Yes, I was privileged to take classes within a program designed specifically
to create administrators and managers of large and public records programs
and facilities. And it was adjunct to my history degree. I liken it to
MBA training within the realm of historical records, while my history MA
prepared me for the archival components. Both components were required to
actually receive the MA. My classes were taught by a former United States
Archivist James B. Rhoads, who took considerable pains with his students to
make sure they understood that simply preserving the records was not enough
and that far more was involved in managing an agency, or in fact, the
records of many agencies.
Since NARA actually was the first large scale user and developer of
retention schedules and fine-tuned, if not acutally developed, the
techniques we now know as records management, I got my training right from
the horse's mouth, so to speak. Some programs focus on the administration
of collections instead, and that is the major difference between they type
of education I received, and many other programs, including some
library-based programs.
Elizabeth Fairfax
Director, Island County Records and Information Services
-----Original Message-----
From: White, Bruce [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 4:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Interdisciplinary communication
Elizabeth Fairfax said:
>Archivists who manage institutional programs do all that you do Bruce,
>they deal with budgets, process administration,human resources, work
>flow analysis, facilities management, marketing, project management,
>operations management, and many other business functions. Many of them
>learn this in their archival training programs if they come out of a
>history based program. I did.
Well, you must have come from a special program, because many of the
archivists I've met during my 20+ years all gave me the "deer in the
headlight look" whenever I starting discussing such topics as cost
accounting, operations management, budgeting, marketing, etc. Their
master's degree program typically required courses specific to historical
topics, with maybe a couple of courses in preservation techniques. They may
have taken an introduction to business or economics class as an elective,
but that is as close to a "true" business course as they've attended.
That aside, the question on the table (so to speak) and the one that the
profession needs to address is what background better prepares and provides
more opportunities for records managers seeking employment with Fortune 500
or other private companies - archival or business? (As mentioned earlier,
this is where I am seeing most the growth in RM positions.)
The answer to the question above should be considered when defining what
core competencies, as Chris Flynn stated earlier "are required if you are
going to claim to be a Records Manager." If I were a betting man (which I
am not) I'd put my money on business...
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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