Public Sector Records Management

Records management has undergone significant change in recent years, owing to the introduction of freedom of information legislation as well as the development of e-government and e-business and the need to manage records effectively in both the private and public sector. There are very few purely practical texts for records managers and this book aims to fill that gap. The author has spent his entire career in public sector records management and has contributed to records management standards for governments around the world. The text is wholly practical and written at an accessible level. Although the author discusses legislation and examples from the UK, the book is relevant to public sector records management at an international level. It will be essential reading for professionals in record management posts as well as anyone who is responsible for record keeping as part of their operational duties.

'...a very good reference tool...its strength, I believe, lies in its applicability to relative newcomers to RM: to the archivist or other member of staff asked to undertake a records audit, to a newcomer to the public sector or to a newly qualified or recently promoted member of staff, all of whom would be bound to find this book a real gem.' Library Review

Kelvin Smith is Head of the Accessions Management Unit of The National Archives, UK. Particular specialisations include records appraisal and archiving, records management standards and the promotion of records management in Government. He drafted the Lord Chancellor's Code of Practice on the Management of Records under FOI and developed Model Action Plans for compliance with the Code. He has also had published Freedom of Information: A practical guide to implementing the Act (CILIP- facet publishing). As well as being a regular presenter of records management issues at conferences, workshops and seminars, he has undertaken frequent assignments in developing countries, mainly in East and Southern Africa, on behalf of the International Records Management Trust, and is Honorary Secretary of the Association of Commonwealth Archivists and Records Managers. He is also a member of the Council of the Society of Archivists and Chair of its Education, Training and Development Committee.