Thinking about and working with archives and records: a personal reflection on theory and practice

Looking back over a career that has lasted 40 years (so far) the author reflects on developments in his own thinking and the influences involved. Not least amongst these are: the British public records tradition which predominated at UCL when he studied there; the American historical manuscripts tradition which was in the process of aligning with strands of postmodernism when he held visiting fellowships in the USA; the reconfiguration of Records Management in sub-Saharan Africa in response to public sector reform in which he was involved as an advisor; and the experience of teaching postgraduate students in Britain and overseas. The author’s publications have appeared in a wide range of journals and as monographs, some of them published overseas. Here he draws together the common strands that connect them. Finally he argues that hermeneutic techniques and the concept of fiduciarity deserve to be given serious consideration in debates about archive and records theory

Archives as Artifacts: Authenticity, Preservation, and Significant Properties in Microfilm and Digital Surrogates

Abstract: From microfilm’s widespread adoption in the 1950s to its fading popularity due to electronic media, archivists have evaluated its benefits and shortcomings, debating its ability to preserve authenticity. While many practitioners initially praised microfilm’s stable and tamper-evident qualities, more recent re-evaluation has placed new emphasis on the materiality of originals for the context they provide in addition to the information content, unlike surrogates. These changes in archival practice are relevant for today’s challenges with digitization; archivists’ past experience with microfilm technology and current work on digital preservation can provide important lessons and perspectives regarding records’ essential characteristics and the implications for preservation reformatting

Thinking about and working with archives and records: a personal reflection on theory and practice

Looking back over a career that has lasted 40 years (so far) the author reflects on developments in his own thinking and the influences involved. Not least amongst these are: the British public records tradition which predominated at UCL when he studied there; the American historical manuscripts tradition which was in the process of aligning with strands of postmodernism when he held visiting fellowships in the USA; the reconfiguration of Records Management in sub-Saharan Africa in response to public sector reform in which he was involved as an advisor; and the experience of teaching postgraduate students in Britain and overseas. The author’s publications have appeared in a wide range of journals and as monographs, some of them published overseas. Here he draws together the common strands that connect them. Finally he argues that hermeneutic techniques and the concept of fiduciarity deserve to be given serious consideration in debates about archive and records theory

Al servicio de la transparencia. El papel de los archiveros y la gestión documental en el acceso a la información pública

El propósito de este artículo es defender el papel fundamental de los archiveros y la gestión de documentos de cara a la futura Ley de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública que tiene previsto aprobarse en España. Se llama la atención, así mismo, sobre determinadas condiciones necesarias en la situación actual para garantizar dicho papel y, con él, el propio derecho de acceso

Rising to the level of a record? Some thoughts on records and documents

Purpose: This paper seeks to suggest ways of understanding the relationships between records and documents. / Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews some of the statements made about records and documents in professional literature. It also offers some thoughts on the connections between records and documents in digital and pre‐digital environments and their intersections with other concepts such as “data”. / Findings: Although professionals have often seen records and documents as closely intertwined, this paper argues that the record and the document follow different logics. Documents are characterised by their format, records by their relation to activities, events or other temporal occurrents. Records need not be in documentary form, and can exist at multiple levels of aggregation. The notion that documents become records when they are “declared” is problematic. Capture and declaration do not determine record status, but if capture systems are robust they allow the power of the record to be harnessed to the fullest possible extent. / Originality/value: The paper seeks to explicate some basic concepts of the professional discipline

Authenticity and Audit Trails

Maintaining an audit trail—the chronological record of activities that is sufficient to enable the reconstruction, review, and examination of the sequence of environments and activities—is inextricably linked to the provenance of a record, not just at the point of appraisal and accessioning, but from the record’s point of creation, through its primary and active use by an individual or within an organization, and throughout its archival life. There is the need to authenticate the provenance—information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection—of the all items that are accessioned, regardless of format, albeit a more complex undertaking for electronic records.Publisher does not allow open access until after publicatio

A Prototype for project selection: a case of Uwezo fund in Kenya

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) at Strathmore UniversitySelection of the right project is very crucial in any institution as it enables it to select high priority projects aligned with their strategies. Stakeholders evaluate each project idea and select projects of the highest priority. Despites overwhelming evidence of project selection techniques superiority in selecting projects that yield higher success results, many organization do not apply them to select projects. Poor project selection reduces the benefits and outcomes derived from projects. The was study aimed at developing a project selection prototype that would help select high priority projects at Uwezo fund for funding. The selection criterion used for selecting projects are based on the project requirements. The research is a form of applied research and utilized quantitative research design. The sample size was computed through convenience non-probability sampling. The prototype was developed using Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology as it is designed to take advantage of powerful development software’s like CASE tools and prototyping and enable speedy prototype development. The prototype developed provided a more effective and efficient way of selecting projects for funding that had high priority and success probability

Digital diplomatics of records in a government accounting system in Botswana

Determining the authenticity of digital records to support the audit process is problematic due to a lack of criteria to declare the authenticity of records. This study is part of a larger study (Mosweu 2018) that explored the authenticity of records in a government accounting system in Botswana. The current study utilised a literature review to demonstrate the need for a framework for digital diplomatics of records to support the audit process in a government accounting system in Botswana. The study used concepts from archival diplomatics as a theoretical lens. It was established that records in a government accounting information system are presented to auditors even when their authenticity is questionable, leading to their rejection as audit evidence. A framework is suggested with the hope that, if implemented, it would transform public sector audit processes and lead to improvements in accountability for monies expended as the government delivers services to the people.Information Scienc

Sähköisen tiedon aikaan : kirkonkirjojen ja perhelehtien digitointiprojekti Turun ja Kaarinan seurakuntayhtymän keskusrekisterissä 2008-2018

Tutkielmani aiheena on kirkonkirjojen ja perhelehtien digitointiprojekti Turun ja Kaarinan seurakuntayhtymän keskusrekisterissä. Käyttämäni aineisto koostuu sekä Kirkkohallituksen valtakunnallista digitointiprojektia varten tuottamasta materiaalista että seurakuntayhtymän omasta digitointia käsittelevästä aineistosta. Kirkkohallituksen organisoima kaikkia Suomen evankelis-luterilaisia seurakuntia koskeva digitointiprojekti aloitettiin vuonna 2008, ja tällä hetkellä se on päättymäisillään. Digitoidun aineiston pohjalta luotiin KirjuriDigi, digitoitujen kirkonkirja-aineistojen sähköinen arkisto. Seurakunnat voivat nyt laatia eri viranomaistarkoituksiin tarvittavat virkatodistukset käyttämällä manuaalisten kirkonkirjojen ja perhelehtien sijaan digitoitua aineistoa. Tavoitteena myös on, että virkatodistuksien tekijöille myönnetään valtakunnalliset käyttöoikeudet, jolloin heillä olisi pääsy myös muiden kuin omien seurakuntiensa kirkonkirja-aineistoihin. Tällöin asiakkaat saisivat tilattua kaikki eri evankelisluterilaisista seurakunnista tarvitsemansa todistukset ainoastaan yhdestä paikasta. Digitointiprojektin keskiössä olivat nimenomaan seurakuntien omat viranomaistarpeet ja asiakaspalvelun sujuvoittaminen etenkin virkatodistustilausten osalta. Tutkimus osoitti, uusi sähköinen kirkonkirja-aineistojen arkisto ja sen pohjalta tehtävä tietopalvelu vaativat sekä tietokannan jatkuvaa ylläpitoa että kehittämistä. Sähköisen aineiston käytettävyyttä pyritään turvaamaan yhtenäisin metatiedoin ja tietoturvaa käyttörajoituksin sekä vahvan tunnistautumisen kautta. Siirryttäessä manuaalisesta aineistosta sähköiseen eli siirrettäessä tietoja kirkonkirjoista ja perhelehdistä KirjuriDataan, jossa ovat seurakuntalaisten reaaliaikaiset jäsentiedot, ei tiedon provenienssia ja eheyttä ole kuitenkaan kaikilta osin kyetty täydellisesti turvaamaan. Tämän vuoksi seurakunnat eivät voi ainakaan vielä luovuttaa kirkonkirjojaan ja perhelehtiään säilytykseen Kansallisarkistoon, vaan niitä tarvitaan edelleen digitoitujen aineistojen rinnalla virkatodistusten laatimistyössä. Valtakunnallisten virkatodistusten laatimisen pilotointi aloitettiin lokakuussa 2018 juuri Turun ja Kaarinan seurakunnissa ja aika näyttänee, miten kirkonkirja-aineistojen valtakunnallinen arkisto käytännön työssä toimii

Framework for effective public digital records management in Uganda

This thesis examines the framework for effective management of digital records in Uganda, which was undertaken by a detailed study of the 23 ministries, which form the Uganda Public Service (UPS). Areas of research inquiry included establishing the current state of digital records in the UPS and revealing the factors impeding the managing of digital records. This raised many issues about the way in which digital records are created, maintained and used, including possible lines of action to resolve current digital records management (DRM) problems. It also considered how the DRM services and practices used elsewhere could be adopted to suit the UPS environment. The status of DRM and the factors affecting the creation, use, maintenance and disposition of digital records were critically reviewed and evaluated and, towards the end, the thesis recommends strategies and makes proposals that could contribute to the development of DRM services in the UPS. The study adopted a mixed methods research approach and drew on the ‘records continuum’ concept for its analytical framework. The study drew on data from primary and secondary (literature and research reports) sources. Data collection from primary sources was carried out using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, which made it possible to study the personal perspectives and experiences of those involved in the management of records and of digital systems in Uganda. The approach provided insight into the UPS ministries, where data was collected from senior and middle managers, ICT managers and records managers, through a total of 40 interviews. This approach was essential in so far as it focused on the importance of the meanings that emerged as respondents defined their DRM requirements through interpersonal interactions and it guided the data collection, analysis and reflection activities. The analysis of the findings of the study revealed that the problems with DRM are largely due to the absence of ICT facilities with recordkeeping functionality, a lack of clear policies, guidelines and procedures, and to the fact that the Uganda Records and Archives legislation is not fully implemented and not properly enforced. It is argued that the failure to fully implement the National Records and Archives Act has led to a lack of appropriate institutional and managerial structures. Other problems include the lack of a reliable power supply and of sufficient financial resources and human capacity. Although no UPS ministry has a complete Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS), the survey of many ministries provided comprehensive evidence of the dynamism in the use of ICT that led to the generation of digital records. The problems and challenges elaborated upon in the study have shown that a successful DRM service depends on a number of factors. While it is not strictly possible to generalise the findings from this purposive sample to the whole of the Government of Uganda, it is likely that the issues identified in this study will apply to the whole of the Uganda public sector and, to some extent, to other sub-Saharan African countries. The study concludes that in order to facilitate a DRM service in the UPS, the objective should be to enable increased creation and keeping of records by digital means. The proposed recommendations are categorised into four key factors: the need for formal legal infrastructure; the need to establish formal instruments in particular a national archives agency with appropriate policies, procedures and guidelines; and the development of both robust DRM infrastructure and of appropriately skilled human resource capacity. These factors are necessary and need to be addressed urgently, and specifically for Uganda, in order to ensure accountable government for the citizens of Uganda in the digital world