Creating information and records for development work: Working through the lens of information and records continuum models

Abstract

Information studies characterize the beginning of information as creation, a point of origin. Adapting a continuum approach, this study focuses on the create dimension of the Information and Records Continuum models developed by Frank Upward and his colleagues (Upward, 2000). The context of this study is humanitarian aid and how the interactions of actors within the not-for-profit sector create information used to develop campaigns, design strategies for fundraising, and support beneficiaries, the recipients of aid. Semi-structured interviews and participatory observation were conducted in an international non-governmental organization working with vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. Applying the two continuum models provides insights into the development of aid workers' complex information ecosystem. Using the continuum models in analyzing the data for information and records creation suggest the potential use for these models to provide a theoretical framework in further information behavior studies.