Information management in business, libraries and British military intelligence: Towards a history of information management

This study explores, historically, that definition of information managemen t (IM) which centres on the ordering and channelling of non-publicly availa ble information within organisations. Whereas IM as a discipline is relativ ely new, as an activity within modern organisations it has a long history. Three types of organisation are highlighted: the business corporation, the library and the state agency (specifically, British military intelligence). Sophisticated information systems in organisations are a core feature of m odernity and can be traced back to the revolution in state administration i n the nineteenth century and to the emergence of large corporations from ab out 1880 onwards. At about the same time, libraries too evolved systematic, internal information hows and regimes, often of a standardised nature dict ated by library management theorists. Evidence from the government sphere i s also presented: considerable space is given in the study to the role play ed by IM in the early years of MI5, Britain's counter-espionage and counter -insurgency military intelligence agency. Documents recently released by th e Public Record Office, covering the first decade of MIS's history between 1909 and 1919, point to a growing recognition of the importance of IM. In c onclusion, a case will be made for the construction of a new subject field of 'Information Management History' which will enrich, particularly through potentially exciting research pathways, not just the established fields of business and administrative history but also the emergent discipline of IM itself.