Domesticating Information: Managing Documents Inside the Organization

Domesticating Information: Managing Documents Inside the Organization examines records and documents as complex business objects and explores the many different perspectives required for their management. Viewing documents as business objects requires a much different perspective from treating them as cultural artifacts, where preservation is the primary concern. When viewed as business objects, documents must be looked at in terms of integration with business processes, in defense of litigation subpoenas, or in the implementation of information technology. As a consequence, records managers are business analysts, and therefore are treated as such in this book. How information technology, the law, archives, and library & information science scholarship address and affect document and records management are all considered. Topics covered include: how to manage documents and records in any environment, hard copy vs. electronic documents, and how to create a foundation for managing records that addresses the needs of business and government. By addressing the needs of business and government, the needs of citizens, business web stakeholders, and archivists are also fully addressed.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Figures Part 2 Tables Part 3 Preface Part 4 Acknowledgments Part 5 Introduction Part 6 1 History of Records Management Part 7 2 The Context of Records Part 8 3 What is a Record? Part 9 4 What Records Do We Manage? Part 10 5 The Life Cycle: Business Processes in Relation to Records Part 11 6 Creating Value: Organizing Records Part 12 7 Conclusion: New Requirements for the Records Manager Part 13 Bibliography Part 14 Index Part 15 About the Author

About the Author :
Carol E. B. Choksy is adjunct professor at the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University, Bloomington and President-elect of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA). She also teaches courses at the Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis campus for SLIS. Among the courses she teaches are Records Management, Strategic Intelligence, Systems Analysis, Management, and Social Science Research.

Review :
Without question, this is one of the most interesting books ever written about records management, a welcome change from the usual how-to manual or technical report. It is a book that will find a welcome place in the graduate programs preparing individuals to work as archivists and records managers. Choksy's tone, attitude, and arguments bring both renewed and needed energy...to this debate....a usefully articulated overview of the current state of the records management profession and the issues it faces....an informative book indeed. The book is very well written throughout. The author, although earnest in her objectives, has a sense of humour and her book will be accessible and interesting even to those unfamiliar with the world of records management. Highly recommended for academic and corporate libraries. Aimed at academics in library and information science, this text considers records management from the perspective of the needs of the organization and discusses how it differs from archives and library science. Following an overview of the history of records management, Choksy considers the importance of context for documents and records. Other topics include business processes in relation to records, and the value of information within the organization. Choksy teaches at the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana U., Bloomington.