> My name is Keith Hileman.

Hi Keith... my name is Larry, and I've been an RIM Professional for 33
years now...

OOPS!!!  Sorry, wrong meeting venue... =)

> I am a law school graduate (1990), but have never practiced and have
> no desire to do so.

That's a GOOD thing... I've always been amazed at the use of the term
"practice" when it comes to Law and Medicine.  You'd think that when
people receive a license in a field like one of these two where you
essentially have the life and/or liberty of another in your hands,
you'd be FAR BEYOND practice.

Also reminds me of an old joke, What's the difference between a Doctor
and a Lawyer?  A Doctor buries his mistakes.

> Unfortunately, from what I'm told, the records management class there
> has not been taught in several years and there are no plans to teach
> it in the future.  The course seems to be just a marker in the
> curriculum from what I can determine.

If that's truly the case, it's all the better you AREN'T ABLE to take
it.  While there are manybasic aspects of the profession that have
gone unchanged for a number of years, whoever is teaching a course in
RIM now has got to be able to be conversant in the changes technology
has introduced to the field and be able to provide some insights into
where things are heading.  If they aren't an active practitioner or
tied into the profession directly, they're likley a bit out of touch
with anything that's impacting RIM.

There are some distance learning options available you may want to
check into and there are some colleges that offer a limited number of
RIM courses as part of their MLIS program, but again, these tend to be
high-level courses that provide an overview.

> I just joined ARMA as a student member and have signed up for the RIM
> 101 class.  The text just arrived a couple of days ago, but I haven't
> actually sat down to work on the project just yet.

This is a good start, and there are a number of webinars offered that
will help give you an introduction into the field. I'd strongly
suggest you consider linking up with a local Chapter and attend
meetings for some insights from working professionals (practitioners)
in the RIM field and to gain some greater exposure to what it's all
about.  There are also mid-year meetings hald in various ARMA regions
around the US that have educatioal offerings, and a number of seminars
are held in the DC area, most of which focus on RIM in the Federal
arena.  These aren't free, but they are mostly all worth what they
cost... especially if you're new to the field.

> My questions are just to get a general feel from the list subscribers
> with no definitive answers being sought.

GREAT!  Then that means there's NO WRONG ANSWERS, right? =)

> 1)  I'm contemplating a computer system upgrade.  Should I fork over
> the requisite cash to get a laptop or should I get a super desktop for
> a fraction of the price?

Okay, not RIM related at all... but anyway...  If you're a GEn-Xer
(having graduated from Law School in 1990, you may not be), I know the
answer you're looking for, you're seeking validation that it's okay to
want a laptop computer and that it's justifiable to spend the extra
money for the portability, right??  I mean, I JUST went through this
with my daughter =)

The logical answer is the desktop unit is really the best way to go,
and I think Glenn provided you all the right reasons.  Now, if you are
DETERMINED that you want the laptop, then by all means, GET THE
LAPTOP.  To find a way around some of the issues Glenn mentioned,
you'll want to also get an external hard drive, preferably firewire,
to have sufficient capacity to store your data and you should consider
a full size monitor and keyboard.

You may also want to consider a Zip drive and/or a DVD burner as an
external device so you can keep the cost down a bit on the laptop, by
purchasing one with a CD burner only (that might be capable of playing
DVDs, if you find a need for that).  Spend you money on a fast
processor and memory... and if it was me, I'd spend my money on a Mac
rather than a PC.  If you feel compelled to run PC Only software, then
buy and install "Virtual PC" on your Mac, and with a few keystrokes,
you can make your machine as slow and ignorant as any standard Windows
box available!

> My employment situation at the moment is that of a temp working to
> organize a corporate legal department doing file maintenance and
> imaging.

As Glenn mentioned, they won't let you hook up to the network (if
they're worth their weight in salt) and they won't want you doing any
development on your own machine and porting it over either... the
reasons for the laptop over the desktop will NEVER be work related
unless you need a computer when you travel on business, and if you
REALLY NEED ONE, most employers will provide one.  As a student
however, you may have a need for one to do work in the lecture hall,
classroom, at the library, or while sitting in the Quad to attract
(enter your choice of personal poison).

> I want to specialize in legal records because of my background, but
> wondered if I should have my own personal laptop now or worry about
> that down the road.

No matter when you buy one, it will be "out of season" in a couple of
years, and they're expensive to replace and not worth the cost to
upgrade... so find some other way to justify it.  Laptops are the AM
Transistor radios of my day for the people of today, if you're under a
certain age, you just DON'T want to be seen without one. =)

> 2)  Getting a "foot" in the door - would it behoove me to trade on the
> library aspect to get into a firm or should I approach the records
> manager directly?

Let's not mix metaphors... if you want to get a FOOT in the door, then
you aren't be-HOOVED =0

There are two distinct career paths here for someone... there is a Law
Librarian and there is a Legal Records Manager.  If you want to be
involved in records management, then that's the road to take... you
may be able to look to your left or right and see the person on the
other path, but it's rather infrequent that the paths cross.  As a
career move, you may elect to enter a firm to work in the Law Library
and if you have the RIM background, attempt to move over to the RM
function at some point in time, but you don't normally see someone
serve both functions.

> My perception is that most firms have a records manager/conflict
> function that is not associated with the library and research.  Is
> that a correct perception?

From what I've seen... it differs from firm to firm, sometimes based
on the size of the firm, other times based on what they specialize in.
 Seeing as you're an ARMA Member, you may want to go to the ARMA Forum
and sign into the Legal ISG Discussion Area and ask this type of
question, maybe even hook up with someone in the Legal RIM field that
would be willing to sort of act as a "career mentor" for you.

> 3)  Finally (for the moment), should I attempt to find a class in
> imaging technology at the moment or be patient and see what develops
> in the library curriculum?

I think you can be reasonably sure you won't find that in the LIS
curriculum.  At some point, you may want to look into the CDIA+
training, but you're a long way form that at this point.  This is
intended for people that are in and around imaging directly and have a
role as either a consultant or maybe a supervisory or managerial role
related to imaging, but the basis of the training lets you know the
things you should be looking to be exposed to while involved in
imaging.

There are a lot of resources on imaging available through AIIM, so you
may want to consider a student membership there as well.

Enjoy yourself along the journey... ask a lot of questions, but always
consider searching the Listserv Archives first, as many of the answers
you seek may already be there.  There are lots of resources available
on the Internet as well, and the ARMA website has a TON of past issue
IMJ articles available that you would be well served to look into.

Larry

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