Records management: a user's perspective

This paper deals with two user‐related themes: the development of a user audit and training. The author suggests that a user audit should be carried out within an organisation before the full records audit takes place. The underlying rationale for such an audit is suggested by the author to be firstly, that employees will better understand the relevance of the ensuing records audit; secondly, they will feel less threatened by any changes that take place as a result of the records audit; and thirdly, will feel more committed to the records management programme. The author asks whether it is financially feasible to conduct a user audit separate from the records audit itself, when running both audits together may diminish the value of the user audit. Finally, the issue of training is addressed. The author questions how the effectiveness of training can be measured, in records management terms.