This paper discusses the concept behind Information Resource
Management from its inception. It traces the developments in
the area and compares the activities to those discussed under
Knowledge Management. It points out the various tools used
in todayâs Internet environment for resource management. Web
indexing considered as a tool for effective resource
management on the web is also discussed

Madalli, Devika P.

English

Librarians' Digital Library

Workshop on  
Information Resource Management 
13th-15th March,, 2002 
DRTC, Bangalore 
 
Paper: AA 
 
 
Tracing Developments in Information 
Resource Management 
 
 
Devika P. Madalli 
Documentation Research and Training Centre 
Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore 
email: devika@isibang.ac.in 
 
 
Abstract 
This paper discusses the concept behind Information Resource 
Management from its inception.  It traces the developments in 
the area and compares the activities to those discussed under 
Knowledge Management.  It points out the various tools used 
in today’s Internet environment for resource management. Web 
indexing considered as a tool for effective resource 
management on the web is also discussed. 
 
Paper: AA                 Devika P. Madalli 
 2 
The concept of Information as a resource is quite new, especially, noting that information 
and the need for information have existed for a long time now. Aslib in the late 1980s 
held a series of seminars on the topic of Information Resource Management (IRM). The 
key persons putting forth the idea were Forest W. Horton and Cornelius F. Burk.  Much 
time elapsed even after Aslib’s efforts before a formal research approach was taken to 
explore the area of IRM.  
 
1 What is IRM? 
It is important to define IRM and examine its scope for the proper understanding of the 
activities involved. There are various popular definitions, which, put together give a 
holistic picture. IRM is the management (planning, organization, operations and control) 
of the resources (human and physical) concerned with the systems support (development, 
enhancement and maintenance) and the servicing (processing, transformation, 
distribution, storage and retrieval) of information (data, text, voice, image) for an 
enterprise. (1).  
 
1.1 IRM is the recognition by an organization that data and information are valuable 
resources and the application of the same principles of managing data and 
information as are used in managing physical resources such as personnel (2).  
1.2 Information Resources Management (IRM) is the process within the information 
management arena that serves the corporate interest. IRM seeks to harness 
information for the benefit of the organization as a whole by exploiting, developing 
and optimizing information resources. The interests of the organization are usually 
manifested by its corporate goals and objectives. Thus, IRM is the managerial link 
that connects corporate information resources with the organization's goals and 
objectives. (3)  
1.3 IRM, simply put, is the belief that information is an asset that should be managed 
rigorously and can contribute to the success of businesses. (4). IRM is the managing 
of information resources - a major strategic responsibility of both managerial end 
users and traditional IS management (5) (6). 
 
There are many definitions in use for IRM, reflecting the various perspectives on the 
scope and impact of the information resource. One such IRM definition can be derived by 
breaking up the term "information resource management" into its component parts.  
Ø Information as something told or items of knowledge  
Ø Resource as a stock or supply that can be drawn on  
Ø Management as the professional administration of business concerns (7)  
 
The information management profession actually consists of a number of largely isolated 
parts. These include librarians, records managers, archivists, and computer information 
systems professionals. (8) 
 
Tracing developments in information resource………             Paper: AA 
 3 
2 Information Resource as an asset 
The area of IRM stresses upon Information as a resource just as any other resource like 
human resources  and financial resources in organizations.  Information is a resource with 
a final value established according to information quality criteria (novelty, reliability, 
precision, etc.), potential, and effectiveness of its application. (8) Information Resource 
Management is the engine that is driving the information economy. It is having and will 
continue to have a profound impact on business management, competitive advantage, and 
productivity. Information resource management is an integral part of corporate strategies 
and can be used by organizations to gain competitive advantages in their markets. IRM 
and the management of information resources affect all functional areas and all 
management levels of an organization.  
 
3 Principles of Information Resource Management 
Horton’s views expressed at Aslib meetings for the first time  made information and 
related processes and people prominent.  It gave a new professionality to the activities 
carried out as information resource management.  The trend took a definite shape when 
Nick Willard (9) proposed a model based on  traditional resource management principles. 
The model eventually became known as 'The Willard Model'. 
 
The Willard Model identifies five key elements of IRM:  
 
Ø Identification 
The discovery of information resources and the recording of their features in an 
inventory  
 
Ø Ownership 
The establishment of responsibility for the upkeep of an information resource 
 
Ø Cost and Value 
Assessment of the cost of an information resource and its value to the 
organization 
 
Ø Development 
The further development of an existing information resource to enhance its value 
to the organization 
 
Ø Exploitation 
The processes which may allow a resource to generate further value through 
conversion into an asset or a saleable commodity 
 
Based on the theoretical framework of Willard, Aslib held a series of other workshops to 
explore each of the above mentioned element.  The IRM network of Aslib has concluded 
that the scope and definitions and activities under the denotation of Information Resource 
Paper: AA                 Devika P. Madalli 
 4 
Management is totally encompassed by Knowledge Management which is the term used 
in the latest context in Information arena and a natural extension of the ideas of IRM.  
 
4 Conclusion 
Knowledge Management has structural and functional basis in the IM (Information 
Management or IRM.  The main difference is the high degree of dynamic activity 
involved in the KM system. To summarize in the words of Dr.Malhotra, (10) ‘use of the 
information and control systems and compliance with pre-defined goals, objectives and 
best practices may not necessarily achieve long-term organizational competence. This is 
the world of 're-use,' ‘re-engineering’, ‘re-cycling’ etc, which challenges the assumptions 
underlying the 'accepted way of doing things.' This world needs the capability to 
understand the problems afresh given the changing environmental conditions. Knowledge 
management focuses on 'doing the right thing' instead of 'doing things right.' 
 
5 Reference 
1. Schneyman (A.H.). Organizing Information Resources. Information Management 
Review, Summer 1985, pp.35-45. 
2. R. (McLeod) and Brittain-White (K.). Incorporation of IRM Concepts in 
Undergraduate Business Curricula. Information Resources Management Journal, 
1(1), 1988, pp. 28-37. 
3. Burk (C.F.) and Horton (F.W). InfoMap: A Complete Guide to Discovering 
Corporate Information Resources. Englewood Cliffs. Prentice hall : New Jersey, 
1988. 
4. Kerr (J. M.). The IRM Imperative. John Wiley and Sons : New York, 1991. 
5. O'Brien (J.). Management Information Systems: A Managerial End User 
Perspective. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1990. 
6. Aslib IRM Network. http://www.irm.org.uk/irmnetpublic/framework.htm   
7. Hoven (John Van den). Information Resource Management: Foundation for 
Knowledge Management. Information systems Management, 18, (2), 2001, p. 80.  
8. Atkociuniene (Zenona). Information resource management: manager of data, 
information, and knowledge. 
 http://www.hb.se/bhs/seminar/semdoc/atkociuniene.htm 
9. Willard (Nick). Information resource management. Aslib Information, 21(5), 1993.  
10. Malhotra (Yogesh). Knowledge Organizations and Knowledge Workers: A  View 
from the Front Lines. INTERVIEW WITH Maeil Business Newspaper. 
http://www.brint.com/interview/maeil.htm 
11. Horton (Forest W.) Jr. and Burk (Cornelius F.) Jr. InfoMap: A Complete Guide 
to Discovering Corporate Information Resources. Prentice Hall : Englewood Cliffs, 
1988. 
12. Information Resources Management: Topics, Concepts, and Resources for 
Teaching IRM to Business Students. http://gise.org/JISE/Vol1-5/INFORM1.htm 
 


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