Information resources management and goverment information policies and programmes

Abstract

In the United States, the concept of Information Resources Management (IRM) was considered first by the federal government 10-15 years ago. IRM was based on the fact that information is a resource that have to be managed the same way as any other resource. This concept, though with oppositions, has been accepted, especially as a tool against red tape, superfluous data handling and paperwork, supported by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. The main result of the process is that IRM has been brought to the level of government policy. However, the danger appers that the government would like to avoid its responsibllities toward information dissemination through casting it into the hands of the private sector. It can be eliminated only by close observation and critics from various bodies of the society.