Is it a question of trust or why are we afraid to go to Nineveh?

Moss, Michael (2011) Is it a question of trust or why are we afraid to go to Nineveh? Archival Science, 11 (3-4). pp. 409-425. ISSN 1389-0166

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Abstract

Trust is an overused concept in our contemporary world. This paper explores the complex relationship of trust, efficiency, accountability, transparency and responsibility and their relationship to recordkeeping in our globalizing culture. It focuses on the profound changes that have taken place in the meaning and practice of audit within neo-liberal societies and how the ‘rituals of verification’ and the ‘managerialism’ may pervert the resulting record. It challenges the unthinking use of much of the rhetoric surrounding these concepts by archivists to justify their existence. It reflects on why the archival voice often remains silent or at best goes unheard in much of the discussion about these questions that have profound consequences for democratic societies. It is easy to lay the blame at the door of a perceived breakdown of trust rather than to consider whether the root of the problem lies with archivists and records managers themselves. This paper draws on my experience in directing the Information Management and Preservation MSC programme at the University of Glasgow and wide and serendipitous reading, which has sometimes been brought to my notice by students.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Trust, transparency, accountability, audit culture, governance, freedom of information, risk management
Subjects:	P100 Information Services X300 Academic studies in Education
Department:	Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Computer and Information Sciences
Depositing User:	Ay Okpokam
Date Deposited:	04 Jul 2013 10:40
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 20:48
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/13177

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