[log in to unmask] writes:

>Archivist need to become Records Managers and Records Managers need to
>become Archivists. We should all have the same base of knowledge. Should we
>specialize beyond that? Yes. Should we have historians at conferences? Yes.
>I personally would like to see a core of professional development seminars
>that are presented at the conferences that are more in line with required
>if you are going to claim to be a Records Manager.
And Rick Barry chimed in:
>Very well said, Chris.

Well, if you are in government, this rule may apply.  But for those of us
working in private industry, which is where the growth in opportunities for
records managers is occurring, I disagree.  In the business environment, I
believe RMs need to have core competencies in business administration. And
last time I checked, none of these subjects are currently taught in U.S.
history departments (haven't checked foreign), where many in the archivist
community come from.

Most of what I do on a daily basis revolves around concepts I learned in
business school - marketing, budgeting, HR, information systems, business
process analysis, operations management, project management, etc.  In fact,
I don't even see archives on the radar screen in my company in the
foreseeable future and probably won't for years.

ARMA and others much wiser than me are still wrestling around with what core
competencies records managers need - it seems like a moving target.  In
addition, there are only a handful of institutions (most overseas) that
offer a program in records management.  So I think it would be difficult to
put together a "core of professional seminars" as you suggest.

Maybe we need to have specializations or even separate professional
organizations for government and private sector records managers, as the
accounting and purchasing professions have in place.  This idea was
suggested to me years ago when I worked for a state government agency.

Definitely a fascinating topic of discussion...

Bruce L. White, CRM, PMP
Manager, Records Management
Sempra Global
619-696-4671
619-696-2534 (Fax)
619-952-7145 (Cell)

"While you're at it, you might as well
      add discovery to death and taxes."
                               Nicholas Ralph Baum

"Sempra Global is not the same company as the utility SDG&E or SoCal Gas,
and Sempra Global is not regulated by the California Public Utilities
Commission."

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