Records Survey and information mapping: interlocution between records management and information management

Abstract

Archival Science has methodologies capable of assisting the organizations about informative issues, since an archivist in their organization work needs to collect a lot of information by using records survey. Often, the survey applied is intended to detect only problems in the physical state of the documentation, not the informational problems. This can compromise the results of the archival intervention, since, without information, it is not possible to implement the Records Management. Information mapping is one of the methodologies applied in information management, which is used to map information flows of organizational environments. Therefore, the questions are: does this methodology have references in a way as methodologies of records survey? Can it enable the archivist to research beyond physical issues in the collection? To analyze the Information mapping Methodology, pointing out possible interfaces with the records survey, as it is presented in the archival literature, is the main goal of this research. We searched the universe of records survey methods and the Information mapping Methodology, characterizing the research as qualitative. Descriptive research was used to identify, describe and characterize the objects of study, based on a bibliographic survey. In addition, the research enable reflections around information issues, often left out during the organization's records survey process. This reflection was possible, because the Information mapping Methodology has the information as its object.