During the ARMA conference in Las Vegas, I personally felt that the best
session was given by Patricia Galloway regarding big buckets,
classification and desktop strategies. Ms. Galloway's research had been
funded by the AIEF. I thought the session was brilliant, I peppered her
throughout with questions, and remember thinking as I left of how proud
I was that ARMA had supported such basic research.

Imagine my dismay when the reaction of the majority of my colleagues was
one of "what a waste of time and resources"! Because the research had no
direct bearing on their jobs, they considered it worthless. I explained
that basic research rarely has a direct bearing on immediate concerns;
yet can have a profound impact over time. Mostly I got blank stares.

On another, but connected, issue - a recent attempt to reclassify my
records administrative assistant into a higher level inventory stores
specialist 2, in reflection of his increased job duties, fell flat on
its face. Despite the fact that I had contributed to the ISS2
classification development some years ago with exactly this promotional
path in mind, even inserting specific records language, the current
classification team refused to acknowledge anything beyond "file clerk".
The process was surreal - it didn't matter what I said or wrote, they
simply refused to recognize any of my staff member's specialized skills,
and even threatened a demotion if I made a fuss (believe me, that hasn't
stopped me from continuing to "make a fuss"!). It became obvious to me
that the lack of a federal job classification for records management was
having an impact on the process. 

My sense is that this lack of recognition has less impact on established
managers and higher level professionals in the field - as Carol Choksy
pointed out, we are a profession of some pretty dynamic types, capable
of feathering our own nests, among other things. However, it is having
an impact on my line staff, and on their levels of compensation.
Similarly, the lack of a scholarly journal is having an impact on young
people doing the hard work of getting a specialized education in the
field, and on their ability to best meet their aspirations. The two are
very much connected: entry becomes harder, and once "in", compensation
does not begin to pay the college bills. Why would people even bother?

Luciana and Pat have both made a compelling case for a scholarly journal
supported by ARMA: they've addressed issues of cost, participation and
support. Surely an educational foundation with $400K in assets can
support what appears to be an effort that students and academics would
eagerly support, participate in, and build at minimal cost. What would
it take for the AIEF to set up a special fund to support such an
endeavor? I for one would be happy to donate to such a fund, and I'm
sure others would join me. It doesn't even seem to me that dues would
have to be a factor.

Records management is a big tent, and its natural for some of us to be
focused on our immediate concerns. My belief that RIM is fundamental to
a functioning democracy may not be as compelling an issue to one who's
RIM connection is the sale of ERMs systems, or the support of a
corporate ECM infrastructure. A significant portion of what ARMA does
has no relevance to me or the county I serve - SOX, for example - but I
still support the organization. That's because the issue is not
"immediate relevance to me me me", its what is in the long term
interests of the profession as a whole. And what better representation
of those long term interests than the commitment young people make when
signing up at considerable expense to educate themselves, advance their
careers, and advance our profession. 

A scholarly journal would help them achieve that, provide legitimacy to
the profession as a whole, and maybe, eventually, be an element in
creating a more positive outcome in compensation for the line staff that
do the hard work every day. I may not be the best fellow to participate
in such an endeavor, but I'd be happy to ship a couple hundred dollars
in donations to help get it going. Get a few more like me, and we might
have a going concern. Of course, donations to the AIEF are tax
deductable. 

I remember reading in the American Archivist many moons ago an article
by Elsie Freeman that called for a greater focus on customer service and
cost containment in archives. At the time, Ms. Freeman's article was not
well received, similar to the reaction I saw to Ms. Galloway's
presentation. Unfortunately, that's often the reaction to leading edge
thinking. Yet the article had a profound impact on me and my career, as
I began developing services with a focus on exactly those elements in an
environment still dominated by a regulatory, cost doesn't matter,
records cop mentality. I began prioritizing processing projects based on
criteria of cost, usage, and preservation (an early crude version of
"more product less process"). We began lowering barriers to access;
opening our doors to researchers we previously hadn't taken seriously,
including a group of blue collar locals who used our archives to
successfully save a local community swimming center threatened with
closure. It was a successful approach that helped turn around a few
programs in the area at a time when they were threatened with
elimination, including the one I am currently in. 

Articles like that are more likely to be consistently produced in a peer
reviewed, scholarly journal; and will have more impact and validity when
pushing the edges because of that rigorous environment. Where is our
journal? Who is waiting for their inspiration to see the light? The
approach I described above, revolutionary at the time, is now old hat.
The world is profoundly different now; what new ideas need nurturing?
What young person is waiting to be inspired, like I was?

Really, what would it take?

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
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