Recent trends in authentication and national information management policy in the UK

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of digital library authenticationrnstandards and practices in the UK, and to use the issue of authentication to reflect on the nature ofrnnational information management policy and its associated structures.rnDesign/methodology/approach - A brief historical account of British authenticationrndevelopments set in the context of different international approaches, with some insights into thernnational decision-making structures that have shaped the nature of UK authentication practice.rnFindings - The paper finds that the shape of national information management structures hadrnplayed an essential role in the evolution of authentication policy and practice in the UK, and that thernsolutions that have evolved as a consequence of this have not necessarily been the most user-friendlyrnor logical that could have been achieved.rnResearch limitations/implications - Research into best authentication practice should be takenrnforward from the widest possible international perspective, in order to gather the best solutions fromrnwherever they are available.rnPractical implications - Practitioner engagement with the issues of national information managementrncan help form a more intelligent debate on the best ways to shape large-scale informationrndevelopments.rnOriginality/value - This paper looks at various aspects of British digital library authenticationrnsystems with a critical eye, and asks librarians to consider familiar aspects of such existing systemsrnfrom a different perspective.