January/February 2017 Information Management
The phrase “out with the old, in with the new” is given lots of play this time of year, and we can apply it to a certain degree here. While we no longer mass produce a printed version of the magazine, this new and improved digital version does retain the popular features you’ve grown accustomed to and have found informative over the years and it does much more! It has a responsive design that enables you to read it easily on virtually any device, and its layout retains the look and feel of a printed magazine. In coming issues, we’ll introduce some new interactive features, including “how to” videos and polling on topics of interest to you.
Check out our new landing page by visiting imm.explorearma.org, or go directly to the new issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/index.php?i=376190&m=&l=&p=2&pre=1#{"issue_id":376190,"view":"contentsBrowser"} to browse this issue.
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Vicki Wiler
New Year, New Format, and Same Commitment to Value and Relevance
Up Front:
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Features
A Profession in Peril: Charting a Way Forward for RIM in North America
Donald C. Force, Ph.D.
The records and information management (RIM) profession faces an uncertain future. A large percentage of RIM professionals is on the cusp of retirement, and there is a shortage of emerging ones prepared to fill their positions. This article focuses on the factors that have produced this peril and suggests what might be done to improve the profession’s outlook.
At the Edge of the Cloud: The Fog
Brent Gatewood, CRM
Having become accustomed to all the implications of governing information in the cloud, information governance professionals are well-positioned to lead their organizations into “fog computing,” ensuring that they are taking advantage of its benefits while mitigating its risks.
Fellows Forum Series
Identifying Points of Integration for True Information Governance
Susan Goodman, IGP, CRM, CIPP-US, CIPM, CIP, FAI
To get executive support for a truly integrated information governance (IG) program, IG professionals must be able to align the IG strategy to the organization’s goals, depict the program’s overarching structure, and describe the necessary functional integration. The article suggests the points of integration among the IG component functions for two areas: legal preservation/records holds and information lifecycle management.
Spotlights
CareerPath
Survey Design Basics for Information Professionals
Nancy Dupre Barnes, Ph.D., CRM, CA
This article introduces basic survey design concepts, laying the foundation for those wanting to advance their knowledge about gathering information through surveys – an important competency for information governance professionals.
Tech Trends
Enterprise Content Management as an Information Governance Enabler
William Saffady, Ph.D., FAI
This excerpt from the just-published Information Concepts, Methods, and Technologies provides an overview of enterprise content management, describes its characteristics, and discusses its importance to nearly all information governance stakeholders.
In Review
Exploring Ontologies and Their Value to Information Professionals
Amy Van Artsdalen, IGP, CRM
As a good introduction and exploration of ontologies, Practical Ontologies for Information Professionals is a useful resource for its intended audience, but especially for those trying to define taxonomies for their organization, increase organic search, and work with growing data sets.
In Review
Advice for Avoiding Layoffs and Closures in Special Libraries
Mo Khamouna
In times of financial difficulty, special libraries have to prove their value to their organizations. Special Libraries: A Survival Guide provides advice and examples of the ways special librarians have found to avoid becoming victims of layoffs.
Members-Only Content
This bonus content is accessible only to professional members of ARMA International members. Log-in
Up Front:
More news, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Shaping the Future of Information
Diane Carlisle, IGP, CRM, and Vicki Wiler
The range of the challenges ahead for RIM and information governance (IG) professionals is broad – from the Internet of Things (IoT), block chain technology, and big data to the impact of the sharing economy. This article captures not only the challenges, as discussed by a panel of four experts during a keynote session at ARMA International’s Annual Conference and Expo a few months ago, but also the opportunities they see arising out of those challenges for information professionals.
For Your Information
News for ARMA International Members
Opportunities for ARMA International Members
- Discover Innovative Ways to Make IG Happen
- Let Us Introduce You to the ARMA Mentorship Program
- Take a Deep Dive with iNDEPTH
- Cast Your Ballot for Your Next Board of Directors
Credits
March/April 2017 Information Management
Welcome to this issue of Information Magazine, which pays off on our promise to bring new features to our new, all-digital format. Our new series called “Notable Pros,” which profiles an accomplished information professional, begin with an introduction to Alison North, FAI. She has taken many risks in her groundbreaking career – a characteristic you’ll see is essential to growing as a professional and to advancing your RIM program. It’s a theme you’ll see throughout the articles in this issue.
The cover article is a new entry for a long-standing series. For the eighth time, ARMA International and Forrester Research have teamed to track the RIM profession’s challenges and trends. Starting on page 20, Forrester analyst Cheryl McKinnon, IGP, CIP, summarizes the results of the Forrester Research and ARMA International Records Management Online Survey Q1, 2017; she also describes the three major challenges in “The Next Frontier for RIM Pros.”
Access this issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting here to browse the issue. (If you need help navigating the new format, please refer to our FAQs.)
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Vicki Wiler
Learning Which Risks to Take and How to Minimize the Rest
Up Front:
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Features
The Next Frontier for RIM Pros
Cheryl McKinnon, IGP, CIP
This article provides highlights of the Forrester Research and ARMA International Records Management Online Survey, Q1 2017. It identifies as major challenges: The volume of digital information outside of records and information management control, including newer content sources; aligning policies priorities with IG stakeholders; and attracting and helping millennials develop needed skills.
Notable Pros
A Passion for the Profession: Alison North
Nikki Swartz
Alison North, a pioneer and a self-described ‘disruptive consultant’ in the RIM world for more than 40 years, shares her professional experiences and insights on the future of the RIM profession.
Fellows Forum Series
April Dmytrenko, CRM, FAI
April Dmytrenko and seven other information professionals describe the lessons they learned and the payoffs they received from taking risks as they traveled their career paths – paths that helped lead to their induction into the ARMA International Company of Fellows.
Spotlights
Tech Trends
Preserving E-Mails with Historical Value: A Case Study
Kurt Brenneman
This case study reveals how the State Archives of North Carolina transformed the collection of state government e-mails with enduring value by using the National Archives and Records Administration’s Capstone method, which allows e-mail to be categorized and scheduled based on the e-mail account holder’s position, rather than on the e‑mail’s content.
Career Path
The Case for Including RIM in Information Security
Andrew Altepeter
The age-old and continuing debate about the best organizational placement for the records and information management (RIM) function proves there is no single answer. The best choice is to strategically align with another function that is highly valued in the organization – and that is dependent on the organization’s priorities, legal and regulatory profile, and the information landscape.
In Review
Archives Title Covers Wide Swath of Multicultural Interests, Divergent Approaches
Nancy Barnes, Ph.D., CRM, CA
Comprising both theory-based works and six chapters of unique retrospectives and lessons learned, Engaging with Records and Archives, Histories and Theories is a carefully curated compilation of selected research from the Seventh International Conference on the History of Records and Archives.
In Review
An Attempt to Effect Change in Local Government Records
Richard Cox, Ph.D.
In his review of Managing Local Government Archives, Richard Cox says the authors are successful in their work to provide practical information for local government records professionals, but it falls short in their aspiration to make it a book that will “effect change in the preservation and accessibility of local government records.”
Up Front:
More news, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Vendor Considerations When Outsourcing Records Storage to the Cloud
ARMA International Standards Workgroup
This excerpt from Guideline for Outsourcing Records Storage to the Cloud details the issues that should be investigated as part of the selection process and addressed in the contract with the cloud vendor.
For Your Information
News for ARMA International Members
- Zilm and Goodman Elected to the 2017 ARMA Board of Directors
- ARMA Vancouver to Provide RIM Education, Training to First Nations
Opportunities for ARMA International Members
- Learn About Transforming Information Management on March 15
- Recruit an ARMA Member, Get $50
Credits
- E-image Data
- Institute of Certified Records Managers
- NAID
- Next Level
- OPEX Corp
- PRISM
- San José State University
May/June 2017 issue of Information Management
Welcome to the latest issue of Information Magazine, which features articles meant to help you meet the challenges – and take advantage of the opportunities – presented by the constantly evolving world of technologies for creating, sharing, storing, and distributing digital information assets.
You can access this issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting here to browse the issue. (If you need help navigating the new format, please refer to our FAQs.)
Before you go, please take our latest one-minute poll to help us learn how well your RIM program is understood, supported, and valued. Don’t forget also to check out the results of our April poll to find out where RIM reports in most organizations.
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Vicki Wiler
Learning to Thrive in Times of Technological Evolution
Up Front:
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Features
Preserving Seeds of Knowledge: A Web Archiving Case Study
Jeremy M. Heil and Shan Jin, CRM, CIP
This case study provides details about how a cross-functional team has collaborated on a year-long pilot project to preserve website content and what it has learned at its mid-way point.
The content below is available exclusively to professional and associate members of ARMA International. Others can learn more about this and the other benefits of membership by visiting http://www.arma.org/page/JoinARMA or contacting our membership team at members@armaintl.org for personal assistance.
Updated for the Digital Age: ISO 15489
Cassie Findlay
Fifteen years after the first international records management standard was published, a new edition of ISO 15489 allows for flexible, innovative approaches for developing effective records management programs for today’s dynamic information environment. This article describes how the standard has left open all the possibilities of the digital world while also accommodating the persistent need to manage paper records.
Mark Grysiuk, CRM, CIP
Mandated disclosures, which are meant to be a decision-making aid for consumers, are almost always too lengthy and complex for most people to understand. This article provides advice to help organizations simply and clarify disclosures their organizations are required to provide.
Spotlights
Fellows Forum Series
Viewing RIM from the Other End of the Telescope
Alison North, FAI, FIRMS
North emphasizes that RIM professionals must understand not only their core profession, but also new technology and its potential development. Beyond that, they must understand the organization’s business, see their purpose from the perspective of the business, and embrace the new way that evolving technology provides for managing and delivering information.
Legal Watch
Cloud Computing: Is it Worth the Risk and Expense?
Kirke Snyder, J.D., IGP
This article will enable RIM professionals to inform their organizations about the risks and costs of cloud computing and help them prepare for evidentiary challenges associated with identifying, preserving, and collecting cloud data for e-discovery.
In Review
Data Research Book a ‘Must Read’ for All Information Professionals
Robert L. Bailey, Ph.D., IGP, CRM
By offering practical guidance on colleting, curating, and crunching data for economic, social, and scientific purposes, The Data Librarian’s Handbook will be useful for any information professional.
Bonus Content
Up Front:
More news, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Identifying and Classifying Vital Records
ARMA International Standards Workgroup
This excerpt from ARMA’s newest technical report, Vital Records (ARMA International 29-2017) focuses on identifying and classifying vital records. It also includes an snippet of a sample vital records schedule.
For Your Information
News for ARMA International Members
- Gunter Takes Reins as ARMA International CEO
Opportunities for ARMA International Members
- Attend May 17 iMASTERS to Capitalize on Impending RIM Pro Shortage
- Region Leadership Conference Registration Is Open
- Check Out the Latest Issue of iNDEPTH
Credits
Thanks to Our Advertisers:
- E-image Data
- Institute of Certified Records Managers
- NAID
- Next Level
- OPEX Corp
- San José State University
Welcome to the July/August 2017 issue of Information Management
Welcome to the new issue of Information Magazine, which is filled with professional advice along the common themes of collaborating with information governance (IG) stakeholders and sharpening your IT knowledge as the key to successfully governing your organization’s information assets.
You can access this issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting here to browse the issue. (If you need help navigating the new format, please refer to our FAQs.)
Before you go, please take our latest minute poll to tell us what technology tools your organization uses to govern its information assets. You can also take or check the results of previous polls at http://imm.explorearma.org/RIM_Polls.
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Vicki Wiler
Collaborating and Building IT Knowledge Remain Key
Up Front:
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Features
Fellows Forum Series
ECM’s Move to the Cloud: Good News for Business, IG Pros
John Frost, CRM, FAI
The evolution of enterprise content management (ECM) to cloud-based content services alleviates the high costs and long implementation schedules that have that have prevented ECM from becoming the enterprise solution for creating, processing, managing, securing, and governing unstructured content.
The content below is available exclusively to professional and associate members of ARMA International. Others can learn more about this and the other benefits of membership by visiting www.arma.org/membership or contacting our membership team at members@armaintl.org for personal assistance.
Rot or Not? How a Records Retention Schedule Can Reduce the Garbage, Risks, and Costs
Tom Corey, Esq., CRM
Organizations are required to retain certain information, and the cost of failure can be high. But keeping ROT – redundant, outdated, and trivial information – can have even more costly consequences. Here is how a well-executed retention schedule can mitigate the risks and costs.
Leading the Profession by Example: Susan Goodman
Nikki Swartz
A successful, influential records and information management (RIM) veteran offers seasoned advice to fellow RIM practitioners.
Spotlights
IM Fundamentals
A Case for Using Line of Business Records Coordinators
Aaron Bryant, IGP
This case study describes how a global organization uses line of business records coordinators to lower costs and mitigate risks related to managing their information across their enterprises.
Tech Trends
Protecting the Once-‘Silent’ Record: E-Mail
Cherri-Ann Beckles, Ph.D.
This article examines the brief but profound history of e-mail as a record and how organizations through the years have dealt with what has been referred to by some as “the e-mail problem.”
In Review
It’s the Law: Litigation Tools for Information Governance
Gordon E.J. Hoke, IGP, CRM
The editors of Perspectives on Predictive Coding present collected articles that recount how – through the push of tech-savvy judges and the pull of The Sedona Conference® – the legal profession has been forced to accept, and even practice, automated textual tools in civil litigation.
In Review
Detailed Snapshots Describe Ongoing Challenges in Participatory Heritage
Sarah R. Demb
Participatory Heritage brings together the authors’ experiences in a variety of community heritage contexts to discuss participants, challenges, and solutions.
Bonus Content
Up Front:
Developing File Codes That Work for Electronic and Physical Files
Ann Bennick, Ed.D., CRM, and Judy Vasek Sitton, CRM
This excerpt from Managing Active Business Records discusses how to assign a file code to electronic or physical file folders to create a shortcut to that information. When associated with a logical document as metadata, a file code carries with it retention, ownership, and a link to any parallel electronic or physical files on the same subject.
For Your Information
News for ARMA International Members
- July Brings New ARMA International Board of Directors
Opportunities for ARMA International Members
- Join the ARMA Welcome Team
- Don’t Miss the July 19 iMASTERS on ISO 15489:2016
- Change Your World: Attend ARMA Live! 2017
- Welcome to Chapter Ops Central
Credits
Welcome to the September/October 2017 issue of Information Management
The digital explosion has certainly made things more complicated for those in the records and information management (RIM) profession. And as the digital revolution compels the business environment to keep evolving at breakneck speeds, simple answers in the workplace will continue to be elusive. In this issue of Information Management magazine, the contributors do a good job of simplifying some complicated topics that affect RIM professionals and the workplace.
David O. Stephens, CRM, FAI, highlights the eight greatest challenges he sees ahead for RIM professionals. Please answer our one-question poll to tell us what your greatest information challenge is and to see the instant results. You can also take or check the results of some previous polls here.
You can access this issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting here to browse the issue. (If you need help navigating the new format, please refer to our FAQs.)
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Jeff Whited
Seeking to Simplify RIM’s Responses to a Complex Business Environment
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Features
Nine Steps for Launching an ERM Ecosystem Plan
Morgan King and Stephen Aaronson
An electronic records management (ERM) solution leads to better information management, drives operational excellence, protects the organization during audits and legal matters, and allows for effective information integration activities. This is why building an ERM ecosystem, with the flexibility for continuous improvement, should be on all organizations’ strategic roadmaps.
The content below is available exclusively to professional and associate members of ARMA International. Others can learn more about this and the other benefits of membership by visiting www.arma.org/membershipor contacting our membership team at members@armaintl.org for personal assistance.
A Snapshot of the IG Implications for Body-Worn Cameras
John T. Phillips, CRM, CDIA, FAI
Police officers’ video recordings of activities and people in public spaces via their body-worn cameras (BWCC) have been at the center of many recent controversies – becoming one of the most vehemently debated uses of information technologies ever. This article focuses on the information governance implications of BWC.
Fellows Forum Series
What Is Past Is Prologue: What History Reveals About the Future of RIM
David O. Stephens, CRM, FAI
How the records and information management profession has responded to the evolving business environment over the past 75 years – including the epochal change introduced by digital information – provides a valuable pattern for how it can continue to be relevant into the foreseeable future.
Spotlights
Academic Focus
A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Information
Mark Kosciejew, Ph.D.
Even those who are studying, working with, or otherwise using information have different definitions of it. This article is meant to develop some common ground in understanding this “thing” called information with a goal of helping equip information professionals to better explain their focus and work.
Case Study
Retro-Converting Analog, Archival Finding Guides
This article chronicles a retro-conversion project, providing steps that others who are wishing to convert analog information into a digital format can follow.
In Review
The Limits of Digital: Living and Working in a Hybrid Environment
Lara Mancuso, Ph.D.
The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter, a captivating narrative about the significant revival of analog technologies, tools, experiences, and businesses in various domains, provides insights to information management professionals.
Credits
Thanks to Our Advertisers:
- Abraxas
- Baypath University
- Institute of Certified Records Managers
- NAID
- Next Level
- OPEX Corp
- San José State University
Welcome to the November/December 2017 issue of Information Management
Not only must information management (IM) professionals manage seemingly countless records every day, they must also keep an eye on what might happen next. Always looming are the unsettling questions that begin with “What if…?” In this issue of Information Management, our authors speak to four distinct aspects of what might happen and therefore what IM professionals should prepare for. For example, “‘What if’” my organization is using or thinking about using blockchain?” We’re interested in knowing what your organization’s plans are for this technology; please answer our one-question poll to tell us. You can also take or check the results of previous polls at http://imm.explorearma.org/RIM_Polls.
You can access this issue by clicking on the individual article links below or by visiting here to browse the issue. (If you need help navigating the format, please refer to our FAQs.)
Departments
InFocus: A Message from the Editor
Jeff Whited
Asking 'What if . . . ?' Should Be Forward Looking, Not Reactive
Up Front
News, trends, and analysis of interest to you and your organization
Blockchain Recordkeeping: A SWOT Analysis
Victoria L. Lemieux, Ph.D., CISSP
Blockchain and distributed ledger technology promise to deliver trusted and immutable records in a wide variety of use cases. In a relatively short time, it has become the innovation to watch, according to just about every technology research and advisory firm, global consultancy, and international think tank. Is this just hype, or will this technology really deliver?
The content below is available exclusively to professional and associate members of ARMA International. Others can learn more about this and the other benefits of membership by visiting the member benefits page or contacting our membership team at members@armaintl.org for personal assistance.
Fellows Forum Series
Teaming Information Governance and Security for the Best Defense
Galina Datskovsky, Ph.D., CRM, FAI
This article outlines a defensible strategy for securing assets based on information governance (IG) principles, and it suggests how IG and information security professionals can work together for a more secure and productive enterprise.
How to Develop a Vital Records Program Project Plan
Amy Van Artsdalen, IGP, CRM
According to “Why Records Management?” from Professional Records & Information Services Management International, 90% of businesses are unable to continue beyond two years when their vital records are destroyed. This is why every organization must have a vital records program. Get started with this article.
Spotlights
Business Matters
Capturing Employees' Tacit Knowledge for Competitive Gain
J. Edwin Dietel, J.D.
Because of its significant value to the organization, tacit knowledge – the expertise that resides in employees’ minds but not in their employer’s records even though it would be valuable if recorded – should be captured.
Association News
Fellows of ARMA International, Other Award Winners Named at ARMA Live! 2017
Four New Awards Unveiled at ARMA Live! 2017
In Review
Balance of Archival Principles and Practice Moves Text from Prescriptive to Practical
Crista Bradley
Seven years after her comprehensive primer on archival theory and practice was published, Laura Millar wrote what “turned out not to be a tweak around the edges but a fundamental ‘rewrite of this book.’”
In Review
Even in a "Never Delete Anything" World, Compliant Information Disposition Has Its Place
Patricia C. Franks, Ph.D., IGP, CRM, CA, FAI
Robert Johnson’s unique, laser-like focus on information disposition provides guidance that anyone with this responsibility can put to immediate use to comply with current laws, regulations, and policies.
Credits