Initial Post:

AIIM, the global community for information professionals, has produced several key resources that shed light on contemporary records management practices, industry trends, and the burgeoning importance of electronic recordkeeping. AIIM's assessments appear realistic and align with both industry trends and personal experiences. The challenges of transitioning from paper to digital records, as noted in the first document, resonate with observations in various organizations where legacy systems and entrenched workflows hinder digital adoption. The emphasis on strategy and executive support mirrors best practices observed in successful digital transformation projects.

The depiction of the modern records manager in AIIM's eBook aligns with the broader trend of professionals needing to wear multiple hats. In my experience, successful records managers are those who continuously update their skills, understand the latest technological advancements, and can communicate effectively with stakeholders across the organization. This multifaceted role is essential in navigating the complexities of contemporary records management.

The AIIM resources complement the readings and lectures from the course's initial weeks, particularly in emphasizing the importance of strategic planning, continuous learning, and technological adoption in records management. One notable observation is the alignment between AIIM's focus on automation and the course's discussions on the impact of AI and machine learning on information management. The integration of these technologies is not merely a trend but a transformative force that will shape the future of the field.

Reply from Peer:

AIIM compiled an excellent collection of key resources for everyone, from the novice to the well-experienced. I also resonated with the ebook "8 Things You Need To Know About Getting Rid Of Paper" by AIIM president J. Mancini. From preparing data capture systems and selecting the right scanner, investing in training, learning, and implementing these key points will help organizations and employees increase awareness, work on issues, and manage them accordingly.  

Reply to Peer:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on AIIM's resources. I completely agree with you—J. Mancini's eBook "8 Things You Need to Know About Getting Rid of Paper" is a valuable guide for anyone looking to transition from paper to digital records.

I found his practical steps on preparing data capture systems and selecting the right scanner particularly helpful. These foundational actions are crucial for setting the stage for successful digitalization. Moreover, his emphasis on investing in training and continuous learning really resonates. In my workplace, we followed a lot of the suggestions here – one business unit had to digitize their records, and we bought them specialized high-speed scanners, setup a new network attached storage space, and provided training, and they are working on this process today, a year later. Ensuring that employees are well-equipped to handle new systems not only boosts efficiency but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

Reply From Peer:

As others have mentioned throughout, the AIIM resources really were spot on in a lot of areas, many of which we are doing already without knowing. The "8 Things" article felt like it was every step in everything I do on a weekly, if not daily, routine just in a different capacity. Having the understanding and seeing where these different digital ideas are going has really shaped the entire digital process.

Peer Original Post:

AIIM is an amazing resource for record managers to reference especially regarding less technical aspects of the field and more of its human elements. This is a central point repeatedly highlighted in "Balancing Records Management and Information Governance: Automation is the Key Ingredient" specifically in regards to dealing with stakeholders. The AIIM conducted a survey based on the responses from various organizations and record professionals, the results showed that the top reason for failed information governance (IG) initiatives was an overall lack of support from executives (AIIM, 2020, p. 9). The study speculated this is due to a failure to properly appeal to stakeholders when presenting IG related projects. One of the leading arguments for IG initiatives is risk mitigation and is a central point in the definition of IG. The Information Governance Initiative (IGI) defines it as, "the activities and technologies that organizations employ to maximize the value of their information while minimizing associated risks and costs." (Franks, 2018, p.32), which emphasizes risk and cost management as key factors of IG in addition to the maximizing information assets. AIIM found that only 6% of the CEO and executive staff surveyed considered risk mitigation a priority item, while growth and IT were the top voted priorities (AIIM, 2020, p. 16). Therefore, instead of emphasizing potential risk or even compliance as reasoning for IG initiatives, it is better to highlight the other benefits that would contribute to the overall growth of the organization or structural development.

This was discussed from various perspectives in the article with multiple potential solutions, one of which that is seemingly simple but impactful was simply defining the appropriate dialect when speaking on IG. When I get asked what I do and what I am studying, many people have interpreted my answers differently which in part is affected by the experiences within their own field. Records and information management (RIM) as a whole is a widely applicable field within a seemingly infinite number of avenues when RIM can lead. We as would-be professionals tend to focus on RIM as a whole from strategies, frameworks, theory, and core objectives, however, many C-suite executives will not view RIM in that same way. Furthermore, there is confusion due to differing terms being used to describe overlapping aspects of RIM. The study directly references the confusion many managers and employees outside of the field have regarding the differentiation of RIM and IG, especially considering how similar the end goals both share. The study also found that executives react more positively to projects marketed as IG initiatives rather than RIM projects (AIIM, 2020, p. 13). This is something I have experienced directly with my current work. When proposing RIM projects especially regarding digital files there is resistance since that term is more strongly connected with basic managerial tasks, whereas, IG projects are taken with a little more open-mindedness because the Board of Directors attaches the value of security with IG. Moving forward I think the way both IG and RIM are defined will continue to be reframed but in a way to emphasize the financial benefits of both. A greater focus will probably be placed on marketing IG and RIM moving forward as organizations are not only becoming more aware of their necessity in recent years, but the potential to maximize their assets.

On a completely unrelated note, but still prevalent, there was an article recently published in Archaeota that discusses a student's intern experience where they developed an automated process for cataloging archival collections that may be of interest. It is called, Beth Am Archives: Creatively Using Tech to Process Born- Digital Records" by Joshua Insel: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/saasc_archeota/21/Links to an external site.

AIIM. (2020). Balancing Records Management and information: AUTOMATION is the key ingredient.

Franks, P. (2018). Records and information management (2nd ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.10.005 

Reply To Peer:

I appreciate your insights on the importance of addressing the human elements in records management and information governance (IG).

I completely agree that the lack of executive support is a significant challenge for IG initiatives. It’s clear from AIIM's survey that appealing to stakeholders and aligning IG projects with organizational growth priorities are crucial steps. Your point on redefining the terminology when discussing IG to avoid confusion between RIM and IG is very well-taken. In my experience, framing IG initiatives in terms of their financial benefits and potential for growth rather than merely risk mitigation can significantly enhance their acceptance organization-wide. For example, when our IT department converted one business unit’s paper documents to digital, employees spent a fraction of the time looking for information, and they were able to focus on other preferred tasks.  That was a ‘selling point’ for our move to digital records for this unit.

It’s also worth noting the practical advice from "Balancing Records Management and Information Governance: Automation is the Key Ingredient". The emphasis on automation aligns with the course's discussions on the transformative impact of AI and machine learning on information management.  This is an active topic at my workplace. We have recently restricted access to all AI except for Google Bard.  We are actively working on integrating AI into our enterprise and a big part of that is to aid in the discovery of accurate information.

Thank you again for sharing your insights.