Information management: state of the art in the United Kingdom

Abstract

As a genre, state of the art studies are vulnerable to all manner of criticism, not least on grounds of completeness, the methodology employed, the nature of the data or the quality of any findings presented. This study is no exception. Indeed, given the time available and the nebulous character of the central concept, a degree of optimism bordering on an act of faith, was required in order to complete it. While the outcome can only be described in terms of the ‘quick and dirty’, it nonetheless encompasses a wide range of experiences and locales and is the product of two questionnaires, a telephone survey and a number of structured face to face interviews.

Investigating Information Culture: A Comparative Case Study Research Design and Methods

“…This definition of information is therefore extremely relevant and useful to studies in information management, including recordkeeping and library domains. The complexity of information management, and the involvement in it of multiple occupational groups means that the definition of information management as a discipline has been subject to considerable debate (see, for instance, Gorman and Corbitt, 2001;Kirk, 1999;Lewis and Martin, 1989;Rowley, 1998). There is a tendency to define it from the perspective of a single occupational group active in this domain.…”

“…However, the in-depth knowledge and experience of information management in that specific organisational environment undoubtedly assisted with the case studies and analysis of findings. Information management is integrative in nature (Lewis and Martin, 1989), and an understanding of organisational functions is essential for analysis and appreciation of information management issues. The researcher's prior familiarity with and insights into the New Zealand organisation was felt therefore to be an advantage in the sense that time constraints prevented a full ethnographic approach to the chosen case studies.…”

The Star Trek phenomenon: towards a typology of curricula in information management

“…In general terms, information management can be viewed as a response to, and a search for, new and improved means of controlling the information explosion and the resultant increasing complexity of decision making by improving the flow, the control, the analysis and the synthesis of information for decision makers. Nevertheless, it has to be acknowledged that the term information management has as many definitions as the authors who have attempted to define it (Lewis and Martin, 1989).…”

“…So, for example, Marchand (1982) regards the purpose of information management to be:``to promote organisational effectiveness by enhancing the capabilities of the organisation to cope with the demands of its internal and external environment in dynamic as well as stable conditions''. Lewis and Martin (1989) seek to define information management in terms of the fundamental and inherent characteristics of information management, namely, that it is integrative; emphasises content; and, is organisation-wide, dynamic, and strategic. A definition might thus read:``Information management integrates both the functions of an organisation and its various component parts.…”

Information management education: towards a holistic perspective

“…Although the concept of information management has featured in the literature since the 1960s (Horton 1979(Horton , 1981(Horton , 1982Smith 1980;Strassmann 1982;Synnott & Gruber 1981;Taylor 1966) it was more than two decades later before the education thereof started receiving attention (Boon 1990;Correia & Wilson 1992;Ettinger 1991;Evans & Treloar 1994;Hill 1993;Laribee 1992;Lewis & Martin 1989;Martin 1991;McClure 1995;Pejova 1996). Authors, however, still remain divided over definitions of the concept of information management, which leaves it as an unclarified area that still needs to be investigated.…”