Introduction

Recordkeeping, as with other practice-based professions, involves substantial interplay between thinking and doing, between concept and practice. This chapter considers some of the underpinning concepts that support records and archives management, together with the degree to which they may – or may not be – directly applied in practice. It will look both at the roles of records and archives and at their influences upon individuals, organizations and society; and at interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary discussions about the nature and definitions of records and archives. As the literature that supports an understanding of these issues is examined it will become clear that thinking about such issues is not only forever evolving, but is engaging ever wider types of contributors and audiences.

It appears that perspectives on the multiple concepts and roles of records and archives and of their characteristics are proliferating, both within and beyond the recordkeeping profession. The ubiquitous nature and effects of technology; the consolidation of practices relating to governance, accountability and risk; the imperatives of freedom of information and data security; increasing adoption of ‘the archive’ by academic and creative disciplines; political and social imperatives for archives within cultural and heritage environments; philosophical debates – still largely influenced by postmodernism; and a shift from an ‘expert’ to a ‘crowdsourced’ knowledge base ensure that lively discussions continue to contribute to an already solid base of understanding.

It is not the purpose of this chapter to explore all these influences in depth but, rather, to focus on the role of records and archives for individuals, organizations and society; their nature, definition and development; and the interaction of concept and practice. It will also demonstrate that concepts can have value even when they have no apparent direct practical application, not least in informing one's own professional knowledge base.

Records and archives: for individuals, organizations and Society

Records have always had a range of meanings: they mean different things to different people. We ‘look’ at records in different ways, depending on what we want to find. This is not quite the same as saying that records have always had a range of uses (Craven, 2008, 16–17), but this also is true. When records are created it is generally for a specific purpose or function but, having been created, they develop the capacity to be used and perceived in a multitude of ways and to carry a multitude of meanings.