Digital records keeping to information governance in Estonian local governments

The connection of information governance with the management of organisation processes and workflows, along with digitalisation, has been a clear trend in recent years. Digital information is currently mostly perceived as essential but difficult to manage. The main aim of information systems in the public sector is to store, manipulate, diffuse and preserve knowledge to achieve effectiveness of e-governance. This article gives an overview of the developments in Estonian local governments over the past ten years with the aim to introduce the Electronic Documents and Records Management System as the central system of governance. The principles of developments and related results have changed in time, with the initial functionality of the general metadata register advancing into a system for creating, managing and providing different services to citizens and businesses. Among other innovative solutions, a local e-government model is under way to be introduced in all interested local governments and to be exported abroad as well. The article casts light on the development of the model, including the first results in terms of implementing its modules, and further plans regarding the introduction of information governance in local governments.