I know this thesis included surveys of users by the author. I took part in at least one that he sent out.
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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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Larry Medina
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 12:07 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [RM] Fwd: [RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK] User approaches to retention and destruction of information
All of this sounds interesting and all, but with it being someone's PhD thesis, I'd have to wonder how much of it comes from real world examples, and how much of it is just opinion.
A lot of what comes out of the realm of higher education on RM is theoretical, not practical. Also, much of the content tends to be based on input received from others but they seldom cite the sources and any demographic information about them- such as their level within an organization, the industry they represent, whether they are public or private, how (if at all) regulated they are and how mature the organization is.
Many of the scholarly documents I've read will state they are "unable to provide information on their sources due to confidentiality agreements" but the problem with this is there is no way to verify or validate the information provided, so it's almost as if you're reading a work of fiction, or an op-ed piece.
Here's an example of what I mean by this comment:
"...It also concludes that such decisions are made without taking advantage of metadata, and these decisions are made for the same reasons both at home and at work ... no correlation between subjects' culture and reasons given for deletion/preservation decisions, nor ... between age and such reasons.
... [U]sers are generally averse to conforming to records management policies within the organisation. ... Specifically, in organisations possessing formal records management systems, this research investigates the frequency with which individuals violate records management procedures and why they consider such violations to be necessary or desirable. ..."
What aspects of metadata would facilitate a decision for retention aside form creation date and destruction date? I can see where metadata might drive a process for placing a destruction hold on information, or performing research, but not retention.
A correlation between subjects culture and reasons for deletion/preservation? This might be pertinent if these were personal records, but later in this paragraph, it makes reference to "organizations", so how would any of this impact decisions on retention, with the possible exception of archival holdings of historic or enduring value?
Users are averse to conforming to RM polices in an organization? WHO do the records BELONG TO? There are reasons for policies and if the 'users' are employees, they are supposed to comply with/follow policies, whether they
are 'averse' to them or not.
The research investigates frequency users violate procedures and why they consider this necessary or desirable? So if they feel it's desirable, that's justifiable? Again, if your organization has policies and procedures, it's not up to individuals to unilaterally decide that they 'don't desire or find it necessary' to comply with them- they can question them, or propose changes, but they are there based on decisions made by others in positions charged with developing policy.
As I said, in the real world, the above items are examples of where RM would be destined to fail, simply because no one is following policy and procedures, or going about attempting to institute change through define processes. Failing to comply with organizational polices to properly mange information assets that belong to the organization simply because individuals are "averse" to them or "find it desirable" can result in a loss of information, or an inability to locate it when necessary.
If this is the conclusion reached in a PhD thesis, I would certainly hope the candidate shares his research with the organizations that were subjects of the study... they OBVIOUSLY have some organizational issues they need to address.
Larry
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