Recordkeeping culture in Switzerland: the impact of language and communication on the success of recordkeeping initiatives

Abstract

Purpose Records management has been heavily influenced by practice in English-speaking countries but is often seen as a foreign import in non-Anglophone countries. This study aims to investigate how using English terminology or translating records management terminology into French in a Francophone environment impacts on the success of recordkeeping strategies. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Francophone archivists and records managers in Switzerland to assess their communication strategies and the language used to communicate recordkeeping objectives. Findings The research findings indicate that in a Francophone environment, archivists and records managers who use French terminology are more successful in promoting recordkeeping objectives than those who use English terminology. Given that research was limited to one Swiss canton, more research is needed to test these findings in other Francophone cantons, provinces and countries. Originality/value This study is important for the success of recordkeeping initiatives in non-Anglophone countries. It highlights the need to take into account the local information culture and use terminology with which people are most familiar.

Development of a Recordkeeping Culture in Community‐Based Organisations in Bangladesh

“…Whereas most of the recordkeeping literature has been concerned with assessing whether organisations were correctly managing records in accordance with legislation and best practice standards and with finding ways of improving recordkeeping practices in organisations so that they comply with laws and standards, a growing strand of research argues that to be effective and sustainable, recordkeeping practices must be adapted to the information culture of the organisations (Oliver and Foscarini, 2020; Oliver et al, 2018; Lian et al, 2022; Frings‐Hessami & Oliver, 2022a, 2022b). Recordkeeping in an organisation is impacted by the information culture of the organisation.…”