The New Digital Archivist (English Edition)

Human existence has continuously sought to find information and preserve it for posterity. Information preservation is therefore one of the most important tasks of communities and organizations. The act of preservation of elements of human existence does not only feed to aesthetic functions but also to a fulfillment of accountability needs of the society. In this digital culture of ‘data everywhere’ the demand for accountability is high necessitating a redefinition of information management practices. Information is now more correlated than ever and found in large quantities known as ‘big data’; it is pervasive, difficult to capture, store or analyze. In this paper, the author’s experience in international judicial organizations (IJOs) that have the preservation of information as a critical aspect of their judicial obligation is referenced. Operating in the digital age the International Judicial Organizations have tended towards adopting Information Technology strategies covering all aspects of operations. And to solve the accountability challenge IJOs have their records and archives functions tending towards information orchestration and less towards traditional preservation. In this paper therefore, IJO’s information management practices and tools are referenced.