Records and Information Management (RIM) Corner
Yes, I am a Certified Records Manager, something that is not as easy to accomplish as you may think. As with any discipline, RIM can be excrutiatingly boring, or infinitely fascinating, depending on how much you actually know about it. Of course, the same may be said for diamonds, mushrooms and squirrels.
I have been a member of ARMA, International for over a quarter-century (which means I know a lot about Records Management.) The San Francisco Bay Area is uniquely blessed in that it boasts no less than 3 local Chapters of ARMA. (And, coincidentally, 3 PBS TV stations.)
The Golden Gate Chapter, in San Francisco "proper" is one of the oldest chapters in ARMA, as evidenced by its number, 001. The Silicon Valley Chapter, which "broke away" from San Francisco some decades ago, represents the "South Bay". And, most recently, the Mt Diablo Chapter, was formed when the needs of the "East Bay" (meaning, east of San Francisco Bay) could not be fully met by the other two. I take pride in the fact that I was a Charter member of the Board of Directors.
Also of interest is the Institute of Certified Records Managers, an organization devoted to professional Records and Information Managers (aren't we all?)
I first wrote The Secret to Filing for the ARMA Mt Diablo Chapter Newsletter when I was a Board member (one requirement being: write at least one Newsletter article per month.) It was based on an actual incident that took place many, many years ago in a small file room at work. Not wanting to embarrass the company for which I was working at the time, I changed some names and locations.
Some months later, I wrote Another Secret to Filing to illustrate another experience acquired in my many fabulous years in Records Management. I hope you find them enjoyable as well as edifying.
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