Digital records management : The lacking foundation for continuing accessibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of one of the 16 research teams of the third phase of the InterPARES (International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems) project, that is, TEAM Canada. As with all other national teams, TEAM Canada aimed at building solutions for continuing accessibility of digital records in a variety of organizations. Design/methodology/approach – All research teams, including TEAM Canada, utilized action research as their methodological framework. Findings – The most significant finding of TEAM Canada is its discovery of the serious situation with the foundation of continuing accessibility of digital records, that is, the insufficiency of, or even the lack of, digital records management in organizations participating in the project. Originality/value – The study described in the paper is unique for a number of reasons. First, it was guided by a theoretical framework featuring digital diplomatics, which concentrates the development of the InterPARES project of its 12‐year investigation. Second, it observed the principle of open inquiry, which encouraged researchers to identify research design and methods according to suitability, not to any particular epistemological perspective. Third, a comparatively large number of organizations were studied.