Corporate Memory: Records and Information Management in the Knowledge Age (2nd edition)

Citation

McLeod, J. (2006), "Corporate Memory: Records and Information Management in the Knowledge Age (2nd edition)", Records Management Journal, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 114-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690610677481

Some nine years ago when I reviewed the first edition of this book for the Records Management Journal its title was “The corporate memory: records and information management in the electronic age.” I began the review by saying “since the phrase corporate memory, like knowledge management, is currently in vogue and the electronic environment is presenting challenges for all information professionals, this book is a timely addition to the literature.”

Much of what I said about that edition is applicable to the new edition; viz. the challenges of the e‐environment, the fact that corporate memory is still common parlance, and the book's size, content and number of chapters. But the interesting change is to its title – the phrase “electronic age” has been replaced with “knowledge age” and the word “records” has been added.

So, why the title changes? What do they indicate, if anything, since they are important marketing hooks? The author suggests that the phrase knowledge management did not exist a decade ago and so presumably could not have been used, though my original review suggests it did, but certainly the electronic age no longer needs highlighting as it is the “norm.” Whilst the author does not explicitly discuss the addition of the word records he does explain that records are described as essential evidence by the USA National Archives (NARA).

The preface begins “much has happened … yet little has changed” in the last decade. Specifically, the author feels the problem he identified in the first edition that of corporate memory loss, remains unsolved. So what are the main changes in the second edition? Megill highlights the inclusion of three new topics: digital archives (a new chapter), Knowledge Application Services and ISO 15489. So, I first sought out these changes.

Using the contents page I could not find a new chapter on digital archives but the index lists four places in the book where it is covered. Two of these are to the preface itself and the index page entry, which are not very helpful, the other two fall within Chapter 6 “The corporate memory manager”. Here the discussion largely concerns the relationship between records managers and archivists in the context of digital archives, a relationship which Megill earlier describes as “clearly one community, even though there is still little practical collaboration.” I think some readers might disagree.

Knowledge Application Services does not appear in the index but does appear as a small section on the contents page (Chapter 11). A knowledge application service is an externally provided (outsourced) service which I understand as providing a range of things from remotely managed software to representing organizations in governmental bodies, perhaps an unfamiliar concept.

The third new addition is ISO 15489. Of the five places listed in the index I could only locate four (one of these on a different page than specified). The additions are small, and including a listing of the sections of Part 1 of the standard in the appendix.

The 11 chapters are essentially the same but have been updated, particularly with boxed references from another of the author's books, and also have some minor title alterations. They are:

1. 1.

   empowerment – which confirms the messages records managers understand in the world of EDRMS;

2. 2.

   the memory problem – which includes a new section on the cost of losing corporate memory;

3. 3.

   the corporate memory and records management – which now highlights the link between corporate memory and records management;

4. 4.

   the document as verb – which is interesting to read in light of Karen Forbes‐Pitt's recent article in this journal (Forbes‐Pitt, 2006);

5. 5.

   valuing documents – a different view on appraisal;

6. 6.

   the corporate memory manager – which contains a new section on digital archives and preservation;

7. 7.

   the technologies – interestingly in the plural rather than singular form in this edition and now containing a short section on thesauri;

8. 8.

   performance‐centered learning – which now refers to the work of Communibuild Technologies (www.communibuild.com);

9. 9.

   workflow – which includes a brief discussion of the problems of managing copies of documents;

10. 10.

    improvements – which contains the same five examples in the first edition; and

11. 11.

    making it happen – which includes new coverage of knowledge application services.

The annotated bibliographies, of a few selected items, at the end of each chapter in the first edition have been updated and moved to a single section (further information) at the end. There is still a glossary of terms as well as an index, though the errors in the latter are disappointing.

Overall the book remains a mix of theory and philosophy as well as practical strategies and guidelines. Whilst the content has not been significantly changed it is still an interesting read and certainly useful for new information and records management practitioners and the reading lists of new students in the field.