The equivalent in the paper world would be a sodden wet mass of unidentified papers in a flooded warehouse or the charred black remains of records after a fire. The University of Glasgow's archivists have become pro-active. They have stopped relying on the 'accidents of evidence'. They are analysing University activities to define the information necessary to document each function and using the results as a basis of archival selection. Important historical issues, events and products are being defined using this method.
Archivists are information managers.
Information managers assess information needs, devise information strategies and deliver information. To be able to do this effectively, the University archivist needs to appraise all the information that is flowing around the organisation and estimate its value. Understanding the value of information is a matter of using the everyday skills of an archivist. The archivists of the University of Glasgow are currently exploiting this knowledge to the benefit of their own institution and future researchers worldwide. Lesley Richmond graduated from Edinburgh University in 1978 with a MA in Scottish Historical Studies.