On The Record: Towards a Documentation Strategy

Much debated in the 1970s and 1980s, documentation strategy has since been variously tried and tested. This article reports on The Record, an initiative led by The National Archives designed to ensure a documentary legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad. Without detailing the theory and development of documentation strategy, the article provides an overview of The Record which began as a collection strategy and since December 2008 has evolved into a practical example of documentation strategy in its scope, its reach and its intentions. The article makes no attempt to evaluate the success of The Record, as work continues to communicate its objectives and to encourage participation that will extend beyond the closing ceremonies. Neither does it provide a critique of documentation strategy nor of its applicability for The Record. However, it does raise some of the questions that will need to be answered to determine the success of the initiative in meeting its core objectives and the appropriateness of having belatedly embraced documentation strategy as its methodology.