RM Witness Seminar 2007

Examining the issues & challenges of email & e-communications - Exploring strategies with Experts

A Witness Seminar Conference

St James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
24-25th October 2007

"Email has transformed business but it can be a nightmare"
( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/11/story.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10428601#Scene_1)

Email has certainly transformed the way organisations do business; instant messaging, skype etc are set to do the same thing. But are the information and records created by these technologies being managed successfully? Have organisations recognised the issues? How are they rising to the challenges? What do we need to do to manage records in today’s highly distributed, mobile environment?

This one and a half-day conference built on the success of our first ‘witness seminar conference’ (http://northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/ceis/re/isrc/conf/wit06/) in May 2006. As before there were three ‘witness seminars’ and a panel discussion, providing a rare opportunity for anyone interested and/or involved in the management of their organisation’s email/e-communications records to listen, learn from, actively discuss and network with a broad range of experts and other delegates.

Organised by the School of Computing, Engineering & Information Sciences at Northumbria University, the event was sponsored by Iron Mountain (UK) Ltd (http://www.ironmountain.co.uk), and Emerald Publishing (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/rmj.htm).

Seminars:

1. The business perspective
Doing business electronically - what are the records management implications & challenges?
Chair: Dr David Wainwright, Northumbria University

2. The people perspective
People and email - the problem and the solution?
Chair: Ms Zoe Smyth

3. The technology perspective
Technology - problem or panacea?
Chair: Steve Bailey, JISC infoNet

Panel Discussion: Moving forward
Futurewatch. What does the future hold - challenges and solutions
Chair: Prof Michael Moss, Glasgow University

Witnesses included:

• David Bowen, Audata Ltd
• Reynolds Cahoon, Lockheed Martin
• Partner from Crutes Law Firm
• Adrian Cunningham, National Archives of Australia
• Ishbel Duncan, St Andrew's University 
• Jonathan Downes, Prokata Ltd
• Catherine Hare, formerly of the United Nations 
• Heather Jack, HJBS Ltd
• John McDonald, former Senior Advisor National Archives of Canada
• Andrew Prescott 
• Martin Sanderson, TFPL
• Geoff Walker, Independent Researcher
• Teresa Waring, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University
• Ian Wooler, TFPL and formerly of 186k telecom

Plus, legal experts, IT and business managers.

Proceedings

A copy of the proceedings is available for purchase. Please contact:

Sarah Howells
Tel: +44 (0)191 227 3222
Fax: +44 (0)191 243 7630
Email: sarah.howells@northumbria.ac.uk