Practices for College and University Electronic Records Management (ERM) Programs: Then and Now

Abstract

This article reports on findings from a research project investigating patterns in practices among North American college and university archives and records management programs regarding their approaches to capturing, storing, organizing, and making available institutional electronic records. The project seeks to provide a picture of the state of the field for archivists in colleges and universities. Initially funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission's (NHPRC) Electronic Records Fellowship Program, the study collected data in 2005 from 193 institutions through an online survey administered to 638 archivists and records managers. The survey was followed by interviews with archivists at 20 institutions to explore in depth the development and implementation of their programs. In 2009, a second online survey was sent to the 193 institutions responding in 2005 to identify what changes, if any, had occurred over the four-year period. Sixty-five percent (126) of the original 193 institutions updated their 2005 data, and the results suggest relatively little change in the development of ERM programs over the past four years.