Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that the digital
environment of the early twenty-first century is forcing the information
sciences to revisit practices and precepts built around paper and physical
objects over centuries. The training of archivists, records managers,
librarians and museum curators has had to accommodate this new reality.
Often the response has been to superimpose a digital overlay on existing
curricula. A few have taken a radical approach by scrutinising the
fundamentals of the professions and the ontologies of the materials they
handle.
Design/methodology/approach – The article explores a wide range of the
issues exposed by this critique through critical analysis of ideas and
published literature.
Findings – The authors challenge archive and records management educators
to align their curricula with contemporary need and to recognise that
partnership with other professionals, particularly in the area of
technology, is essential.
Practical implications – The present generation owe it to future
generations of archivists and records managers to ensure that the
education that they get to prepare them for professional life is
forward-looking in the same way.
Originality/value – This paper aims to raise awareness of the educational
needs of twenty-first century archives and records professionals