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As I was around at the time I thing it was a case of techies ignoring records managers as irrelevant. Now there are some [techies] who [reluctantly] admit that we are not.

As a Records Manager my normal reaction is Destroy but I do [reluctantly] admit that some stuff may be historical and should be kept - migrated - microfilmed - digitized etc.
Regards

David


Records Manager/Rheolwr Cofnodion
Flintshire County Council/Cyngor Sir y Fflint

Tel/Ffon 01352 702178


Clare Cowling <[log in to unmask]>
Sent by: The UK Records Management mailing list <[log in to unmask]>

21/07/2008 16:19
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Clare Cowling <[log in to unmask]>
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FW: Comparative definitions of Classification and Taxonomy





At the Northumbria witness seminar a couple of years ago I asked how and why records managers let IT/senior management get away with throwing out all the rules.  I was out of the workforce when p.c.s came in and remember coming back in the late 90's and being appalled by the mess.  Most of the organisations I have worked in since, interestingly, still had (and have) structured systems for most of their paper but ye gods, what chaos in the electronic field.  
 
As a matter of interest, has anyone ever done an in-depth investigation on why and how this happened?  I'd really like to know.  Was it simply that everyone was blinded by IT jargon/promises of money saving through abolishing registries?  Or did records managers fall into the trap of assuming that as long as the paper record was OK the e-version didn't matter?
 
I find it interesting that here it is the IT department which is talking just as much as me about the need to make information easier to find through corporate rules on creation and storage (nothing fancy, just basic stuff like sensible document naming, version control, appropriate access, one location only etc etc).  They are even keen on having a business classification scheme.  Of course I just want to delete it all...
 
Clare
 
Clare Cowling
Records Manager
Solicitors Regulation Authority
Ipsley Court
Berrington Close
Redditch B98 0TD

Ph: direct line 01527 512926
Internal extension: 3996
Mobile 07816 929734
Fax: 0152 7883285
email [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Records Management mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Park, Claire
Sent: 21 July 2008 15:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Comparative definitions of Classification and Taxonomy
 
“The PC came along and every one threw the rule book out of the window…..”
 
I agree with David on this one.
 
Even though the discussion is going away slightly from Paul’s original question I think we have always classified (to some extent), it is not a new thing but there appear to be increasing ways of complicating what should be a simple set of rules that can govern how we organise the information we use, whilst allowing for some user flexibility.  That is the key to understanding effective classification – apply some simple, controlled rules at the top end but allow the user enough flexibility at the bottom end to allow them to find their ‘stuff’ again.  There are (and never will be in my opinion) no hard and fast, off the shelf solutions to enable organisations to classify their information effectively - each schema is organisation unique and requires a lot of time and effort to get it right.  In many respects we all have the answer but we haven’t found the right way of applying it yet.
 
Claire Park
Senior Information & Records Officer
 
Information Team
Adult and Cultural Services
Cumbria County Council
Lower Gaolyard
The Courts
CARLISLE
Cumbria
CA3 8NA
 
Tel (01228) 221019
Email [log in to unmask]
 

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