What is the essence of records management?
| Published date | 30 March 2010 |
| Date | 30 March 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09565691011039889 |
| Pages | 117-123 |
| Author | David Ryan |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
OPINION PIECE
What is the essence of records
management?
David Ryan
London, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share impressions of a witness seminar conference which
explored the Essence of Records Management held in May 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the concluding remarks made by the
author as the conference rapporteur.
Findings – The paper concludes that the witness seminar format of the conference was very
successful with much interaction between the speakers and participation from the audience; on the
issues explored there has not been a paradigm shift; and that there are important areas which are still
to discuss.
Originality/value – The paper shares impressions from a very different conference format which
encourages debate amongst experts; it also raises some very important questions and challenges for
records managers going forward.
Keywords Records management, Seminars, Processmanagement, Risk management
Paper type Viewpoint
This article is based on my summary of a witness seminar conference entitled
Exploring the Essence of Records Management: Engaging with Experts, which took
place on 4-5 May 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and was organised by
Northumbria University. It represents my immediate impressions of the discussion
and debate that took place during the conference, draws some conclusions about the
issues raised, makes some personal observations on the value of the conference format
(which was distinctly different) and concludes with some other thoughts.
Witness seminars
The conference format was based on the witness seminar concept pioneered in the UK
by the Centre for Contemporary British History (http://icbh.ac.uk/icbh/witness/welcom
e.html) and the Wellcome Trust (www.ucl.ac.uk/ histmed/publications/wellcome-
witnesses/index.html). Witness seminars gather key people together to discuss a
chosen event and capture their testimony of it. The discussion, chaired by a leading
person, is recorded and transcribed to form a record that complements existin g written
records, enabling a full account of the event to be preserved for future research. The
witness seminars at this conference, however, were not concerned with documenting
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
Note: the views expressed in this opinion piece are personal and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Royal Household, where the author is employed.
This article was originally published in Records Management Journal, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 124-30
(2006) and has been republished as part of the journal’s 20th anniversary commemorative
issue.
The essence
of records
management
117
Records Management Journal
Vol. 20 No. 1, 2010
pp. 117-123
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/09565691011039889
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