Taming the Wild West: Capturing Public Records Created on Social Media Websites

Abstract

Social media has become entrenched in public as well as private life. This new media defies recordkeeping conventions, creating a new set of challenges for records managers. This research project aimed to discover what methods government agencies in Australia are using to capture public records created on social media sites. It explored the effect of internal and external factors on social media recordkeeping and used the Records Management Continuum Model to examine the extent to which records are being captured. Using a quantitative design comprising a voluntary online questionnaire targeted at government records managers in Australia, it was found that so far only a minority of agencies are capturing social media records and even less believe that their methods are sustainable or compliant. Despite being limited by the sample size and design, this study contributes new knowledge to an emerging research area and, using the Continuum Model, traces how the dynamics of public sector information are changing. It suggests that the best way for records managers to respond to new media is by focusing on building internal relationships and adopting a big-bucket approach to appraisal. The findings provide an indication on how government agencies are currently performing; positing that more research is needed in how Public Records Offices can best support records managers.

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