Dear All:

Well, a big thanks to Gordy Hoke for his comments.  Anyone familiar with Anne Thurston and the IRMT cannot help but be impressed with the RIM work they are doing in Africa and on other continents.

See below the announcement from the June newsletter of the ARMA International Educational Foundation about how the IRMT and the AIEF have partnered to help foster the growth of best RIM practices in Africa and elsewhere (and if you feel compelled, and you should, you can donate at the AIEF website at: http://www.armaedfoundation.org/).

William LeFevre, CRM
Vice Chairman, ARMA International Educational Foundation

INTERNATIONAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT TRUST AND ARMA
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION SIGN ACCORD
OF PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION
The International Records Management Trust (IRMT) and the ARMA International
Educational Foundation (AIEF) signed an Accord of Partnership and Cooperation. The
Accord, entered into on behalf of the IRMT by its International Director, Dr. Anne Thurston,
OBE and for the AIEF by Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Susan Whitmire, CRM, is
intended to provide a framework for mutually beneficial and cooperative initiatives.
The possible cooperative ventures, all of which are focused on advancing education,
research and scholarship in the field of records management, include identifying and
sharing good-practice; defining significant research topics and researchers; reviewing
and disseminating educational materials; exchanging research findings, reports and news;
and developing joint field efforts.
With the completion of the Accord, the two organizations immediately completed their first
cooperative venture. The AIEF provided $5,000 U.S. to assist the distribution of educational
modules, developed by the IRMT, that focus on managing electronic records to support
records professionals in developing nations in Africa and elsewhere. In thanking the AIEF
for its generous contribution to the distribution of the materials, Dr. Thurston noted, "Many
developing countries are hoping to leapfrog to a purely electronic environment.
Unfortunately, the framework of laws, policies, standards, systems, procedures and skills
needed to maintain the integrity of the records is not in place, and the growing body of
relevant knowledge in developed countries is not being adapted to meet the circumstances
of lower-resource countries. The distribution of the educational materials marks an important
step forward in addressing this situation." In statements noting the signing of the
Accord, Dr. Thurston and Ms. Whitmire pointed out the high level of enthusiasm from both
organizations in reaching this accord and on working together into the future.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon Hoke" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, October 1, 2009 4:41:36 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [RM] Anyone familiar with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program for Global Archives Management?

Indeed, RIM is a rising tide in Africa.  In my humble opinion, the RIM 
community in general and ARMA <International> in particular should 
encourage and support this.  In addition to this South Africa opportunity:
   --  The International Records Management Trust (IRMT) is awaiting 
funding to launch its superb RIM curriculum at Africa's leading business 
school at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  After years of taking RIM to 
individual countries, Africa soon will have a centralized  resource.
  --  Cohasset Associates are providing RIM education to leaders in 
Lagos, Nigeria, making use of their streaming videos from the MER Conference
  --  The IRMT is actively engaged in a crucial records project in 
Sierra Leone that has already "outed" 600 ghost workers -- unreal 
government workers collecting paychecks.

Africa needs RIM as much as any other part of the world, and the RIM 
community should be engaged and involved.  While the People to People 
program may well be a great experience, my choice would be to use the 
thousands of dollars (or any amount) in support of the IRMT.

Gordy Hoke
Gordon E.J. Hoke, CRM
http://PositivelyRIM.blogspot.com


PKAlbert wrote:
> All,
>
>
>
> I am quite familiar with the People to People and I also received two 
> different letters from this year's organizers.  Just as someone 
> mentioned, Fred Diers headed up two or three different trips to China 
> with RM'ers from the US back in the 80's.  I have known several ARMA 
> members who did participate and make the trip and were very 
> enlightened by what they had seen.  In addition, following the US trip 
> the two ARMA Chapters in Washington, DC area at the time, Greater 
> Baltimore and Washington DC area Chapters then hosted a delegation 
> from China to Washington DC.  Harry Ludwick was President of ARMA at 
> the time and we showed them all around DC, including the White House, 
> Library of Congress, National Archives to mention only a few.  They 
> were here for about a week and left very impressed with the ARMA 
> hospitality from the two chapters and International.
>
>
>
> If anyone can afford the price tag, I understand it is a great 
> experience. The AIEF is also making some great in-roads in Africa by 
> sending Records Management books to the Records Management groups and 
> the Foundation also awarded a scholarship to a student in Africa.  He 
> was invited to participate in this year's ARMA Conference by 
> presenting a paper, but unfortunately the African Government turned 
> down his Visa request three times.
>
>
>
> I hope this help to better understand ARMA's past roll in the People 
> to People.
>
>
>
> Phil Albert

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-- 
William W. LeFevre, CA, CRM
Reference Archivist, Walter P. Reuther Library
Interdisciplinary Faculty, School of Library and Information Science
Wayne State University
5401 Cass Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202
313.577.2789 (Voice)
313.577.4300 (FAX)
website: www.reuther.wayne.edu 

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