Language(s) of presentations:
Abstract:
Dr. Anne Thurston and Michael Hoyle will introduce an International Records Management Trust project entitled ‘Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment.’ The project, funded by the UK Department for International Development, has involved a series of case studies in several countries in Africa and in a state government in India. There has been extensive consultation with senior government officials and other stakeholders regarding the issues involved in moving from a paper-based to an electronic working environment. The findings from the studies will be reviewed, and the implications for the role of national archives will be explored.
Target audience:
Records and archives practitioners who are interested in development issues in the ICT environment. While the session is standalone, it will provide background to a related presentation by Dr Laura Millar, where she will introduce a new International Records Management Trust training package on electronic records management, which is one of the outcomes of the project.
Overall purpose and significance of session:
If computerised systems are to provide a basis for informed decision making and effective service delivery in government, as well as for addressing corruption through increased transparency, they must be populated with accurate and trustworthy information. Processes must also be in place to protect this information over time, to change and update it only when authorized and to lay an audit trail for accountability. At present, governments are attempting to move to the electronic environment without taking account of the implications for managing records as evidence. Many are seeking to introduce electronic systems based on paper systems that have been poorly managed or have collapsed. In this session, the presenters will examine the findings of the case studies and explore the challenge of creating and preserving trustworthy and reliable information sources. Input will be sought from audience members on good practice and strategies for moving forward.
Content description:
In this session, Dr. Anne Thurston and Michael Hoyle will introduce an International Records Management Trust project entitled ‘Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment.’ This project, funded by the UK Department for International Development, has involved case studies in Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Ghana and Sierra Leone, as well as in Karnataka State in India. The project has explored the state of paper and electronic records management, particularly in relation to human resources and financial (specifically payroll) information systems. The presenters will highlight the case study findings, examine some of the challenges faced by countries striving to integrate their paper and electronic records and information systems, and consider the lessons learned and their practical application. It will include an active discussion forum where the audience will be invited to ask questions and make a professional input to the guidelines and resources that have been developed to support governments in making the transition to a transparent electronic environment.
I wish to extend a warm invitation to all archivists and information professionals to the 16th ICA Congress in Kuala Lumpur from 21- 27 July 2008.