Review: Records and Information Management, 2nd ed. (2018)
Jennifer Motszko
Patricia C. Franks. Records and Information Management, 2nd edition. Chicago: American Library Association, 2018. 528 pages. Paperback. $84.99.
The discipline of records management has continued to change dramatically as new and unique ways of creating information pose challenges for those trusted with maintaining materials throughout their lifecycle. Records and Information Management strives to provide a comprehensive text that explains both new concepts and technologies, while also exploring the fundamentals every records professional must apply to their work.
The book is divided into fourteen chapters covering a variety of topics, including the history and development of records management, records retention strategies, electronic records, risk management, disaster planning, and education and training. The chapters follow a natural progression, starting with foundational skills and concepts and building to more complex ideas and processes. Like the first edition of this text, each chapter ends with a ‘Paradigm’ that provides real world applications of the concepts discussed within the chapter. The paradigms in this edition are all new, with the exception of those in the last two chapters on the topics of records management education and developing “a legally defensible records management program and an effective information governance strategy” (xxiv). The paradigm authors come from a variety of backgrounds and locations in the United States and internationally, including professionals from the corporate and academic worlds who are practitioners and scholars in the area of records and information management.
The 2nd edition includes the same chapter titles as the 1st edition, with updated information in each. Additionally, two new chapters appear in this edition, Chapter 10: “Information Economics, Privacy and Security” and Chapter 12: “Long-Term Digital Preservation and Trusted Digital Repositories.” In chapter 10, the author defines the concept of infonomics as “an emerging discipline of managing and accounting for information with the same or similar rigor and formality as other traditional assets” (274). By recognizing the value of intangible informational assets, records managers need to find ways to safeguard these assets. The author looks at new business models for companies, such as Uber, that have very few tangible assets. However, the algorithms and patents created by these companies have considerable value.
The majority of the chapter covers privacy and security of digital assets. The list of data protection laws in the United States, including explanations of what types of information is regulated by these laws, is particularly useful. In addition to national laws, this chapter provides examples of privacy laws in five other countries outside of the United States. Under the security section, definitions of Personally Indentifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and Proprietary Information (PI) synthesize the types of information contained within each category. The section on cybersecurity outlines broad steps to take to reduce the risk of a cyberattack as well as how to respond to a cybersecurity incident. The chapter paradigm written by Ilona Koti, former ARMA President, presents “enforceable measures to ensure that core components of privacy, security, and IG [Information Governance] programs are addressed and interwoven to create and overarching compliance strategy” (299). The author focuses on three areas, Process, Technology, and People, and lists assessments, evaluations, and concepts necessary to keep information private and secure. Koti notes that “until a law specifically mandates the requirement of an individual who is fully trained in information governance and also has privacy, security, technical, and/or legal acumen, there will be significant gaps in the privacy and security initiatives of nongovernmental organizations whose appointed officers are not fully-versed in managing data and records throughout their lifecycle” (301).
The second new chapter for this edition, chapter 12, explains both passive and active forms of long-term digital preservation for digitized and born digital information. The author lists several storage solutions used for active preservation, including a “chemical solution to shrink digital data” (338), which is still in the testing phase. This chapter also defines the relatively new and sometimes confusing concepts of digital curation and digital stewardship, outlining how to build a trusted digital repository and discussing frameworks and standards that will be familiar to those who have studied digital repositories as part of their archival education. The author describes the features of two open source trusted digital repository softwares, Fedora and Digital Preservation Software Platform (DPSP), as well as cloud digital preservation options, including ArchivesDirect and Preservica. The chapter concludes with two paradigms, one discussing the digital preservation needs of a corporate institution, selection of an appropriate preservation software, and lessons learned. The other paradigm explains the unique digital preservation needs of an educational institution, steps taken to find a solution, and lessons learned.
The book includes an index, a bibliography for further reading, and a glossary of terms, which will be particularly helpful for students and those unfamiliar with records management. The chapters serve as a comprehensive text for graduate students. It comes with companion PowerPoint slides and supplementary course materials from the first edition that will be helpful to instructors who wish to use the book as the primary text for a course in records and information management. The book contains very dense reading on the topic and may be difficult for students and those without a records management background to absorb and grasp concepts. However, it is a great resource for those looking to continue or brush up on their records management skills. In a continually changing profession, this book contains the most comprehensive and current information and resources for records managers.
Jennifer Motszko is Digital Scholarship & Preservation Archivist at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
