New thoughts from an Old Sage
I have been very involved with professional education and training in the field of records management. Delivering more than 1,000 presentations, I have very much enjoyed sharing information and helping those who were seeking to expand their professional knowledge.
I would like to share some observations regarding our profession: first, thoughts regarding the sea-change we are experiencing in the function and process of records and information management; and second, observations regarding the evolution of education and training delivery.
Let me first share these observations about the management of records and information…
- For centuries, records were managed on a media-centric basis – in accordance with the operational model now called “materials management,” which is applied to all types of other business assets. Because these paper records were, in essence, a physical commodity, their management was driven largely by need and space: the time period for retaining them was based on need, and the location for storing them was determined by the availability of space. For as long as records have been created, media-centric records management practices successfully served the needs of government and business.
- Now consider the sea change at hand: the digitization of records management and corresponding merger with information management. This new field Records and Information Management (RIM) represents a transformation – from the paradigm of media-centric records, where management was based on observable physical location controlled by humans, to the age of digital information and content-centric records management, where the management process is based on invisible logical location controlled by computers. This sea change is grounded in the radically different nature of electronic records and has resulted in exponentially greater complexity in the process of managing records over their lifecycles. It also has created extraordinary new capabilities for improving that process – achieving unprecedented levels of control and effectiveness.
- Content-centric records and information management is a revolution in more than just a conceptual context. It is revolutionary in every aspect of how records and information are managed: from identifying and understanding new types of records… to where information is stored and how it is accessed… to the advantages provided by technology… to higher performance standards… to new skill sets required for records and IS/IT managers… to the need for a cross-functional records information management teams… and so much more.
Two critical implications of this sea change are the need for records management professionals to embrace and learn to leverage the latest technology, and the need for information management professionals to appreciate records management fundamentals and understand the eDiscovery process. Any organization that fails to recognize these new rules of the game will play a hefty price.
And this then brings me to sharing some observations about professional records and information management education…
- Traditionally, most of our education and training has taken place at live professional meetings, seminars and conferences. In addition to detailing what is new, these professional gatherings put attendees in touch with experts – to learn in person from their knowledge and their experiences. However, travel expenses and time away from the office can make it impossible to attend.
- In recent years, webinars have provided “live” professional education / training via the web. This has proven to be popular because the information is delivered to recipients at their computers. However, the webinars are typically delivered at set times which may or may not be convenient. Furthermore, the medium (a combination of slides and sound) is not very engaging and the inevitable multi-tasking dilutes the learning experience. Perhaps worst of all, these sessions are generally vendor sponsored and too often dissolve into unabashed infomercials.
At a time of unprecedented need, Cohasset Associates has launched a website that provides cost effective and convenient records and information management training. www.RIMeducation.com includes feature articles, news items, white papers and most importantly, RIM On Demand.
RIM On Demand synchronizes video of conference sessions with the presentation slides in a navigational pane via the web allowing the viewer to pause, fast forward, rewind and re-position at any particular slide. A RIM On Demand subscription gives the viewer a user ID and password providing unlimited access for a year. More importantly, we encourage viewers to share their sessions in team meetings and larger group sessions. In this way, you provide a conference experience to dozens of colleagues for a fraction of the cost to send one to the live conference.
I encourage you to visit RIM Education and preview the RIM On Demand conference sessions. No matter how many sessions you purchase, you can download the slides for all sessions free of charge. Follow this link for a sample preview and get your records and information management training with RIM On Demand, anytime…anywhere.
Robert Williams is President and founder of Cohasset Associates, Inc.
