Do we need bigger buckets or better search engines?

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges created by unlimited storage in space and time. Design/methodology/approach The paper looks at the issue from a practioner's viewpoint and considers it from the philosophical perspective regarding unlimited storage. Findings Unlimited storage in terms of space and time can present philosophical and technological problems. The rise of the semantic web search engines will help transform this process, but for most organisations it will be a managerial issue rather than a technological issue. Research limitations/implications More work needs to be done into how semantic web will influence records management. Practical implications Semantic web is in its infancy, but it has far reaching consequences for records management because it can transform the process. Social implications The philosophical issues affect how to understand memory and what the collective memory of a society, as seen through archives, is understood and challenged by unlimited storage in space and time. Originality/value Looks at the issue from a philosophical perspective and pushes, the boundaries of the field by looking at the implications of the new developments.

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