<The transition to information governance is necessary given that records management has its roots and practices based in managing physical files and papers, while information governance is centered on looking after and making decisions about an organization's information assets, throughout its entire lifecycle.>

Time to climb on my soapbox.  I believe the reason we have to keep "redefining" or "renaming" records and information management is because the terminology gets taken over by sales professionals.  The term "records management" for years meant the entire spectrum of managing records and information from birth to death (i.e. creation to final disposition) that needed human expertise to apply to the "exceptions" to the rules.  Then it started to mean only  retention schedules and disposition practices.  Why?  Because vendors used the term constantly to refer to software that managed retention in electronic document systems.  Thus a "records management" system meant purchasing and implementing retention management software rather than meaning managing the life cycle (or life continuum - whichever you prefer) of records and information.  I can already see "information governance" becoming a new sales trend.  Software is being advertised as "information governance" solutions as if the software will magically do all the governance that is need for your electronic data and records - while only helping find records for freedom of information requests, managing all your legal search or access requirements (like discovery and, yes, retention schedule development and application), and managing retention of electronic records while allowing IG professionals to work in harmony with IT.  The human factor will, once again, be removed and using human expertise to apply all the other records creation, maintenance. use, access, and "exceptions" to the rules - an essential part of truly managing all the information - will go out the window.  

Ginny Jones 
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI) 
Records Manager 
Information Technology Division 
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities 
Newport News, VA 
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