Why consider a profession in RIM?

An educator recently asked RIM practitioners for some input into favorite, or most exciting parts of a records management professional career. What should young people should know about the discipline and why should they consider a profession in the field of records management?

I think that my very brief, candid (and therefore unpolished) remarks captured by David Gurteen sums up the balancing act that is essential to positioning RM for the future.

It's not, of course, just about access. Neither is it only about compliance. Litigation, while huge in the USA, is not a driver everywhere. Focusing on litigation as the omnipresent rationale for RIM can work against the domain in some jurisdictions.

RIM enables a necessary balance between compliance and learning--in contexts in which these two may be conflicting needs. In this, RIM is nothing short of exciting. Think about the range of knowledge and competencies required to navigate such a complex territory.

In the clip, I say something that I regret. That is, I use the "RM might seem boring" line. It is anything but and we should stop even accepting that some others might think so.

The key is to find what level of RIM activity suits the person. For some, it is the logical challenge of classification and indexing, made even more complex with granular attention to metadata. For others, it is the creative aspect of building an RIM position that reaches widely varied audiences. For still others, it is the scientific challenge of conservation or the blend of art and science that is taxonomy design. Some like the codification of research into schedules. I like wrestling with the enterprise-wide opportunities to bring benefits in unexpected ways.

Among all this, there is plenty of room for RIMers who like administrative roles, operational specialities, etc. I am not one who believes that a RIMer who rises through the ranks or moves into another vertical is no longer legitimately "in" RIM. We NEED RIMers to rise and proudly proclaim a RIM sensibility wht ever their role.. As defenders of the basis of knowing, I believe that we play a pivotal role in shaping organizations and societies. (Archivists & librarians understand their importance relative to democracy, learning, accountability, etc. Why do we not hear more from RIMers on that score? That, my friends, is a loaded question...there are plenty of examples that suggest something amiss in the management of records as related to ethical issues of the day.)

This view has opened up new worlds for me as I apply an RIM lens to just about every context. (Ever found a sticky-note on your medical chart? Or been asked to trust a system in which the evidence-base for decision making is demonstrably wrong? Or pondered that the shift toward tagging digital data means that correcting errors depends on perpetuating them?)

The most exciting part of RIM work, for me, has changed over years in the (many) posts I have held. That, in itself, is exciting. You can grow with the progress of your career. Using RIM related calculations and presenting to a high ranking committee to achieve a tripling of the allocation to government departments preparing for access/privacy legislation felt great. Influencing design to build an efficient yet uplifting physical plant for a downtrodden team as part of transforming the culture in and out of the RIM program felt satisfying. Experiencing contexts beyond my earlier norms was a splendid mind-jolt that has strengthened my practice. Introducing RIM to world thinkers in the intellectual capital domain and sparking curiosity has been challenging and, I think, important.

Amid all that, I suppose it’s a good idea remember that RIM is not all excitement and glory (!?!). Think: silverfish, mould, the effect of sprinkler systems on locally stored data. Or senior (very, very high ranking) officials who dismiss the need for appropriate atmospheric controls in multimedia record repositories because they, it seems, experience no problems whatsoever with the dry cleaner bags in their home closets (true case). Or the stress of taking necessary action--whatever that may be--when something wrong is going on and managing or mismanaging the record becomes the stuff of criminal investigations.

Taking RIM beyond technical practice is not for the faint of heart.

The domain continues to suffer from a lack of general understanding of what, exactly, it is. This is not helped by the broad range of roles that are grouped under “records management” or working under titles that mask RIM engagement. But as I said to then HKSARG Director of Administration, Andrew Wong, one day, a business or government leader who does not understand how to harness and manage recorded information resources will be seen as just not qualified for the job.

That time is coming.