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This paper aims to explore the concept of information in records and archives management (RAM) from a fresh, visual perspective by using arts-informed methodology and the draw-and-write technique.

Students and practitioners of RAM in Australia were asked to answer the question, “what is information?” in a drawing and then to describe the drawing in words. This produced a data set of 255 drawings of information or “iSquares”, for short. Compositional interpretation and a framework of graphic representations by Engelhardt were applied to determine how participants envision information and what the renderings imply for RAM.

The images reveal an overwhelming recognition in RAM of the diversity of media formats of information and the hyperconnectivity of information in networked information systems; and illustrate the central place of human beings within these systems. These findings offer striking, accessible illustrations of major concepts in RAM and enable new understandings through the construction of stories.

There are both pedagogical applications and practical implications of this work for students, practitioners and knowledge workers. The graphical representations of information in this research deepen the understanding of textual definitions of information. The data set of iSquares provides opportunities to create new storyboards to explain information definitions, practices and phenomena in RAM disciplines, and, to explain related concepts such as data, information, knowledge and wisdom hierarchy.

This is the first study in RAM disciplines to provide visual illustrations of information using graphical image representations.

The purpose of this paper is to develop data visualisation proof of concept prototypes that will enable the Curtin University Library team to explore its users’ information-seeking behaviour and collection use online by analysing the library’s EZproxy logs.

Curtin Library’s EZproxy log file data from 2013 to 2017 is used to develop the data visualisation prototypes using Unity3D software.

Two visualisation prototypes from the EZproxy data set are developed. The first, “Global Visualisation of Curtin Research Activity”, uses a geographical map of the world as a platform to show where each research request comes from, the time each is made and the file size of the request. The second prototype, “Database Usage Visualisation”, shows the use of the library’s various subscription databases by staff and students daily, over a month in April 2017.

The paper has following limitations: working to a tight timeline of ten weeks; time taken to cleanse noise data; and requirements for storing and hosting the voluminous data sets.

The prototypes provide visual evidence of the use of Curtin Library’s digital resources at any time and from anywhere by its users, demonstrating the demand for the library’s online service offerings. These prototype evidence-based data visualisations empower the library to communicate in a compelling and interesting way how its services and subscriptions support Curtin University’s missions.

The paper provides innovative approaches to create immersive 3D data visualisation prototypes to make sense of complex EZproxy data sets.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts, examining: their information needs; their information seeking and sharing; what personal information they had; and their satisfaction with their information seeking and personal information management efforts.

This exploratory study examined participants’ information behaviour from a postpositivist and inductive research approach. An online survey was completed by 81 motor sport enthusiasts. The quantitative survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding.

The research findings highlighted that enthusiasts engaged in mixed serious leisure. They required information before, during and after race events, and sought this primarily from online sources, as well as from other individuals. Totally, 90 participants shared information about their interest in motor sport with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts, primarily via e-mails (69 per cent) and Facebook (49 per cent). They also gathered information about motor sport, including photographs and memorabilia. Participants were satisfied with their information management strategies for their personal collections.

Participants were limited to motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, hence findings cannot be generalised more broadly.

Understandings of enthusiasts’ information behaviour provide information management professionals with insights to work with this user community.

This study fills a gap in the literature about leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia. It identifies and provides a typology of the 12 categories of information needed by enthusiasts. Provides a preliminary motor sport information behaviour model guided by the conceptual frameworks of the everyday life information seeking model; general models on information behaviour; and the information problem solving behaviour model.

This paper aims to report on empirical research that investigated the records management practices of two motor sport community-based organisations in Australia.

This multi-method case study was conducted on the regulator of motor sport, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Ltd (CAMS) and one affiliated historic car club, the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), in Western Australia. Data were gathered using an online audit tool and by interviewing selected stakeholders in these organisations about their organisation’s records management practices.

The findings confirm that these organisations experience significant information management challenges, including difficulty in capturing, organising, managing, searching, accessing and preserving their records and archives. Hence, highlighting their inability to manage records advocated in the best practice Standard ISO 15489. It reveals the assumption of records management roles by unskilled members of the group. It emphasises that community-based organisations require assistance in managing their information management assets.

This research focused on the historic car clubs; hence, it did not include other Australian car clubs in motor sport. Although four historical car clubs, one in each Australian state, were invited to participate, only the VSCC participated. This reduced the sample size to only one CAMS-affiliated historical car club in the study. Hence, further research is required to investigate the records management practices of other CAMS affiliated car clubs in all race disciplines and to confirm whether they experienced similar information management challenges. Comments from key informants in this project indicated that this is likely the case.

The research highlights risks to the motor sport community’s records and archives. It signals that without leadership by the sport’s governing body, current records and community archives of CAMS and its affiliated car clubs are in danger of being inaccessible, hence lost.

The research highlights the risks in preserving the continuing memory of records and archives in leisure-based community organisations and showcases the threats in preserving its cultural identity and history.

It is the first study examining records management practices in the serious leisure sector using the motor sport community.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a unique perspective into user difficulties working with the functional business classification scheme (BCS) to register, search and retrieve corporate information at the Western Australia Police (WA Police).

This paper is a single case study. Questionnaire and interview data were collected and analysed from a sample of ten EDRMS users on their perspectives of working with the BCS. An interpretive analysis methodology was used, and inductive reasoning was used for thematic analysis and sense making of the textual data from the transcripts.

Although the research participants were confident working with the BCS, they reported difficulties finding an appropriate folder that matched the information to be classified and deciding where to file the information. Participants reported that the design and structure of the BCS and training were identified as areas needing improvement.

Paradigm shifts in the record-keeping role from the professional to the user may have some bearing on the difficulties users face when dealing with their record-keeping responsibilities. The participants provided comments and suggestions for how to make the BCS more user-friendly, more meaningful and more aligned to the business processes of the users that are practicable and workable solutions for the records professionals to implement.

This paper provides a unique user perspective of a BCS, their difficulties working with it and how these difficulties can be resolved in a government organisation.

This paper provides a unique user perspective of a BCS, their difficulties working with it and how these difficulties can be resolved in a government organisation.

The purpose of the paper is to develop a framework for electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS) as a Service Work System. This enhanced overview of EDRMS support strategies suggests that the increasing shift in recordkeeping responsibilities to users requires greater consideration of the core activities that should be supported by RM professionals. The paper seeks to examine the concept of records management (RM) service delivery using this model.

The authors offer a complementary approach for EDRMS analysis, design and implementation augmenting the human computer interaction (HCI) approach. They show how ideas related to services can be incorporated into the existing RM domain and can enrich current approaches within this field.

The changing context from records management suggests a need to shift the RM orientation from a systems domain approach to a Service Work System model. A reorientation of records management emphasises stronger consideration of user needs and stakeholder expectations. The education of records management professionals to accommodate RM users' requirements will also encourage a stronger concern for the development of EDRMS that are “fit for purpose”.

Records management theory and practice would benefit from a shift in orientation from a systems driven Work Systems Model to a Service Work Systems Model. The shift to a Service Work Systems Model will necessitate a stronger consideration of user needs and stakeholder expectations and increased focus and approach to learning and education of records management professionals and users.

The concept of Service Work Systems to the development of electronic document and records management systems is introduced.

The paper introduces the concept of Service Work Systems to the development of electronic document and records management systems for RIM professionals.

The purpose of this paper is to point out paradigm shifts in recordkeeping responsibilities from records and information management professionals (RIM professionals) to knowledge workers, caused by advancements in information and communication technologies and by user and organizational expectations. The impact of these changes on the implementation of professional records management (RM) principles and guidelines particularly in ISO 15489 is discussed.

The paper looks at the issues from an academic viewpoint by reviewing ISO 15489's RM principles presented in Part 1 and guidelines in Part 2 of the standard. The currency of the standard in capturing the changing practices that are flowing into RM approaches are then evaluated against four of the principles. These four principles are reviewed against three key paradigm shifts.

The authors present evidence of significant paradigm shifts relating to changing technology, work practices, devolution of recordkeeping responsibilities to users, their growing expectations, and increasing organizational concerns for RM accountability. These are generating pressure on RM systems to change and become more responsive. This review highlights the critical need to better appreciate the changing RM context and its implications for broader policy and professional practice.

The key practical implication identified in the paper relates to reconceptualisation of the roles of RIM professionals, knowledge workers and senior management for recordkeeping.

The changing nature of RM in organizations will necessitate stronger engagement of knowledge workers and senior management with their RM services.

This paper focuses on the user responsibilities for RM versus traditional RIM professionals having this role. The paper offers an innovative view of professional RM practice and suggests some new directions for RIM professionals to better accommodate user needs and expectations.

This editorial briefly aims to consider the implications of the words of the poem The Paradox of our Age attributed to HH The 14th Dalai Lama and a former pastor in the USA for information and records managers.

The article is a viewpoint based on a personal reflection of the powerful image and clear message conveyed in the words of this poem about what people have and do, what they have lost and do not do.

For those in education the words “we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement” question whether academics and teachers, developing and discovering new knowledge are sharing it but not enabling and encouraging others to make best use of it to make appropriate judgements. For those working in information sciences the words “we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication” echo the information overload syndrome but question if, with all the present technology, people – academics and teachers – communicate appropriately?

The editorial highlights the “paradox of our [information] age” captured in the 117 words of a poem from religious figures. Its value is in making academics and teachers stop and think, reflect on how well they are succeeding as information managers, records managers and archivists, in capturing, organizing, preserving or destroying the increasing quantities of information and copies in digital form. Are they supporting the appropriate communication and use of information to make decisions or judgements?