Service-oriented architectures and recordkeeping

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that the digital world has introduced new challenges to recordkeeping professionals. Design/methodology/approach: The initial response has been to transfer traditional recordkeeping systems to automated solutions. Increasingly these are being challenged for fit in dynamic organizational environments. Web services as a building-block for next generation software applications are growing in acceptance both in governments and innovative product offerings. Findings: The paper outlines the concepts of web services architectures and begins an exploration of the uses that recordkeeping professionals may define for such a potentially radical change to the way recordkeeping functionality is delivered. Originality/value: The paper challenges recordkeeping professionals to ensure that they are very firmly grounded in best professional practice in recordkeeping to grasp such a technology opportunity.