Records and Information Management by Patricia Franks is a new offering for the information professional. Perhaps not the most exciting or inspiring of titles as the author admits in the introduction. The author also contends that this is necessary as no useful alternative describes the content. This is very much a concept that is at the heart of the book – that records and information management is still relevant in a modern organisation even if the way in which we create and use records may have changed and the means of communicating are manifold. Many of the principles remain but the application evolves.
The book is a guide through the basic building blocks of information management, covering the information life cycle of the record through creation to destruction. As the reader may expect, the chapters cover the core themes of classification, storage, retrieval and retention using a range of examples through paper records to discussion of records in the “cloud”. Underpinning the examination of each topic approach is the “programme” approach to records and information management and the links to broader governance issues within the organisation.
Certainly a recurring theme of this book is to try and focus on some of the modern technologies facing the information manager in the twenty-first century, not being afraid to discuss mobile devices or social media and even “big data” in the context of the information management programme and the tools of the records manger. It may not provide all the solutions to twenty-first century records and information challenges but makes an understated assertion that the imperative of records and information management is not limited by technology or the means by which modern business operates.
The book is laid out in a logical order with each chapter covering a specific topic or topics such as retention strategies, or access and retrieval through to vital records and preservation, also covering technological issues and electronic records and systems. Key themes of risk management and business continuity are also addressed in dedicated chapters. What is perhaps more unusual in the approach of this book is that each chapter is followed by a short and often insightful reflection by an experienced information practitioner. These pieces referred to as paradigms in the book are essentially “thought pieces” to complement the preceding chapter. Steve Bailey provides a reflection on “realigning the records management covenant”, Fred Diers tackles “creating a defensible records management programme”, Diane Carlisle insight on “information governance programme development”. The work contains a number of other contributions linked to the main chapter themes, often giving short case studies to illustrate the paradigm.
The final chapter of the book deals with the approach of moving from records and information management programme to information governance programme, suggesting this is a natural evolution for the former. This is an idea that is alluded to in various places through the book and perhaps one that may have been developed a little more; this is less of a criticism than an interest in seeing this idea developed further, particularly in terms of the issues in achieving this status which may not be natural evolution but one which could need some engineering.
This book will appeal to the student of records and information management and will certainly be an extremely useful general introductory text to a wide range of information management issues; that is not to suggest that it affords a cursory approach to all topics covered as at times there are some detailed narratives. There is still however a lot in this work to recommend it to the more seasoned professional and enough substance to be thought provoking. The work has a natural flow to it and is not difficult to read, it is well illustrated and offers a full bibliography. The work is clearly aimed at the American market and references to information legislation is primarily that of the USA but this in itself does not detract from the value of the book.
