Looking to the Future

A Message from Fran Blaylock, Great Northwest Region Coordinator

Greetings! I would like to take this opportunity to express my excitement as your new region coordinator. I have great respect for the dedication and commitment of our Region Manager, Sue Lord and Dean Koga, past Region Coordinator. One hallmark of an outstanding profession is the willingness of its members to help each other, thereby improving on that profession. Sue Lord and I hope to support you, your local chapter and the region to promote your career as a RIM professional and to keep our Great Northwest Region healthy and vibrant today and in the future. I am here as your resource and connection to ARMA International and our local chapters. Please don’t hesitate to contact either Sue Lord or me with any questions or concerns. Good communication at all levels is the key to our success.

I just returned from the ARMA International 50th year celebration and annual conference in Chicago. This is the first year I have had the opportunity to attend Leadership meetings during the conference. I would like to share one of the projects sponsored by ARMA International that was presented on their ‘radar screen’ of strategic issues. This ‘radar screen’ identifies key issues likely to have a significant impact on the profession. One major issue presented was the absence of clearly articulated competencies and lack of formal standardized education curricula, which limits the credibility of our RIM profession.

To address this need, ARMA International undertook a groundbreaking project to develop core RIM competencies. To accomplish this, ARMA has contracted with an outside firm, Castle Worldwide, which specializes in the development of competencies. Similar efforts have been made in the past; however, the scope and depth of this project will bring it to the forefront. With the help of volunteers from varying sectors including ARMA, vendors, education, and Castle Worldwide, the core competencies should be completed by December, 2006. Once the competencies are defined, a career map will be developed along with a self-assessment tool at the end of the study. This will be accomplished by analyzing the core competencies against a curriculum map and identification of the educational gaps. Watch for opportunities to participate in this exciting project. Look at “MY ARMA” section of the www.arma.org website for the timeline to participate.

In addition to this project, ARMA has been active on the international scene by leaders attending meetings with representatives of the international chapters and on the federal level with several visits to Washington DC last year. As a result of these visits, ARMA was asked to write language for a new proposed act, which has recently been submitted. In addition the International President of ICA Archivist attended the Chicago conference, which demonstrates the need to join hands with other organizations that have shared interests and needs.

Over all, the conference was very well attended and focused on building partnerships and developing skills to increase our level of professionalism and competencies in RIM. If you attended, I hope it provided an opportunity both to network and take back this knowledge to share with your companies. I want to thank the Region members who attended the luncheon, as it was a great time to catch up and share our experiences. It was very well attended by around 50 members and I hope you all enjoyed the event!

If you have any questions about ARMA, the competency project, your chapter, and/or membership, please feel free to contact either Sue, slord@vjglaw.com or me, FBlaylock@icos.com.

Have a terrific ARMA year!

Fran