Attributes of Personal Electronic Records

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify the key attributes of personal electronic records in order to develop systems that may enable people to manage them in the home. As more personal information becomes electronic, this is increasingly necessary. Personal electronic records were identified and categorised using interviews and virtual guided tours. Three main attributes were identified: primary user-subjective categories; attributes which identify the circumstances that give rise to the records; and attributes which describe the legal validity of each record. In addition to providing an improved understanding of personal electronic records in the home, these attributes are developed into a set of potential metadata fields.

Practices and pain points in personal records

“…Our research draws on the themes identified in the field of personal information management, which includes research in the workplace and academic settings. We use the phrase personal electronic records management to refer to practices for managing everyday records, such as bills, warranties, insurance renewals or health records and compare these to personal information management practices that have been the subject of research conducted in workplaces, and particularly amongst knowledge workers and students (Balogh, 2022;Balogh et al, 2022aBalogh et al, , 2022bButtfield-Addison, 2014). While we acknowledge the blurring of boundaries as working from home becomes more common, we do not address the management of information relating to work at home, nor artefacts that may be catered for by specialist software, such as photo or music management applications.…”

“…The questionnaire design was informed by prior studies on personal information management in the workplace among academic communities (Alon & Nachmias, 2020a, 2020bBergman et al, 2020) and at home (Balogh et al, 2022a(Balogh et al, , 2022b. The survey consisted of questions about how people currently manage their personal records, as well as Likert scale questions relating to respondent's behaviour and attitudes.…”

“…We use the phrase personal electronic records management to reference practices at home and compare these to personal information management practices that have been the subject of research predominantly conducted in workplaces, and particularly amongst knowledge workers. Personal electronic records management does not include information and documents that one deals with in the course of work (Balogh, et al,, 2022a;Balogh et al, 2022b).…”

“…The management of personal records relating to everyday life is important for two reasons. Firstly, so that people are able to re-find information and documents that they need, when required, even if they did not previously anticipate needing that record (Balogh et al, 2022a(Balogh et al, , 2022b. Secondly, the management of personal electronic records can help people avoid oversights, such as missing paying bills, or forgetting to renew insurance.…”

“…We refer to the information managed at home as records (from the records management literature) to reference the variety of information and documents that people retain, such as emails, bills, and notes (Balogh, 2022;Balogh et al, 2022a;Shepherd & Yeo, 2003;Yeo, 2018). The word records also accommodates the diversity of formats in which information and documents may manifest.…”