Records Continuum Research Articles

A comparative case study on metadata schemes at Swedish governmental agencies

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to study the development and implementation of metadata schemes in Swedish governmental agencies, in order to gain a better understanding of recordkeeping practices in contemporary organisations and of the use of metadata and practical implementation of metadata schemes.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on two case studies. The data have been collected through qualitative interviews, e‐mail correspondence and analysis of documentary sources, and analysed with help of the records continuum model and the conceptual framework presented in the international standard for metadata, ISO/TS 23081.FindingsThe results from this study show that the agencies had similar reasons to develop metadata schemes, namely to established a unitary and consistent description of records, to enhance retrieval and exchange of information, and to provide external users access to records in compliance with the 24/7‐agency vision. The agencies have, however, chosen different approaches to metadata and based their schemes on different models. This has affected the possibility of capturing contextual relations and transactionality, and thus of guaranteeing the evidential properties of records. The agencies are to various extents covering the different aspects of recordkeeping. None of the agencies are, however, acting in all dimensions of the records continuum model.Originality/valueThe paper shows how the records continuum model can be used as an analytical tool in the study of recordkeeping practices. It further contributes with empirical findings to a field where still little research is done. The paper can also be of value to practitioners seeking to develop and implement metadata schemes for records.

Access to records for people who were in out-of-home care: moving beyond ‘third dimension’ archival practice

The Records Continuum model, particularly its notion of the pluralised, ‘fourth dimension’ where records can have multiple meanings and multiple stakeholders, provides a useful framework for examining ‘care’ records and the roles they can play in the emerging processes of remembering and forgetting, providing services and restoring justice to Forgotten Australians and to all those affected by the history of institutional ‘care’. 1 Despite considerable advances in recent years in understanding the interplay between archives and issues facing ‘care’ leavers, the management of ‘care’ records remains largely stuck in ‘third dimension’ practices and ideologies. Creation, capture, organisation and access to records relating to the provision of ‘care’ involve interactions between ‘care’ leavers, social workers, archivists, historians and counsellors and these exchanges significantly shape and reshape the meaning(s) that can be made from these records. This article calls for a reorientation of perspective to recognise the many stakeholders associated with ‘care’ records, to aid the development and dissemination of new contextual documentation to improve access to records, and to help foster trust, dialogue, and reconciliation.

Principles for archival information services in the public domain

In 2010, in response to the Australian Government’s November 2009 apology to Forgotten Australians and former child migrants, a scoping study was undertaken by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to assess the options for a national ‘Find and Connect’ service to allow people to locate and access relevant records and have recourse to support services. The scoping study noted that Pathways, a web-based public knowledge space and a product of the Victorian ‘Who Am I?’ research project, was a community-based information resource without equal in the out-of-home care sector in Australia or indeed internationally. The scoping team made the observation that Pathways, due to its quality of content and coherent structure, appeared to be based on a set of principles and wondered what they were. In response the research team set about articulating the principles that underpinned their approach to archival documentation and the use of digital technologies – principles that had emerged through more than two decades of public domain, archive-focussed projects. This paper presents those ten principles and discusses them within the context of Pathways and the ‘Who Am I?’ project. The principles played a key role in FaCHSIA adopting Pathways as the model for the national Find and Connect database and web resource, launched on 15 November 2011. The principles underpin community knowledge building in the fourth or pluralised dimension of the Records Continuum. The paper ultimately argues that all stakeholders (all people and organisations connected with records) should have the ability to contribute to the utilisation of those records through the improvement of documentation and that some archival systems do have a duty of care to ensure they can inter-operate with community-generated knowledge.

Records management and risk management at Kenya Commercial Bank Limited, Nairobi

Background: This paper reported empirical research findings of an MPhil in Information Sciences (Records and Archives Management) study conducted at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya between September 2007 and July 2009.Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate records management and risk management at Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Ltd, in the Nairobi area and propose recommendations to enhance the functions of records and risk management at KCB. The specific objectives of the study were to, (1) establish the nature and type of risks to which KCB is exposed, (2) conduct business process analysis and identify the records generated by KCB, (3) establish the extent to which records management is emphasised within KCB as a tool to managing risk, (4) identify which vital records of KCB need protection because of their nature and value to the bank and (5) make recommendations to enhance current records management practices to support the function of risk management in KCB.Method: The study was qualitative. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The theoretical framework of the study involved triangulation of the records continuum model by Frank Upward (1980) and the integrated risk management model by the Government of Canada (2000).Results: The key findings of the study were, (1) KCB is exposed to a wide range of risks by virtue of its business, (2) KCB generates a lot of records in the course of its business activities and (3) there are inadequate records management practices and systems, the lack of which undermines the risk management function.Conclusion: The findings of this study have revealed the need to strengthen records management as a critical success factor in risk mitigation within KCB and, by extension, the Kenyan banking industry. A records management model was proposed to guide the management of records within an enterprise-wide risk management framework in the bank.

레코드 컨티뉴엄과 평가, 그리고 기록콘텐츠 -기록콘텐츠 개념 정립을 위한 시론-

This article intends to explore the meaning of record and role of record management in electronic record environments, based on appraisal theory of Records Continuum. Appraisal theory of Records Continuum can provide to explore the mean of record and role of record management in new social environment. And it try to build the Concept of archival contents for expanding the meaning and utilization of record based on appraisal theory of Records Continuum.

Annotating Web archives—structure, provenance, and context through archival cataloguing

Despite the success of Internet access via search technology, such ease of access is still not available in Web archives, as a greater amount of relevant contextual information is essential in accessing Web archives. The degree of relevance of the contextual information has to be customized to suit research on culture and heritage study over time. Information scientists have long been struggling to find a system that can help them organize Web archives so that users can have access to complete and coherent collections. Lessons can be learned from archivists who have an established tradition of linking materials to its origin and ownership or what is termed provenance. In this paper, we demonstrate how Web Annotation for Web Intelligence, more than just an intuitive way of expressing one's thoughts on the materials under study, is in fact an appropriate tool for cataloguing Web archives in order to ensure a high quality of access for users. Informed by the theory of Records Continuum, a demonstration of access to archived Web materials will be presented. We then recommend an effective way of allowing the continual organization of Web archives based on several design principles for a Web annotation system. This system would preserve the evidence and context of the cataloguing process. Such a tool would also help facilitate collaboration among information professionals in organizing complex Web archives. Implementing the recommended Web annotation system will help ensure better-quality archives with more evidence and contextual information preserved within the system.

レコードキーピングをめぐる一考察 : マケミッシュ、クックの論考をもとに(例会特集, ライフサイクル論とcontinuum論のはざまで)

レコードキーピングをめぐる一考察 : マケミッシュ、クックの論考をもとに(例会特集, ライフサイクル論とcontinuum論のはざまで)

Angelika Menne-Haritz博士による東京外国語大学2006年度特別講義「現代社会の中のアーカイヴズ」を受講して(学術エッセイ, ライフサイクル論とcontinuum論のはざまで)

Angelika Menne-Haritz博士による東京外国語大学2006年度特別講義「現代社会の中のアーカイヴズ」を受講して(学術エッセイ, ライフサイクル論とcontinuum論のはざまで)

Global archive and record-keeping research agendas: Encouraging participation and getting over the hurdles

The International Council on Archives Section for Archival Educators and Trainers (ICA/SAE) has had a research agenda as one of its projects for eight years, but to date there has been little contribution and no real outcomes. A research database has also been developed by ICA/SAE, with the purpose of documenting research projects of any size from dissertations to collaborative projects. It remains to encourage researchers and research students to record their projects and keep them up to date. One of the main barriers to developing strong research programmes in universities is the difficulty of developing a research culture in small programmes where academics carry heavy teaching and administrative loads. A learning community of potential researchers must be developed, as well as ways to encourage connections for future partnerships between experienced and novice researchers as well as between university-based researchers and practitioners. A few very successful collaborative research programmes have been developed and we can learn from them. These include InterPARES, the Records Continuum Research Group and the Cedars Project. They are exemplified by • a clear focus for their research; • collaboration between universities and industry partners; • a clear management structure and sound documentation; • a well-managed website for dissemination of research products.

Placing records continuum theory and practice

This article provides an overview of evolving Australian records continuum theory and the records continuum model, which is interpreted as both a metaphor and a new world-view, representing a paradigm shift in Kuhn's sense. It is based on a distillation of research findings drawn from discourse, literary warrant and historical analysis, as well as case studies, participant observation and reflection. The article traces the emergence in Australia in the 1990s of a community of practice which has taken continuum rather than life cycle based perspectives, and adopted postcustodial approaches to recordkeeping and archiving. It “places” the evolution of records continuum theory and practice in Australia in the context of a larger international discourse that was reconceptualizing traditional theory, and “reinventing” records and archives practice.

The Records Continuum Model in Context and its Implications for Archival Practice

(2001). The Records Continuum Model in Context and its Implications for Archival Practice. Journal of the Society of Archivists: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 79-93.

Modelling the continuum as paradigm shift in recordkeeping and archiving processes, and beyond Ö a personal reflection

This article outlines the development of a records continuum model initially developed as a teaching tool to communicate evidence‐based approaches to archives and records management. The continuum is being used in Australia as a metaphor to assist in getting records management ‘right’ in recordkeeping environments built around electronic communications, and the model supports this endeavour. It extends the concept of the continuum beyond metaphor, representing the case for viewing it in its fuller spacetime meanings as a worldview. In this form, the continuum is potentially a technologically driven paradigm shift within all information management and systems practice. There is a new game developing and the concept of the continuum can help us re‐organise our knowledge for that game. This article will discuss the diversity of records management theory and practice. It will look at the meanings of the continuum and my own model of it, including the differences between a worldview and a detailed view. Three other continuum models are presented. A continuum ‘patrol and control’ strategy for analysis is outlined briefly, and represents a point at which my own approach to the continuum is taking off into more detailed practical considerations in records management education and training.