I get that all the time. After too many show-stopping questions like “what is a record” and “what is records management,” I’d like to clear the air.
“Records Management” is a diminutive – a bland, important-sounding phrase used to describe something you’d rather have done automagically out of sight.
Adding “Information” reminds folks that we are not document morticians, but sustain the information ecology of the agency; from creation, to reference, to disposal stages, regardless of format.
Besides, life on the RIM sounds edgy.
Breaking RIM Down
Records are “proof” of an agency’s work – stuff we have to keep for a time and then either dump or preserve as public documents.
Information is both the content iteslf and a description of key search fields so one can find it again.
Management is the identification, mapping, preserving, referencing, and disposal of an agency’s content. Shortened to RIM, it’s the all-encompassing concept for what we do.
RIMwork is to remind us to DO THE WORK, not merely talk about it in endless meetings or lay in mental fetal positions mewling about our victimhood.
Want pity for your situation? HR is down the hall, or you can try your luck at FedJobs.gov for something better.
We are hesitant to begin unless we are certain of success, firm backing, and a well-defined plan.
Baloney. Get started somewhere — anywhere. Do the work.
When I became a GSA Records Officer in 2013, I encountered entropy at its best. The record schedules and File Plan were out of date, we had piles of boxes of un-inventoried materials, our IT office was openly hostile to anything “records management,” and our leadership just wanted us to “disappear” any problems encountered. On top of that, most of the 11 offices and the Central Office were all undergoing moves, renovations and space “restacking.” The records began falling out of the closets before we were even ready to respond!
The journey to where we are took about 7 years. Yes, we made mistakes. We had lots of do-overs, scrapped or halted projects, or frustrated attempts to help the agency manage its collected content in a better way. However, GSA’s RIM program is better than when we started.
That’s “progress” in my book. Now, it’s time to share what I learned in hopes that it may save you some hair, reduce the forehead marks on your desk, and make your doctor happy.