Dear Colleagues:

 

I have seen a great deal written here about getting an education and a
certificate in records management. At this point there are a lot of
educational institutions, both for-profit and not-for-profit, and vendors
advertising education in records management. I would be very wary of all of
them unless you can verify their qualifications and track record. I would
also first ask what it is you want to get out of the education you seek.
Here is a teeny, tiny primer on how to understand what is out there.

 

First, ARMA chapter and national education is still the only place you can
go where you can be certain you can get educational content that is vetted
by professionals who know what records management is. That doesn't mean you
will love the speaker or the content, but you know that it represents
knowledge that you can take back to work. If you are looking for something
more extensive, try a masters degree from a university. 

A community college provides an associates degree, which used to be called a
"certificate." Community college is great for getting into a B.A. program at
a college or university when you don't have the right credentials, and it is
also wonderful for specific courses taught by faculty with a known
reputation. I took three years of Japanese at Harold Washington Community
College because the teacher was the best in Chicago. Many RIM professionals
teach courses in various aspects of RIM at Community Colleges, like forms
design. Don't go there for a "degree" in RIM unless it is the only thing
available to you. Community college is a bit like advanced high school and
cannot provide the same credentials as college. There are colleges and
universities around that do teach records management. Again, make certain
you know the reputation of the faculty. You are, however, probably better
off getting a general business degree or a degree in government policy
studies than a degree in records management. Because most of us still get
our education through ARMA, you are better off getting the broad background
for business or government through a B.A.

 

If you already have a B.A. and want a further degree, an MBA or a degree in
public policy might be a better place to put your time and money because of
the education ARMA provides. If you believe you already have the broad
background you need and want to look at a graduate program in records
management, do look at schools of information or schools of library and
information science (LIS). A few caveats are in order. ALA accreditation
means that the school can teach library science and its graduates will be
accepted where that is required. UC, Berkeley decided not to go through
accreditation because the ALA, like the American Bar Association, dictates
much of the content taught via its accreditation. This stymies innovation in
teaching, but it ensures that graduates have what the ALA currently
requires. An ALA accredited school is not accredited to teach records
management, courses in records management are outside the scope of that
accreditation. Many LIS programs have a "certificate" in records management
and archives: Wayne State and Indiana University, Bloomington are included
in this. This requires taking a few electives outside the normal MLS
curriculum, so a certificate in graduate school is like a minor. Several LIS
programs have a degree in records management and archives: San Jose State
University and University of North Carolina are included in this group, but
these are simply programs with records management and archives courses
alongside the usual LIS courses. Some of these certificate programs and
degree programs are taught by RIM professionals who have CRMs and some are
taught by people with Ph.D.s-most with a specialization in archives. Other
graduate programs with great reputations for education in RIM include:
University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, University of
Pittsburgh, University of Maryland at College Park, University of Toronto.
Many of these programs are replacing RIM professionals with full-time Ph.D.
faculty, like San Jose State University.

 

Look around, you may be surprised what you find close to home and on the
Internet. Use the ARMA competencies as a guide to the curriculum. Do not
wait for an "ARMA curriculum," a curriculum is designed by the faculty of an
institution, not by an outside body. The reason faculty get tenure is to
protect their ability to teach what they believe is appropriate. From long
experience, I can tell you that faculty will not be dictated to,
particularly in curriculum. Accrediting institutions do not dictate a
curriculum, but a set of areas that must be covered. Faculty at institutions
of higher education are already using ARMA's competencies to design their
curriculum. The ones I have spoken to were delighted to get copies so they
could teach to a recognized standard. ARMA's competencies are that standard.

 

In a nutshell, if you decide to go to an education provider outside of ARMA,
select one that is well-known and has a proven track record. If your
employer wants a "certificate," look at the ARMA certificates first and then
look for a graduate MLS program-accredited for on-line courses and degrees,
accredited or not accredited for live. If the education is outside of ARMA,
make certain the provider is well-known and has a proven track record of
education in RIM.

 

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to answer a number of different
questions I have seen posted here in a comprehensive way.

 

May your new year be happy, healthy, and prosperous!

Carol

 

Carol E.B. Choksy, Ph.D., CRM, PMP


CEO


IRAD Strategic Consulting, Inc.

(317) 294-8329

 

Adjunct Lecturer

School of Library and Information Science

Indiana University, Bloomington

 



 


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