Is the Freedom of Information Act driving records management in further education colleges? Available to Purchase

This article presents key findings from a JISC‐funded research project “Developing records management in further education: responding to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000”, considering issues raised in a study of 15 colleges in northern England in 2003. It highlights difficulties of raising awareness of records management in this context; the value of the “Model action plan for achieving compliance with the Lord Chancellor’s Code of Practice on the management of records in higher and further education institutions”; and barriers to be overcome in institutions where the appointment of a professional records manager is not a possibility. It considers whether preparations for FoI have had an impact on records management in this sector, and whether this is likely to continue or increase in future, after the Act comes into force in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in January 2005.