Susan,
You go girl! ; D
Tell it like it is, sister! : D lol
I like what you had to say and you said it well.
I didn't see you listed as one the the sepakers this year at the annual conference in Orlando. I will miss hearing from you. but hope to see you there!
Thanks agian girly!
Stephanie Jones
Austin, Texas
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"A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done."
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)
________________________________
From: "mckinney, susan" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 5:33:47 PM
Subject: Re: ARMA and its records managers getting better or not?
I usually stay out of these types of discussions, but this time I feel
obligated to respond.
If we take the question of whether ARMA and its records managers getting
better - I would have to answer that with a resounding Yes, Absolutely.
ARMA has done many things over the past several years to assist records
management professionals and those who are on the periphery of the
records management profession. Without going into too much detail, let
me just state a few things ARMA has done to enhance the RIM profession:
published the RIM competencies, the first ever set of competencies that
detail what a RIM professinal needs to know at each step of their
career, and made that document free to all who are interested; a
self-assessment, free for ARMA members and at a nominal cost to others,
that measures knowledge against the competencies and suggests avenues
for expanded education; standards and guidelines, including several
publications that include information on records centers; educational
webinars that can be taken at the desktop at any time; Washington Policy
Brief for the U.S., and briefs for Canada and Europe that discuss
legislation. There are many, many other things that ARMA does for
members and non-members alike that focus on educating the RIM
professional. So, to suggest that ARMA does not have concern for the
career and advancement of RIM professionals is just plain wrong. Oh,
and did I mention the upcoming salary survey?
The second part of the question is whether RIM professionals are getting
better. Again, I have to disagree with Hugh. I do think that because
of the many tools for education and networking that are online, our
profession has become more educated and more advanced. Not only have
our members increased their value, but I see other professionals talking
about RIM and mentioning ARMA. I have seen other professional
organizations asking ARMA for assistance in training their members. I
have seen attorneys at legal conferences asking ARMA members questions
and publicly stating that they regard RIM professionals as experts and
colleagues. I'm seeing more IT professionals asking RIM professionals
about retention requirements before installing systems, and seeking out
the records manager for guidance. Is there more work to be done?
Absolutely. But the pendulum is swinging to our side.
I certainly can't speak for ARMA - but I have never sensed that ARMA
looks upons itself as a trade show. It is a professional association.
Yes, the expo floor brings in quite a bit of money to ARMA at annual
conference which allows ARMA the freedom to have great educational
programs. But I would never think of an ARMA conference as a trade
show. The focus of the ARMA International Conference is the education.
The vendors on the expo floor are there to sell their products - but
they are also there to educate anyone who attends about their products
and how their products fit into the RIM profession. Do I believe
everything I hear? No, but I always learn something from all of them.
Last but not least - ARMA officers. ARMA members should ask those
running for the ARMA Board of Directors questions, but I seldom see a
lot of that. ARMA members should take more interest in those running
their organization. That being said, make no doubt about it, those who
are ARMA officers at both the International level and chapter level do a
great amount to make ARMA better. These people spend long hours in
meetings, give up free time to do ARMA work, and worry about what ARMA
members need or want from their association. They take their volunteer
jobs very seriously, and work tirelessly for their colleagues. Being an
ARMA officer is not a "day at the beach", but a commitment to make the
association and the profession better. It is hard work, it is demanding
work, and they do it well, without complaint, and mostly without ever
hearing a word of thanks. And that also applies to those volunteers
that assist ARMA with the publications, standards, and all other
volunteer jobs. Kudos to all of you!
All that being said, it is still the responsibility of each of us to
take responsibility for our own career. It is up to us as professionals
to take advantage of educational opportunities, to advocate for
ourselves at our workplace. It is incumbent upon us to open doors for
career advancement, to make sure that we understand how our contracts
are worded with vendors and if they have been done wrong to work with
those who can help get the right language. Nobody is going to hand feed
us, we have to know our stuff and know when and where to look for
answers when we don't. Our professional associations will give us the
tools, but we must be the ones to use our knowledge, resources and
abilities to promote ourselves in our organizations. That's not the
responsibility of any association, professional or otherwise.
Thanks for your patience in this long post.
Fondly,
Susan
Proud member of ARMA International
Recmgmt-l Owner/Host
Susan McKinney, CRM
Director, Records & Information Management
University of Minnesota
100 Church Street SE
502 Morrill Hall
Campus Mail Code 0263
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-625-3497
612-626-4434 (fax)
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