ARMA International Conference 2008

It’s not too late to get registered and make your travel arrangements to attend the upcoming ARMA International Conference and Expo at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, from October 20 to 23, 2008. Chapter leaders are also eligible to attend the Leadership Academy, a day long meeting on Saturday, October 18. The program describes an informative educational conference, and the Expo promises to showcase the newest and latest information technology. Travel is convenient for us from the West Coast, and the International conference provides us with the best information and networking in our business.

What can we say about Las Vegas??

Full details have been mailed to all members, and the program is available on the main page of the ARMA International website (http://www.arma.org/).

Respectfully submitted

Sandie Bradley, CRM
Past President
Mountain Pacific Coordinator
ARMA Canada Region
harwoodinfo@telus.net

The ARMA International Education Foundation – A Wealth of Information; a Cause Worth Supporting

The ARMA International Education Foundation is a source of professional research as well as an organization worthy of our support. The records and information management profession will grow when there are research studies examining aspects of our work, to guide us and support us in our professional work. Since the inception of the Foundation, a hardworking group of trustees and supporters have helped to build the endowment of the foundation to approximately $380,000 US. From this fund, each year, financial awards are provided to graduate students and working professionals to conduct and report on research activities in the many diverse areas of interest to RIM professionals. Students in the doctoral program at the School of Library, Archives and Information Studies, University of British Columbia, have been recent recipients of grants from the Foundation.

What can you do for the foundation?

The Foundation’s goal is to raise a 2 million dollar (US) endowment from which to provide ongoing financial support for research in records and information management. We can contribute through donations. One of the easiest and most popular ways is to support the silent auctions held every year at the International and Canadian conference.

The Chapter is being asked again to provide items for the upcoming silent auction at the Las Vegas Conference. If your organization has gift items that would be hot sellers at a silent auction, we would be delighted to receive them for the auction. For those of you who were in Fredericton for the ARMA Canada conference, you will remember that there were some wonderful items to bid on, including digital camera, iPod, hoodies and t-shirts, artwork and ARMA logo wear. The Vancouver Chapter’s “talking stick” received lots of attention before going to the lucky final bidder who sneaked in at the last minute to trump the rest of us! You can contact the Chapter president, Dierdre Bradshaw or Sandie Bradley, the Chapter Foundation Champion and arrange for pick up of the donation.

Check out the other ways you can support at the AIEF website at http://www.armaedfoundation.org/.

What can the foundation do for you?

While you are at the website, look at the completed research studies available FOR FREE! You can download pdf copies of any of the completed research studies on diverse subjects such as:
Proof of the authenticity of a document
Legal holds and spoliation of records
FOI in the US, UK and Canada

These studies are funded annually, and so the list of final reports will continue to grow. What tremendous value, and a terrific source of authoritative information for you. Be sure to add the ARMA Educational Foundation website to your list of “favorites”, and check it often.

Respectfully submitted

Sandie Bradley, CRM
Past President
Mountain Pacific Coordinator
ARMA Canada Region
harwoodinfo@telus.net

ARMA Vancouver Announces Bursary

The Vancouver Chapter of ARMA International will be making available a bursary for chapter members to participate in educational activities which will enhance their knowledge of records and information management.

To apply for the bursary, complete the application form and return it to the ARMA Education Committee.

Dalhousie University launches mid-career Master of Information

The Master of Information Management (MIM) at Dalhousie Univeristy is a limited enrolment program for mid-career professionals with at least 5 years’ experience in the private, public or NGO sectors. It is a part-time program offered primarily by distance.

The MIM program offers interim credentials en route to graduation: Graduate Certificate in IM and Graduate Diploma in IM (after three and six courses respectively).

Program Delivery

The MIM Program delivery is primarily by distance and is complemented by optional onsite intensives. Intensives are offered at the end of each course. Location (city) of intensives will vary depending on the geographic location of the majority of students in the course. Attendance at intensives is recommended and has a value of one credit hour. Arrangements may be made with the approval of the Director to replace missed credit (non-registration for intensives) by registering for additional MIM electives.

Technological support for online learning is provided by Dalhousie’s highly experienced team in the Centre for Advanced Management Education.

Degree Requirements

The MIM requires 36 credit hours for completion (9 courses of 4 credit hours each) embracing the distance and onsite intensive components in each course. The program may be completed in three years of part-time study.

For further information, visit the Dalhousie University website at http://sim.management.dal.ca/index.php

Competencies: Now we know what we “do” as records and information management professionals

The biggest news from this year’s International Conference is that the ARMA International Education Development Committee has published the “Core Competencies for the Records and Information Management (RIM) Profession”. The purpose of this document is to define the knowledge and skills needed to perform successfully in the profession.

This document has been in development for a number of years, and is based on research and analysis of job functions, comparing the competencies of allied professions such as librarianship and the Canadian ALARM project, as well as soliciting the input of many practicing records managers in a wide variety of organizational settings.

There are four levels of experience identified, that reflect the amount of knowledge or experience a person has for a specific topic or skill set, regardless of time in the profession. The four levels represent a progression of responsibilities from entry level practitioner to executive level. For each level there are six domains comprising skill sets and competencies in a particular performance area that are the major responsibilities or duties. The six domains used are: Business Functions, RIM Practices, Risk Management, Communications and Marketing, Information Technology and Leadership. Within each domain there are task statements, and following the task statements, there are statements identifying the knowledge and skills required to perform the task with competence.

The Education Development Committee is encouraging all RIM professionals to evaluate their own experience and skills against those expressed in the competencies, and use the self assessment to identify requirements for further development and acquisition of knowledge. ARMA International will be mapping the competencies to future conference programs and identifying any future training or educational offerings to the relevant domain and level of knowledge. The intent is that this document will be used as a basis for developing job descriptions, as well as assisting educational institutions to plan relevant RIM curricula.

All Chapter members are able to download a free pdf copy of the Competencies document through the front page of the ARMA International website (www.arma.org). For any of you who are planning for staffing, have job descriptions to prepare or are curious about your own competencies, this is a most valuable document, and one of the best benefits of membership in ARMA.

Respectfully submitted

Sandie Bradley, CRM
Past President
Mountain Pacific Coordinator
ARMA Canada Region