Susan, I can respect your frustration, and confess that setting up a
journal looks like quite a job, though not an insurmountable obstacle.
Its pretty clear that an academic records management journal will not be
supported by ARMA or its leadership; that support will have to come from
elsewhere. 

Theory has played a major role in the success of my career, and the
programs I have run. It is neither boring, nor purely "academic". It has
consistently been what has given me the leading edge to succeed on a
very practical, day to day basis. That success has been of considerable
service to both the organizations I work for, and the publics they
serve. Its what helped pull me through some pretty rough times and
hostile environments. Its also what helped prove many naysayers wrong.

That much of the membership of ARMA considers it "boring" is a sad
commentary; that some of the leadership considers it impractical even
more so. The two strike me as being mutually reinforcing. Perhaps it was
the quality of my original mentors that had an impact: this really is
alien to me, and perhaps gets to the core why I have been feeling a
drift in ARMA away from issues of practical concern to myself and my
organization over the past few years. I feel like I'm on another planet!

Theory and practice are very closely linked in my mind: the skill comes
in translating the abstract to the practical, from gleaning useful
insights from that theory, and applying them in the real world, not
solely in implementing "standards" or "guidelines" (though they play an
important role as well). To me, it's the latter that is "boring" (which
doesn't make it any less necessary). Nor have I ever met a standard that
entirely encapsulates my particular needs, but I can always find a
solution through the creative application of theory through practice, I
can always fill a hole the standards didn't address. The two really
inform each other.

I respect greatly your insights, and advice, as well as those of all of
the posters on this thread. I suspect I'm preaching to the choir here;
we all do what we can, and I hope I haven't implied any criticism of
those like you who have done so much. I really appreciate the link to
the report you sent and the opportunity to get educated on this
particular topic, which I hope to look into further in the coming year
for opportunities. 

Thank you for your sincerity and passion; I hope you'll understand mine.


Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records Administrator
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution and Stores
(FREDS)
1620 S.E. 190th Avenue
Portland, OR 97233
Phone: (503)988-3741
Fax: (503)988-3754
[log in to unmask]

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]