Not to jump on Jesse - who's postings I really enjoy - just wanted to
add to some of the comments:

One thing I think I'm starting to make headway on here in the county is
getting IT, our customers, and legal to take a holistic approach to this
stuff. Here's what often happens:

- new rules of evidence? Lets get the latest "new rules of evidence"
tool!
- e-mail storage a problem? Let's get the "e-mail storage reduction"
tool!
- public access an issue? Let's buy the better "public access" tool!
- paper a problem? Lets get the "paper elimination" tool!

The problem is that these "tools", often acquired to address the need of
the moment, may not operate together in a way that addresses the core
issue that offers the potential of solving all of these problems:
effective records keeping. And a lot of that is not necessarily the
fault of IT - these tools are often sold in isolation to make IT's life
easier without any reference to any coherent concept of records keeping.
Why wouldn't they want to buy a tool that reduces on-line e-mail storage
(for example)? Records management - well, that's records management's
problem, to be addressed after the fact by "policy and training" to
match the needs of the tool. 

I think we're starting to make headway in getting folks to understand
the common records connection that unifies these issues and needs. It's
quite frankly inevitable - the issues just keep piling up, and the
disconnected "tools" aren't coping! Once that is understood and a
framework of common reference is developed, then the tools can better
operate together within that framework, in support of policy. 

One of the principle challenges I face is that each existing "tool" may
have an entire constituent base associated with it of staff, management,
and vendors that may not be keen on venturing outside their given silo.
That's why its important for records managers to maintain a strategic
vision that is "big picture" enough to provide coherence and guidance in
fitting these pieces together within a records keeping framework. That's
particularly important since it is doubtful that such a framework will
be built in a coherent/planned way - in my experience, its usually more
opportunistic, perhaps even reactive. 

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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