I have a hunch that the tried-and-true reasons we all give for records management - efficiency, productivity, cost savings, protection in litigation, knowledge preservation, information security, business continuity and disaster response, better decision-making - just aren't that thrilling to most people. Records management is like wearing your seatbelt. You need the right tools, a moment of your time, and the willingness to put up with a little bit of restriction in the interests of self-preservation and better safety for all. It's like buying insurance, minus all the sequins and glamour.
Why do we bother? Maybe it's because the idea of improved information retrieval and reduced need for shared drive space sends a shiver down our collective spine, or maybe, just maybe, it's because we know a secret: Beneath those plain manila exteriors, deep within that collection of e-mail messages, somewhere just past that last goldenrod copy, there are stories waiting to be discovered.
Some of them are short stories: We bought pencils and some copier paper. Some are mysteries: Who knew what, and when? Some are the stuff of science fiction: Here's how we flew to the moon and came back home safely. We help our organizations decide which stories live on, and which stories no longer need to be told.
Here's a toast to all you keepers of stories. I created these as part of my homework for a class on educational product development, but this really isn't about homework. It's about the stories.
Records Tell a Story
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/RobinRKC/889838
Records Tell a Love Story
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/RobinRKC/889873
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