Making the Leap to IGP

Last week I made the leap and took the Information Governance Professional (IGP) exam.  Drum roll please:  I passed.  Yay for me.

The experience was good because a) I had to study, a lot, and b) I had to suffer the stress and indignity of a professional examination.  Let me regale with you some detail on that:

• I carried a 40-pound book to and from work for weeks, just so I could read it and study it on the bus
• At the exam, I had to (literally) pull my pockets out to show there were nothing in them
• My glasses were studied for a full 30 seconds for signs of hidden notes
• I got the last testing station in the test room, tenth out of ten computers, right beside the door, which opened about.... one thousand four hundred and fifty times during my 2.5 hours there.  Grr.

But I did say that the experience was good.  Why?  Because I learned a lot and I feel better prepared to tackle not just the day-to-day but the vision for the long term as well.

And it all brought me back to six years ago, when I wrote all of my CRM exams.  If you haven't written one recently, yes, the security is a bit tighter still.  (It's all in the name of preventing cheating, so I accept it as a given.)  That loooooong walk from the computer to the front desk, where they hand you the piece of paper that says either "Pass" or, well, something else.  It's a stressful walk.

Any exam stories to tell?  Horror stories or glory stories or something in between?  Please feel free to respond in the comments.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison

ICRM Offers a new certification: Certified Records Analyst

The ICRM has added a brand new certification - the Certified Records Analyst.  Essentially it is the same as the Certified Records Manager (CRM) designation, but it's attained by passing only Parts 2, 3, and 4 of the CRM exam.  For some candidates it may be a stepping stone to the CRM, or applicants may be satisfied with the CRA credential on its own.  If you're interested, let me know, and I'll help get you set up.

I was unable to find the press release on the ICRM website (which has a brand new look, BTW, a welcome departure from their old website).  So I've copied the text to this post, with thanks to Laurie Carpenter who posted it to the Records Management listserv (https://lists.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa?LIST=RECMGMT-L).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AT: ICRM Annual Business Meeting: September 24, 2016

The ICRM launches its third professional certification:

Certified Records Analyst (CRA)

The CRA provides another opportunity to be a member of the ICRM.  By achieving the  CRA designation, records management professionals demonstrate a solid foundation in  Records and Information Management (RIM); potentially on their way to attaining the  CRM.  CRA’s are knowledgeable and experienced in active and inactive records systems.   A CRA’s knowledge includes such areas as electronic records and information; regulatory  compliance-related requirements; the lifecycle management of records and information;  and more. 

This certification provides an opportunity for immediate certification to those existing  CRM candidates that have already successfully passed Parts 2-4 of the examinations;  while still retaining the ability to continue on to the CRM.  The CRA allows newly educated  and experienced records management professionals the ability to become a member of  the Institute; thereby improving their opportunities for career advancement and  increasing the number of educated and credentialed millennials to meet the demand for  RIM and Information Governance (IG) positions in the global marketplace.

“We are excited to deliver the CRA certification to the RIM profession!  This new  certification follows our time-tested approach and allows for more professionals to obtain  a value-added RIM credential while promoting the continuance of their individual  development.  We fully expect many to use the CRA as a spring-board to achieving their  CRM over a timeline that meets their individual needs.” – Brice Sample, CRM – President

A CRA may vote in elections of the ICRM, may not hold office but can serve as a member  or chairman of an ICRM Commission, Committee or Taskforce, may attend the ICRM  Business Meeting and may attend the ICRM Annual Reception held annually at the ARMA  Conference. Further, CRAs are granted access the ICRM website, the membership  directory and all publications and information provided as a benefit of ICRM membership.

Candidates for the CRA, upon submitting an online application to the ICRM, will be  approved to sit for Parts 2-4 if they properly document achievement of a 4-year  (bachelor’s degree) from an accredited institution of higher education and also  demonstrate one-year of professional Records and Information Management (RIM)  experience.  Alternately, one year of professional Records and Information Management  (RIM) experience can be substituted for each year of college education.

Founded in 1975, the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM) is an international  certifying organization of and for professional records managers.  The Institute confers  three designations: the Certified Records Manager (CRM); the Certified Records  Manager/Nuclear Specialist (CRM/NS); and now the Certified Records Analyst (CRA).

Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM)  1450 Western Avenue, Suite 101  Albany, NY 12203 (877) 244-3128 (US & Canada)  (518) 694-5362  Fax: (518) 463-8656  E-mail: admin@icrm.org or go to website: www.icrm.org

Contact: Nick De Laurentis, CRM, IGPRegent, Applicant and Member Relations
Institute of Certified Records ManagersEmail: certification_standards@icrm.org

"Pre-Earning" Maintenance Points

Here's a little bit of trivia:  all CRM's have a start date of January 1 or July 1, depending on when you finish your Part 6 exam.  That's right!  So, for example, our chapter's own Monica Reichert passed her Part 6 exam in August.  She's immediately a CRM, but her maintenance cycle won't start until January 1, 2017.

Monica posed this question:  "Am I able to start accumulating maintenance credits now or do I have to wait until January?"

The answer is:  you can start earning right now.  So the ARMA International conference in San Antonio, coming up in a week and a half, is worth about a thousand* maintenance points and counts towards your 5-year, 100 point requirement.  Pretty nice!

For those that haven't yet seen this month's newsletter, please find it here - it contains my kickoff CRM address, and if you're unsure who I am I introduce myself there.  The next exam cycles are included in that article as well.

Professionally pressing on,

Wayne Hoff, CRM


*No, not a thousand.  About 18 points, which at the time seems about the same as a thousand.

Welcome to the ARMA Calgary CRM Blog

Welcome to the ARMA Calgary CRM blog.  Yes - this blog originated a few years ago, and is now being revived!  Welcome to you.

This blog may be of value to you if:

• You are interested in potentially pursuing the Certified Records Manager (CRM) designation
• You have started the process of gaining the CRM designation, and are looking for study helps, guidance, and advice
• You have already earned the CRM designation - congratulations! - and are earning maintenance credits to keep your designation up to date

Here's what you can do:

• Please tune in often
• Please respond to posts and questions posed in the posts
• Suggest topics, ask questions, and offer your insights

For today's post, questions for you:

1. If you are interested becoming a CRM or are in the process of becoming a CRM, what is your biggest fear about the process?

2. If you are already a CRM, can you share a story of when your CRM background helped you out?

Wayne Hoff, CRM

ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison