Records are central tools of good and reliable governance, as they enable interaction between authorities and the clients of public administration.
In a digitalizing society, information is fragmented, and there is no longer a shared understanding of what is meant by “records” in the same way as in the paper-based world. It is also not always clear who recordkeeping professionals are and how they perceive their work in a changing information environment.
M.Sc. Tuija Kautto’s doctoral dissertation explores the complex relationship between recordkeeping and e-government in public administration. The research highlights factors that affect the comprehensibility and visibility of recordkeeping.
The dissertation consists of four peer-reviewed sub-studies, which address municipal web communication about rights related to records, the invisibility of recordkeeping professionals’ work in municipalities, the consideration of recordkeeping perspectives in the law drafting of archival legislation, and the use of recordkeeping terminology in English translations of legal texts and its connection to obligations.
Removing barriers to visibility is essential
According to Kautto’s research, the visibility of recordkeeping is weakened by challenges related to information and governance cultures, power relations and professional hierarchies, conceptual and linguistic ambiguities, and communication issues.
“These factors reflect how public administration organizations and legislative contexts approach information, what terminology is used to discuss recordkeeping issues, and how the views of recordkeeping professionals are understood or acknowledged,” Kautto explains.
She emphasizes that it is essential in today’s world to identify and remove the barriers between recordkeeping and e-government in order to safeguard individuals’ rights and to enable the implementation of responsible and transparent e-government.
“This requires structural changes, clearer terminology and communication, and the recognition of recordkeeping expertise as part of strategic and ethical e-government,” Kautto states.
Public defence on Friday 21 November
Tuija Kautto’s doctoral dissertation in the field of information studies, titled The Visibility of Recordkeeping Perspectives and Professionals in E-government, will be publicly examined at Tampere University’s Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 12:00 noon. The venue is the City centre campus, Main building, auditorium D11 (Kalevantie 4, Tampere). The Opponent will be Professor Erik Borglund from Mid Sweden University, and the Custos will be University Lecturer, Docent Pekka Henttonen from Tampere University’s Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences.
The doctoral dissertation is available online.
The public defence can be followed via remote connection.