Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the reasons behind the relatively poor level of implementation of e-services. To this end, records management procedures in a particular Belgian federal administration – the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue – will be studied. Based on this concrete and relevant case study, the authors examine how cross-organizational differences in terms of the implementation speed of digital workflows can hinder the development of innovative e-services. By doing so, the authors raise relevant questions about the efficacy of digital workflows and work processes. The impact on the consultation and exchange of government records among public services and toward citizens will be examined as well. Design/methodology/approach In the context of an on-going four-year research project named HECTOR (Hybrid Electronic Curation, Transformation and Organization of Records), the study is conducted from an interdisciplinary approach, closely combining information sciences and law. Moreover, this approach also has implications on information sciences through the integration of archival principles at an early stage of conception of hybrid (paper-based and digital-based) records management strategies, instead of confining archivists to a depository and preservation role. This “integrated archival” approach is highly encouraged to anticipate best practices for the long-term preservation of records (Rousseau and Couture, 1994). Furthermore, the project adopts a bottom-up approach based on an exploratory analysis of the particularities of hybrid records management within a project called “e-PV” led by the FPS Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue to draw general conclusions that could eventually be applied to other public services. In this case study, standardized surveys were used to collect information from a manager perspective, followed by in-depth interviews with field workers. Findings The miscellaneous reasons for the aforementioned poor level of implementation are a continuously decreasing public budget, a strongly rooted resistance to change, the difficult but inevitable cross-organizational relations between public administrations, the legal uncertainties arising from a fast-changing digital environment and the political autonomy in the decision-making process of the different public entities. As a consequence, the substantial differences between the many public administrations lead to a lack of interoperability not only at a technical level but also at an organizational level. The many local and other non-connected initiatives that this situation has generated do not help fostering collaboration either. The absence of well-established records management policies is interpreted both as a cause and a consequence of some of the factors mentioned before. Research limitations/implications Research is carried out within Belgium’s particularly complex administrative context, where competences are not only spread but also shared at multiple levels (national and regional) and in multiple domains (legislative and executive). Consequently, the political decision-making process is also highly complex. Nevertheless, the observations and the findings of the study are deemed to be applicable to any administrative structure (both national and international ones). Originality/value This paper outlines the constraints of an almost completely implemented eGovernment initiative which may guide other public administrations in the development of their own e-services, as well as showing them the importance of taking into account records management and archiving principles. The multidisciplinary approach represents a significant added value.

Summary This paper presents the objectives, methodology and preliminary conclusions of the HECTOR research project (Hybrid Electronic Curation, Transformation and Organization of Records). This interdisciplinary project aims at developing a model for the management and preservation of hybrid records (i.e., paperbased, digital-born or digitized) in the Belgian federal administrations.

[procédure] Complexité et coûts de la mise en conformité d’un système avec les textes normatifs peuvent freiner les organismes dans une initiative de certification. La norme pour les systèmes de gestion des documents d’activité ne déroge pas à la règle. Toutefois, la flexibilité de l’ISO 30301 et les bénéfices qui peuvent en être tirés permettent de se positionner face à cette démarche volontaire.

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Afin de répondre aux divers enjeux stratégiques, la masse de données sans cesse en expansion doit rester accessible et intelligible pour les utilisateurs, machines ou humains. Dans un univers informatif où se côtoient des langages documentaires anciens et des pratiques plus récentes, l’interopérabilité des systèmes revêt une importance croissante. Dans ce contexte, décrit en première partie de l’article, la norme ISO 25964 révise les recommandations pour les thésaurus. Grâce à une distinction formalisée concept/terme, ces vocabulaires contrôlés éprouvés se voient désormais traduisibles en Skos, l’un des piliers du web sémantique. Laurence MAROYE aborde, au-delà des apports pragmatiques, des questions d’ordre opérationnel sur le long terme, linguistique ou philosophique soulevées par cette distinction.