Sally Ann Law

Electronic mail use at the World Bank : messages from users

Abstract In the summer of 1991, we conducted a systematic user‐based study of electronic mail at The World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. The World Bank is a leader among UN organizations in using innovative communication media. The focus of the research was to understand the technical and organizational issues associated with the implementation and use of new information technologies in an international organization. This article presents the results and recommendations based on the field study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from members of four large‐scale units to generate an accurate and robust picture of the use and impact of electronic mail. Two of the units were primarily responsible for outward facing functions (e.g., advising member countries on investment and development), and two performed inward facing functions that support the Bank. Each unit contained a representative proportion of support‐ and professional‐level staff. Organizational mission and job role were expe...

Universal Access to e‐mail: Feasibility and Societal Implications

Abstract E‐mail has swept the communications and information world. Can it be made accessible to everyone? If so, at what cost? And what would be the personal and societal benefits? This article, which is the summary of the publication of the same title, looks at these issues and is used by permission of the authors and the Rand Corporation. Although the issues looked at are within the context of research in the USA, there are international implications, and also the conclusions may well apply in many countries worldwide. References in the article to various ‘Chapters’ are to chapters in the full publication, details of which will be found in the Media Reviews section of this journal. Abstract francais: Le courrier electronique a envahi le monde des communications et de linformation. Peut‐il etre accessible a tous? Si oui, a quel prix? Et quels en seraient les benefices sociaux et personnels? Cet article est le resume de la publication portant le meme titre et utilise avec lautorisation des auteurs et l...

Electronic information media and records management methods: a survey of practices in UN organizations

Abstract The rapid and widespread diffusion of electronic information and communication media has presented significant challenges for archives and records management in UN organizations. Traditional practices devised primarily to handle paper‐based record material are not readily extended to these new media. The Advisory Committee for the Coordination of Information Systems (ACCIS) identified the need for UN organizations to develop policies and procedures directly applicable to record material in electronic form. Developing such policies and procedures requires an understanding of the kinds of practices emerging within UN organizations as the use of electronic information and communication technologies grows. The survey reported here was undertaken to supply that understanding. The survey addresses four main content areas related to problems of records management in an electronic information environment: (1) the roles of three electronic media—telex, facsimile, and electronic mail—in organizational info...