Don,

Great questions and comments for the listserv.  I'm sure that many of us can
agree that there are a number of ways in which municipal government
agencies, and other government agencies throughout North America can improve
on their efforts to manage records.

ARMA International has quite a large contingent of Records and Information
managers who work at all levels of government, and who understand that
improved records management can reduce risk (financial and other risks), can
increase information access and improve efficiency for access, etc.

The solution to any Records Management problem within the City of Boston,
however, lies squarely with the city management and its elected
representatives.  Without support at that level, it is unlikely that any
program would succeed.  The most successful municipal, county, state and
provincial programs in North America tend to be those supported by the
governing bodies and their elected representatives.

Further, if you are linking the comparative ethical statements to a
particular situation at the City of Boston, I see no direct link.  Whether
ARMA or the ASAP has a comparatively "better" ethical statement also does
not appear to bear on any challenges faced by the City of Boston or its
constituents.

I'm not sure what remedy you seek here, other than an obvious desire to see
that the City of Boston improve its management of records. Since ARMA is not
primarily an Association focused on advocacy efforts, I would recommend that
the solution to the problem will lie with the citizens of the city and their
leaders.


Douglas P. Allen, CRM, CDIA+

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance