“It is inside, not on top!” Adèle van der Merwe CSIR Information Service

Understanding the terminology A record: –A record is anything providing permanent and final evidence of, or information about, past events A document: –A physical or digital entity which records all or part of a work or several works Electronic Document Management: –A system that allows an enterprise and its users to create a document of capture a hard copy in electronic for, store, edit and otherwise electronically manage documents, irrelevant of its format”

XP Desktop with 600 Mb hard drive Pentium 4 with 60 Gb hard drive Inside – not on top! Poor planning = garbage in, garbage out. Information first, technology second!

Roadmap Management and preservation Experimental data/laboratory results Actual value vs. perceived value Policies and procedures Quality control Perfect incumbent Technological developments Organizational ogre

Management vs Preservation “ BARRY IS A FINE EXMAPLE OF THE SUCCESS OF OUR ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM” Management: organisational process..strategies, objectives, resources… Preservation: ensuring stabilisation, protection against deterioration, restoration of damaged documents. Acts: 1.Promotion of Access to Information Act (#2 of 2000) 2.Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (#25 of 2000) 3.National Archives and Record Service of South Africa Act (#46 of 1996) 4.Etc…

Access –Questions Who, what and how –Management Red-tape, confidentiality, control Preservation –Questions What, how and software –Management Backups, risk management, restoration Explicit knowledge vs tacit knowledge Management vs Preservation

Experimental data & laboratory results

Value –Objectivity, accuracy, logic, growth, patents etc. Managing –Date and time stamp, completeness, non-repudiation, single access Challenges –Software, needs assessment

Actual vs perceived value

Value of “explicit knowledge” –Difficult to calculate Value of “intellectual property” –Gadets/widget – easy to determine Guidelines for setting price –Handling fees: storage, maintaining etc. –Weight: contents, timeliness, non-repudiation, etc. –Market: willing to pay vs willing to accept Are red-tape and costs going to kill us? –Open access vs sales, confidentiality Actual vs perceived value

Policies and procedures

Whose responsibility is it? –Registry (active records) –Archive (“dead” records) –Library (Information) –EDMS (documents) What to avoid! –Tunnel vision, assumptions Who should test/evaluate it? –Current users, challenging clients, Policies and procedures

Quality control

Real value vs perceived savings –Penny wise or pound foolish? Ad-hoc or continuous –What are you missing? –Long term benefits

Perfect incumbent Mythical or real? –Qualified, affordable, loyal Characteristics required How do we keep “The Perfect Incumbent”? –Environment, reimbursement, recognition, challenges Experienced records manager Innovative & IT background Knowledge of the organization

Perfect incumbent is willing to adapt!

Technological Development

Saviour or Nemesis? Possibilities –Open Source database DSpace –Document and Record Management software Hummingbird –Record Management software TRIM Captura –Information retrieval software Collexis

The organization ogre Heavy handed approach!

The “Knight in shining armour” Supportive, considerate and brave!

The magical kingdom “Success!”

Conclusion - It is inside, not on top! Contents first –Decide on what should go in and how it will be used Technology second –Identify the best tool for the job Take responsibility and decide if you want to be:

Frustrated and angry?

Challenged and exhilarated?