The Widening Horizons of Information Audit

Abstract

This paper situates the information audit within the broader environment of enterprise information management (EIM) and associated audit functions. In recent years, information audit has widened its horizons of application, moving beyond the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) space and into the operational world of enterprise management. As well as aligning the information audit process with other enterprise audit processes, this paper also presents the information audit within a research context, discussing methodology and processes; the skills required to conduct an information audit; the outcomes that can be expected in terms of the individual and the organisation; the relationship between information audit and other audit functions, in particular that of internal audit; the implications of information audit on governance, leadership and regulatory compliance; and the role of the information professional in fulfilling the information audit function.