Making records and information management culturally relevant in the Caribbean

The document examines the disconnect between international Records and Information Management (RIM) standards and the cultural and economic realities of the Caribbean. It argues that current systems, often imported from the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, fail to account for informal cultural records—such as oral traditions and calypsos—and are frequently unaffordable or impractical. The author recommends that Caribbean information specialists treat international standards as foundations rather than templates, advocating for the creation of a regional information governance framework and the development of local training and storage solutions to ensure RIM is 'inherently Caribbean'.

• Caribbean records include both formal publications and informal cultural records, such as music, art, festivals, food, memories, and oral traditions, with calypsos specifically capturing political and socio-economic conditions.
• Current RIM infrastructure in the Caribbean is largely 'foreign' and based on international models from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, which often conflict with local work practices and organizational cultures.
• The implementation of international standards like ISO, HIPAA, and NARA in the Caribbean often leads to conflict between official policy and established in-house conventions or precedents.
• Caribbean organizations face significant resource barriers to meeting international RIM standards, including a reliance on expensive international suppliers for storage equipment and software, and a lack of local certification programs.
• There is a critical need to transition from analog baselines to digital platforms through the automation of business processes and digitization of records to increase organizational efficiency and collaboration.
• The author recommends establishing a Caribbean-specific information governance (IG) framework and increasing collaboration between government archives and professional bodies like the Caribbean Regional Branch on the International Council on Archives (CARBICA).

APA

Ferreira, S. N. (2023). Making records and information management culturally relevant in the Caribbean. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/making-records-and-information-management-culturally-relevant-in-the-caribbean/

Chicago

Ferreira, Sparkle N. Making records and information management culturally relevant in the Caribbean. World Association for Christian Communication, 2023. https://waccglobal.org/making-records-and-information-management-culturally-relevant-in-the-caribbean/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ferreira |first1=Sparkle N. |title=Making records and information management culturally relevant in the Caribbean |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=10 May 2023 |url=https://waccglobal.org/making-records-and-information-management-culturally-relevant-in-the-caribbean/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ferreira2023making, author = {Ferreira, Sparkle N.}, title = {{Making records and information management culturally relevant in the Caribbean}}, institution = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://waccglobal.org/making-records-and-information-management-culturally-relevant-in-the-caribbean/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }