enabling a more efficient information management system results into effective procurement performance that leads to significant cost reduction in both the private and the government sector, especially when digital records are involved.Social implicationsAs majority of the NAADS staff were found to possess inadequate knowledge in records maintenance and preservation, the government through the NAADS training committees should organize timely workshops to sensitize staff on how best records maintenance and preservation is core to its operations.Originality/valueThis study contributes to an important area which has not been given attention in the Ugandan context, where there is difficulty of relating the value of effective records maintenance to business management because of the lack of quantifiable evidence. Therefore, the study highlights the influence of records creation, maintenance and use on procurement performance. The review of literature finds that better records management results into better performance of the procurement units in procurement entities.

Svärd, Proscovia

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-01-2016-0003

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the long-term preservation challenges that the Swedish private archives are faced with. In as much as they offer a complement to the public archives and hence offer a nuanced national narrative, they lack both financial and human resources to effectively deal with the digital information management environment.Design/methodology/approachParticipatory Action Research (PAR) was used to identify the challenges of long-term preservation together with the six private archives institutions that were involved in the collaboration. The collaboration was financially facilitated by the Södertörn University. PAR is defined as a systematic investigation, with the collaboration of those affected by the issue being studied, for the purposes of education and taking action or effecting social change. What is distinctive of PAR is the active involvement of people whose lives are affected by the phenomenon under study.FindingsThe private archival institutions face long-term preservation challenges such as lack of a digital repository that would facilitate the capture, organization and management of digital records that are of different formats and in a dispersed environment. There are no stringent legal requirements to facilitate the creation and management of the records in a standardized way and the institutions fear that imposing such requirements might deter their clients from depositing archival materials with them. The institutions will also need to espouse the business-oriented archival descriptions where private organizations are concerned to identify relevant archival materials and to promote participatory archival descriptions that would allow the creators to tag their records with metadata. Digital information requires a proactive approach, that is, planning for the long-term preservation of the information before it is created. Private archives need to invest in education packages that will facilitate their clientele’s understanding of the challenges of digital long-term preservation.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings cannot be generalized to all private archival institutions, as it was only six institutions that participated, but the issues discussed are relevant to most archival institutions.Practical implicationsA lot of research has been carried out in the area of long-term preservation, but researchers have not paid enough attention to the woes of the private archives. To sustain a nuanced national narrative, the private archives need all the support to be able to live up to their mission of preserving archives of the private sector that are not captured by the public archival institutions. This is important in a pluralistic society such as Sweden. Highlighting the challenges might enable the institutions to work towards finding common challenges.Social implicationsThe private archives are part of Sweden’s national heritage. Their preservation matters to the society as a whole and to enhancing the voices of the underrepresented.Originality/valueThe literature review revealed that not much research has paid attention to the challenges being faced by the private archives. This paper, therefore, contributes to this knowledge gap.

Hawthorne, Kisha Hortman; Richards, Lorraine

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-08-2016-0020

PurposeThis paper examines existing research on the topic of personal health records (PHRs). Areas covered include PHR/patient portal, recordkeeping, preservation planning, access and provider needs for future reuse of health information. Patient and physician PHR use and functionality, as well as adoption facilitators and barriers, are also reviewed.Design/methodology/approachThe paper engages in a review of relevant literature from a variety of subject domains, including personal information management, medical informatics, medical literature and archives and records management literature.FindingsThe review finds that PHRs are extensions of electronic records. In addition, it finds a lack of literature within archives and records management that may lead to a less preservation-centric examination of the new PHR technologies that are desirable for controlling the lifecycle of these important new records-type.Originality/valueAlthough the issues presented by PHRs are issues that can best be solved with the use of techniques from records management, there is no current literature related to PHRs in the records management literature, and that offered in the medical informatics literature treats the stewardship aspects of PHRs as insurmountable. This paper offers an introduction to the aspects of PHRs that could fruitfully be examined in archives and records management.

Tyler, Jacqueline Edana

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-11-2015-0039

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to share the experience of the document discovery process, during the implementation of an asset management system for a rail company. This system will deliver comprehensive enterprise asset management information from a single source, with information provided to mobile devices, for use by field workers. This case study presents the challenges encountered in the search, retrieval and management of documentation for use on a daily basis for civil standard maintenance tasks.Design/methodology/approachEvidence gathered for this paper was a result of direct and participant observation over a period of 18 months from 2014 to 2016. As a member of the project team, certain privileges were accorded to the researcher who was placed in a unique position to act as the main research instrument, able to collect data on the systems used as well as the everyday practices on information capture and document production.FindingsDocument quality and standards can be overlooked or deemed as not crucial; the value, significance and importance of documentation are lost when no one takes ownership; the understanding and application of standards, quality management and governance can have a direct bearing on the effective management and control of documents and subsequent records produced.Research limitations/implicationsResearch is limited, as this is a single case study.Practical implicationsBy highlighting the challenges faced and the resolutions used, this paper hopes to offer a level of practical guidance with the detection process for maintenance tasks for the civil assets discipline for a rail network.Originality/valueThis case study contributes to the understanding of quality management and the role it plays in document management and in turn the search and retrieval process. It provides evidence that documents must be systematically managed and controlled to limit risk both internally and externally.

Asogwa, Brendan Eze; Ezema, Ifeanyi Jonas

2017 Records Management Journal

doi: 10.1108/RMJ-08-2015-0029

PurposeAgitation for adoption of freedom of access to government information is an emerging issue in Africa and has gathered momentum since 2000 when South Africa passed the first freedom of information (FoI) law in the continent. This paper aims to discuss the extent of passage of FoI laws in Africa, the reality of their implementation in some of the countries and the critical challenges and recommendations.Design/methodology/approachA document analysis approach was adopted for gathering vital information on the realities and challenges of FoI implementation in Africa. Literature on the concepts, principles and practice of FoI were reviewed, and relevant facts and figures were extracted to buttress the authors’ argument.FindingsOnly 14 (25.5 per cent) of the 55 countries in Africa had signed FoI law as on January 31, 2015; 16 (29.0 per cent) are still lobbying, while 25 (45.5 per cent) of the states had no significant plan yet. Political factors like colonial legacy, poor leadership, inexperienced record managers for the implementation of FoI Acts (FoIA), corruption and hydra-headed clauses such as “national security, and other privacy rights” impede access to government records in Africa. The paper recommended among others that African countries should amend restrictive laws that continue to impede full implantation of FoI laws.Practical implicationsImplementation of the provisions in the FoIA in Africa will not be realistic unless those restrictive clauses that hinder citizens from freely accessing government information are reviewed in line with free access to information.Originality/valueThis paper appears to be the first to review the status of FoIA in Africa since the first right to information laws were signed in the continent.