About Us

The International Records Management Trust was established in 1989 to develop new strategies for managing records and information. The IRMT is unique internationally in terms of the nature of its vision and mandate, its broad international experience, the breadth and length of its work across different sectors, and its strong track record of successful project delivery. Our projects are distinguished by our long-term commitment to the people of the countries we serve, our close collaboration with stakeholders through the life of any project, and our ability to relate international good practice to the realities of local requirements and resources.

Our work has always emphasised the significance of managing records as a basis for improving operational efficiency and services, enhancing access to information and providing an institutional record over time. We emphasise the importance of managing records as a basis for protecting civil and human rights, reducing poverty, controlling corruption, strengthening democracy, promoting economic and social reform, improving services to citizens, and demonstrating accountability and transparency.

A UK registered charity governed by a board of trustees, our London office manages the delivery of a portfolio of international projects, supported by a consultancy team of over 60 professionals drawn from the public and private sectors and from academic institutions across the world. As technology has had an increasing impact on the way that records are created, used and stored, we have sought to support the transition from paper to electronic records. In addition to creating freely available training material, we have assisted many countries to build sustainable laws, policies, systems and procedures and facilities for the management of records and archives.

We work through a wide network of partnerships across development, professional and academic boundaries. Our extensive expertise has developed over two decades of continuous applied fieldwork and international initiatives. Our projects and programmes fall into three inter-related areas:

Consultancy Services: working with local policy makers, stakeholders and records professionals to develop and introduce effective and sustainable legal and regulatory records and information management frameworks, policies, systems, procedures and facilities, either at the central or local level or in relation to particular functions. We have delivered projects successfully in over 30 countries.

Training and Education: developing capacity building and assessment tools, guidance materials and programmes, all of which can be downloaded without charge from our website. We have produced, and continue to develop, study materials for records professionals that have contributed substantially to the development of educational programmes worldwide.

Development Research: studying and analysing the relationship between records management and governance and defining practical solutions to information management problems, particularly in relation to the electronic environment.

For more information about the IRMT, see lists of our Trustees, Staff and Associates and view our Governance Documents. See a slideshow of our past work.