The notion that archivists and recordkeepers may not be interested in ideas may seem absurd, but for many, faced with the day-to-day realities of managing the records, people and resources in their care, dealing with managers and stakeholders, and keeping in check the relentless tide of emails, there is little time for consideration of the big picture. Theory may seem impractical, irrelevant, costly or simply ‘out there’ and of no interest or consequence.

What is the point in knowing about theory if you are just starting out in your career, have no input into policy and spend your time re-housing photographs? If you are mid-career you may wonder why you should not just focus on expanding and enhancing those practical skills which have got you this far. As a manager you may be used to thinking strategically, but this might mean demonstrating the effective use of resources and aligning yourself with your organization's vision and aims: you see your role as thinking about concrete goals, rather than thinking conceptually.

In this book, however, we aim to demonstrate the value of thinking about theory and its relationship with the practical world. We want our readers to stop and think ‘Why?’ As archivists and records managers we’re used to thinking about how and when, but spend less time reflecting on the why of what we do, at least on the why that doesn't involve short-term, reactive, resource-based goals. The authors in this book have all had the luxury of being able to consider the concepts and ideas behind the practicalities of archives and records management and to contemplate the purpose and goals of recordkeeping. Their chapters consider theories by exploring recordkeeping and other literature and aim to show their importance and how and why they impact on practice.

This introduction will examine, briefly (and we admit somewhat patchily), the debate about the role of archives and recordkeeping theory from the 1970s on.