Integrating Business Management Processes

Chapter 1Document and Record Management

1.1 History of Document and Record Management

The history of document management goes back to the early years of human civilisation. Our early ancestors like the cavemen drew pictures on the walls depicting their lifestyle. Such early drawings exist in many parts of the globe and are now preserved by government agencies. These can be considered as the earliest forms of record-keeping kept for future reference. Egyptian hieroglyphics are excellent examples of primitive record-keeping. They are really archivists’ ‘gold mines’, and they have been able to understand the environment in which the cave dwellers lived and their activities from bygone eras (Adam, 2007).

Writing first developed in the river plains ...