Message from the President

The ARMA year is almost half way over. If you have not been able to attend a program make sure to view our Educational Brochures on our Website. The last two programs on November 19 and December 5 were very interesting presentations. On November 19, many of you crossed Lake Washington to Redmond were we co-hosted a presentation on SharePoint 2010. We had people wanting to attend the meeting up to the last minute. There were over one hundred people registered for the event and had very close to one hundred people in attendance. Bruce Schinkelwitz from Beaverton, Oregon spoke on December 5, regarding Functional Classification: What it is and how to benefit? At the December meeting, we also collected several can goods for Northwest Harvest and $10 from our members for the can food drive. I am sure Northwest Harvest will be grateful of the can goods.

I hope to see you next year because we still have some very exciting programs for you to attend.

Andrea Bettger, Greater Seattle President


January Program
The Greater Seattle Chapter will be starting the 2010 year of right. On January 7, Andrew SanAugustin with be speaking about Law Firm Records Management. If you are new to legal or if you are already in the industry and interested in organizational best practices then this session is for you! This session is a review of records management in a law firm environment (mid- to large-size). SanAugstin will touch upon various aspects of records management in the legal culture – far different than other business disciplines. This interactive discussion revolves around managing the record life cycle (physical and electronic), from creation to destruction – and the pitfalls in between. SanAgustin will discuss transfer procedures, managing electronic and physical records, develop strategies to manage a legal hold, and implementation of a retention policy.

This session was presented in Orlando, Florida in the October 2009, in ARMA International Conference. We will also raffle of a goodie bag from the conference, so make sure to attend. All attendees will receive one raffle ticket for free; you can buy additional raffle tickets for $1—all proceeds will go to the Greater Seattle Scholarship fund.

SharePoint 2010 Presentation
Did you miss the SharePoint 2010 presentation on November 19? Well, go to the link below and attend the meeting or attend the presentation all over again. The Bellevue and Greater Seattle Chapter sent a digital copy of the presentation to ARMA International and it is posted. To see the presentation go to: www.arma.org/chapters.

ARMA: Two-Pay Option for Annual Dues Announced!
With the current economic conditions and many employers no longer paying individual membership dues for their employees, ARMA International is implementing an optional two-pay plan for members to renew their membership. If you would still like to remain an ARMA member please take advantage of this option!

Great Northwest Region Conference April 15-16, 2010
The Great Northwest Region will be hosting a region conference on April 15-16, 2010. The program and planning is in the early stages, but it will be hosted in Seattle-area. Be sure to place the date on your calendar and ask your supervisor for some funds for this informative event. This event will be local and the Great Northwest Region will try to keep the event economical and very educational. As part of the planning team, the Greater Seattle Chapter is making sure our meetings throughout the year are very low cost or no cost. Look for more information on the Great Northwest Conference soon!

Greater Seattle Website Facelift
You may be noticing some changes to the Greater Seattle Website come January. Andrew SanAugustin and myself will be working on a facelift to the Greater Seattle Website. I hope to also bring back the registration form and keeping all the old great content.

ARMA Webinars
Many times in the past we have highlighted ARMA Webinars that you might be of interest to you. However, ARMA International is now charging for the Online Webinars. I understand the ARMA International has felt the pinch of the bad economic times and will not be offering these for free. It appears for the time being, the Chapter meetings content is free, but that the Webinars are no longer free.