The flexibility of the records continuum model: a response to Michael Karabinos’ “in the shadow of the continuum”

2022

PurposeThis article uses continuum theory to analyse how Bangladeshi rural women who participated in an information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) project accessed and preserved information during and after the end of the project.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted over the phone with a sample of the project participants two years after the end of the ICT4D project, and a survey of all the participants in one village was conducted face-to-face by one of the project participants using a questionnaire developed by the author.FindingsThe majority of the participants used paper notebooks to write down information that they received in digital format during the project as a guarantee against the fragility of digital data and continued to use them to access and preserve information after the end of the project.Practical implicationsThe author suggests that the application of proactive appraisal during the planning stage and throughout ICT4D projects can ensure that the longer-term needs of the communities for information and their capacities to use specific formats will be considered.Originality/valueThe author applies the continuum theory concept of proactive appraisal to the use of information in an ICT4D context and argues that it can help with assessing the information needs of marginalised communities and the technologies and formats that should be used to ensure that the information provided to them will remain accessible for as long as they need it.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of notebooks by Bangladeshi rural women to preserve information

2022

“…The first model that was developed was the Records Continuum Model (Upward, 1996, 1997), followed by several others including the Information Continuum Model (Upward, 2000). Throughout the past three decades, these models have been used to analyze diverse recordkeeping contexts (Frings‐Hessami, 2018, 2019, 2020; McKemmish, 2017; Piggott, 2020; Reed, 2005; Rolan, 2017). However, the use of these models has been mostly restricted to Western settings (Piggott, 2012).…”

Section: Disciplinary Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Appraisal is the process of evaluating business activities to determine which records need to be created and captured and how long the records need to be kept” (International Organization for Standardization, 2016, s. 7.1). Before records are created, appraisal decisions should be made about which records should be created, how they should be created, and how they should be managed to meet the needs of the people who will need them to support their activities (Frings‐Hessami & McKemmish, 2021). An assessment of the needs for records could play an important role in supporting marginalized communities in ICT4D projects.…”

Section: Potential Contributions Of Archival Science To Ict4d Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessing and preserving information: CombiningICT4Dand archival science to empower marginalized communities

Asso for Info Science & Tech

Oliver

2022

Self Cite

Information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) is a field of research concerned with studying how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to improve the socio‐economic situation of marginalized communities in developing countries. The authors identify the preservation of the information provided or accessed during ICT4D projects as a critical gap in ICT4D research. They argue that archival science, an information discipline concerned with the preservation of recorded information, provides theories and models that can help make ICT4D projects more sustainable. They discuss the creation of analog backups by participants in an ICT4D project in Bangladesh as an example of communities taking the initiative to remedy the limitations of an ICT4D project with simple pen and paper technology to preserve the information they wanted to keep. Conversely, they argue that insights on how marginalized communities interact with and preserve information gained through ICT4D projects can enrich archival science and foster the development of more inclusive theories and practices. Finally, they suggest areas for interdisciplinary research between ICT4D and archival science.

“…The four dimensions are happening at the same time. Processes taking place in one dimension impact on what is happening in the other dimensions [ 21 ]. The use of the word continuum may therefore be confusing.…”

Section: Teaching Key Conceptsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embracing the Diversity: Teaching Recordkeeping Concepts to Students from Different Cultural and Linguistic Backgrounds

Diversity, Divergence, Dialogue

2021

Self Cite

When teaching to students from diverse backgrounds, it is important to explain to them the meaning of the key concepts in the discipline and to discuss examples that they can easily relate to. The terms records and recordkeeping, which are key concepts in archival science, have their roots in national archival traditions and have specific meanings that may confuse students because these meanings are different from the ways the terms are commonly used in everyday language or in other English-speaking countries and because equivalent concepts may not exist in their first language. The linguistic misunderstandings that may ensue may then impact on the students’ understanding of the whole course content, affecting their understanding of the role played by records in society and of the issues involved in their preservation. By discussing with the students the translations of these terms and simple examples in their cultural and linguistic contexts, we are embracing the diversity of students’ backgrounds and experiences and engaging in a dialogue with them that enriches their experience and makes the course more relevant to them.