History

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The Trust was established in 1989 to help develop new strategies for managing official government records in developing countries. By that time, its founder, Anne Thurston, had already been studying the issues involved for over a decade.

She became aware of the importance of managing official records when she carried out historical research at the National Archives of Kenya in the early 1970s and subsequently when she joined its staff as a locally employed civil servant. This helped her to understand the realities of managing records in a modern African state. Subsequently she drew on this knowledge when teaching at the School of Library Archive and Information Studies at University College London where she developed a teaching programme for international students. To extend this knowledge, she carried out a study, in phases between 1984 and 1988, of record-keeping in 30 English speaking countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.

She found that specific conditions varied from country to country, but the pattern was similar. National archives, the government agencies with statutory responsibilities for government records, were isolated from the management of public administration, playing virtually no role in the management of active records or of closed records with ongoing value to the state, which were held in ministries. There were a number of significant consequences:

Many countries lacked national strategies for managing official documents as the basis of the rule of law and the capacity to plan, manage and audit official functions and activities.

Officials spent large amounts of time searching for the information they required and were often forced to take ad-hoc decisions.

Money was wasted storing records that could not be accessed.

Closed records often remained in creating agencies rather than passing to the national archives to serve as the national institutional memory. Records that were transferred were often disordered and difficult to use. Evidence of cultural heritage was lost.

The vital role of the National Archives in supporting good governance of the state was not appreciated.

These findings guided the design of education in records and archives management at University College London, and over the 16 years that she worked there, Dr Thurston examined needs and solutions with students on post-graduate courses and research programmes. As technology began to have a rapidly escalating impact on the way records were created, used and stored, the need for innovative and strategic solutions became more pressing. The Trust was established to support this need. As a charity dedicated to education, research and practical technical assistance, it has sought to generate funds and widen its experience by undertaking a range of project work. Projects evolved and grew in three areas:

Consultancy Projects aimed at supporting local officials and professionals in managing official records.

Education Projects to support records professionals in understanding professional theory over good practice in relation to local realities.

Research Projects to study the requirements for well-managed records in key areas, notably financial and personnel management, particularly in an environment of rapid technological change.

The range and complexity of Trust’s programme areas and project work has developed in parallel with the growth and spread of technological applications and with global development concerns, such as good governance, poverty reduction, citizens’ rights, economic reform, transparency and accountability, the rule of law and cultural heritage for sustainable development. The Trust’s work has demonstrated repeatedly that neither technology nor global development agendas can be successfully delivered if official records are not managed.