Well, must be exam time!  Larry, your post motivates my response.  First
off, please remember that any certification is a recognition of achievement
of a minimum level of acceptable knowledge & expertise. Where one goes from
there is up to the individual.  Thing is, that minimum level is hard enough
for many to achieve.  And it is just the foundation for many others.  Sort
of like qualifying for the Olympics...and bringing home a medal.  Qualifying
ain't bad.  (I mean, how many of us do?)

There is no exclusive relationship between whether an individual is God's
gift to recorded information management and whether s/he has a CRM. But, the
CRM does convey something important. There is a huge range within the CRM
community, and a huge difference in working experience among CRMs, be they
newly certified, certified for years, working in one organization throughout
their careers, or experiencing a broader range of environments.  The
differences make the difference.

I don't object in principle to people asking basic questions (might wince,
but don't object).  I figure that there is always (always) something to
learn from different perspectives.  And, one might ask a question fully
knowing the answer expressly to see that range in perspective. Or, in some
environments, being able to quote the list may serve to bring an "objective"
voice from outside the organization.  Are there alternatives? Sure.  But
having working in a very broad range of environments, I can say that there
is more to it all than sometimes we think.

I love it when I spot a CRM who excels and offers me opportunity to grow
through interaction.  But I'm equally excited about similar opportunities
through non-CRMS.  And, I know that at my stage of career, there are going
to be fewer people offering me new learning--they are all the more precious
for that.

Long Hong Kong kind of day so maybe I'm not putting this well.  Thing is...I
applaud those who worked to achieve the CRM (a damn sight harder to get than
many professional certifications). And, I encourage growth from there.

Re Part 6, as Steve says, it is absolutely about management.

Cheers,
John J. O'Brien, CRM, MLT


--- Sharon Blackstock <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> OK, I'll bite - just because you KNOW how to
> reinvent the wheel doesn't mean
> it's necessary if there are others out there who've
> done what you're looking to do.

Right... and rather than utilize the skills that you
must have demonstrated you've attained while reaching
a point where you apply for and are awarded (earn) a
CRM to locate that information, you might as well ask
others to share their lunch with you.

I mean after all, you're a CRM... so people should be
willing to tell you... of course, if you're a CRM, you
should already KNOW.

I'm not talking about the big and complex stuff here,
what I've seen asked are simple, run of the mill Part
I-V questions.  And I'm not going to waste time
searching for examples and provide them to you, but
I've discussed many of these with off-list seasoned
CRMs that I know personally who agree fully with me.
And no, I won't name them here either.

I mean, there were a few people who used to frequent
the list (under pseudonym) that would publicly fire
raspberries directly at the individuals who posted
these questions who were flying the CRM banner, but
they were frequently taken to the public woodshed for
their audacity to point out that the "Emperor had no
clothes".  I've never publicly made a comment wher one
of these posts from a CRM appeared, but I have
responded to them privately and asked if they REALLY
had a CRM, or if they just thought the initials were
cool and used them for fun =)

> That's how I view a lot of the questions on
> the Listserv that ask
> something like "Have any of you done this or that
> and how did you do it?" Is
> that what you're talking about, Larry?

A question of this type could be framed in a manner
that indicated the person asking knows of a manner to
do something they're asking about, but is looking for
alternative methods, or has applied the skills
developing something in one industry, but is new to
another industry and is looking for someone's input
that has done it there... but what most of us know is
if you're a skilled RIM Professional, you can apply
the practices and techniques you've learned in one
industry to most all others.

The other option you have as a CRM is to go to the
ICRM Listserv and ask the question there first, or
typically, if you have the level of experience you
should have by the time you earn a CRM, you should
havea pretty wide range of colleagues you can draw on.
 But how do you think it looks for a credential
carrying professional in a field to ask in a public
forum for the answer to a question that they should
know??

Don't you think it makes the credential look a little
less valuable?

PLEASE don't think this is intended as a broad-brush
whitewashing of the ICRM or ALL CRMs; I know many that
I feel are a cut above and really demonstrate on a
regular basis their knowledge and skills and they do
the designation AND the Profession proud, but there
are many who have passed the test, but don't
demonstrate that they have the necessary skills to
carry the credential.

To those individuals, I say "Here's Your Sign!"

Larry

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance