Arhivski vjesnik, No. 43, 2000.
Izlaganje sa skupa
Archivist and records managers: same profession, diffrent responsibilities
Theo H.P.M. Thomassen
Sažetak
The information revolution is transforming the two domains of archives and records management and it is integrating them into one domain. In this process, archivists and records managers are challenged to redefine their occupations as well as their mutual relations. In our old profession, current and semi-current or active records were neatly separated from non current or non-active records. The antagonism was most heavily stressed by Schcllenberg, who even invented two different terms: records and archives.
Electronic records finally put an end to the concept of the archival world as a refuge for the non-current. The ephemeral character of digital information became a hot issue. The digital longevity problem did away with the archivists reactive attitude of just waiting until electronic records would arrive at their last resting place. Electronic records appeared not to be inclined to rest at any moment in their lifetime. The short duration of life of computer hardware and software and the loose bond in a digital context between data and context information urgently invited archivists to interfere in the life cycle at a very early stage. They had to adopt a pro-active instead of a reactive attitude, and shift their attention to the records creating process, to record-keeping and to records management. On the other side electronic records raised the interest of records managers in modern concepts of archival science. In to day's archival practice integration is not a free option anymore.
Of course, this integrated view on the archival domain does affect the outlook of the occupations involved. These occupations arc not considered anymore as a set of activities (i.e.: filing and classing on the one hand and arrangement and descript¬ion on the other) but as the functions of records and archives management themselves, the records management function and the archival function. The analysis of modern records management and archival functions makes clear, that records management and archives management are not separate domains anymore, nor merely stages in prolongation of each other. They arc related functions in an integrated process.
Archival work is integrating and so is archival science. Again Information and Communication Technology is the agent of change. On the one hand, electronic records arc records just as non electronic records. Consequently, problems in the field of electronic records arc problems to be dealt with by archival science. On the other hand, the very existence of electronic records also brings about the need for all major concepts of archival science and archival methodology to be redefined. More than ever before, archival science has become the basis not only for archival practice, but also for records management activities. More than ever before, records managers and archivists share the same scientific discipline, due to the integration of the two concepts of archives and records in one integrated notion of process bound information, i.e.: information generated by business processes and structured in such a way that it can be retrieved in the context of those business processes.
Archival education and training is a key success factor. The archival world must make serious efforts to provide for a broad continuing education program aimed at records managers and archivists together, in order to give records managers and archivists who are already part of the system a good knowledge and understanding of modern developments in the fields of records management, electronic records etc., to transfer to them new methods and techniques and, last but not least, to have them change their professional attitudes. At the same time it must design and establish programs for initial archival education which meet the needs of the record handling community for broad and flexible professionals who could be employed both by a record office and by an archives.
Archivists and records managers: same profession, different responsibilities. An archivist must refrain from interfering in the records manager's duties; he must avoid any involvement in implementing and controlling record keeping requirements in business applications. Whether records arc in electronic form or not, whet her records managers and archivists arc integrating or not, the primary duty of the records manager always will be to help his organisation accomplishing its aims and goals by means of records. The archivist must always stay impartial and independent from the records creating body.
Ključne riječi
archivists; records managers; records management; reprofesiona-lisation (of archival science)
Hrčak ID:
10409
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.3.2001.
Posjeta: 1.867 *