ABSTRACT
This entry traces the development of record keeping and archives services in the United Kingdom, highlighting the differences between the constituent home countries, local authority responsibilities, and the diversity of business, religious and community archives. It looks at the development of the archive profession and training, and suggests that information management may become the way the profession develops in an electronic age. The role of the main professional organizations and societies relating to archives and records management is outlined, with an emphasis on the crucial advocacy role they play in ensuring that the importance of the records, in whatever format, is not overlooked.
