Information Resource Management
(IRM) A philosophical and practical approach to managing government information.
Information is regarded as a valuable resource which should be managed like other resources, and should contribute directly to accomplishing organisational goals and objectives.
IRM provides an integrated view for managing the entire life-cycle of information, from generation, to dissemination, to archiving and/or destruction, for maximising the overall usefulness of information, and improving service delivery and program management.
IRM views information and
Information Technology as an integrating factor in the organisation, that is, the various organisational positions that manage information are coordinated and work together toward common ends.
Further, IRM looks for ways in which the management of information and the management of Information Technology are interrelated, and fosters that interrelationship and organisational integration.
IRM includes the management of (1) the broad range of information resources, e.g., printed materials, electronic information, and microforms, (2) the various technologies and equipment that manipulate these resources, and (3) the people who generate, organise, and disseminate those resources. Overall the intent of IRM is to increase the usefulness of government information both to the government and to the public.
[Gary D. Blass et al. "Finding Government Information: The Federal Information Locator System (FILS)", Government Information Quarterly, JAI Press, Inc., Greenwich, Connecticut. Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.
11-32. 1991].
