Calling All Aspiring CRM/CRAs...

Ah, fall.  The nights are getting cold, the leaves are turning yellow, and (as of today, with my kids) students are reluctantly stumbling back to school.  It's part of the annual natural cycle.

There's a concurrent cycle in the CRM world as well.  The August exam cycle has just completed, and those with bleary eyes are getting some much-needed sleep.  Exam writers are exulting, licking wounds, or both, and Part 6 writers are sitting on pins and needles until results are back.  (The grading deadline for graders is today, so those results shouldn't be too far off.)  And with everyone getting back to school and studies, the next generation of potential CRM candidates is already pondering their professional development possibilities.

Perhaps that's you.  The CRM designation is still the most widely-recognized RIM credential out there, and it has a good reputation largely because the exam process is so grueling.  Check out the ICRM website for information on the exams and on applying.

If you have already committed to yourself or to your employer to write the exams, maybe you'd like a study partner?  I can arrange to get introduce candidates and provided a suggested study approach if you're interested.  Just give me a shout at 403-297-5746.

The next exam cycle is November 6-17, with registration closing November 2nd.  For exam cycles for the next couple of years, look here.

Good luck to our Part 6 candidates still awaiting word, and to all candidates happy studying.

Wayne Hoff
ICRM Liaison
icrmrep@armacalgary.org

Your Vote Counts!

The ICRM liaison typically acts as a guide and mentor for CRM candidates.  I look forward to continuing in this role.  I would like to add another dimension to my duties - and that is offering news and assistance to current CRMs who are often just as engaged in the CRM process, adding maintenance credits and keeping abreast of ICRM news.  In this forum I will occasionally address current CRMs and CRAs directly (and, in fact, have done a little bit of that already!).

So, for today, this:  please vote for your ICRM board members!  The election is now active, and if you are a CRM in good standing you would have received an email (on or around August 7th) which outlines the actions you need to take to vote.  Have a look at the candidates (a lot of information is provided) and be a part of the future direction of the Institute of Certified Records Managers by casting your votes.

In the meantime - I've been given one exam to mark for the August writing... to those of you waiting for that mark and potentially the official credential - good luck!!

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison
icrmrep@armacalgary.org

Books and more books!

I get asked by a lot of people who are curious about the CRM designation, "Where do I buy the textbook?"  They've hunted for it online and can't find anything.

Of course, there is no textbook for the CRM.  Or rather, EVERYTHING is the text book!  It is up to the candidate to review the list of study topics for each exam and fill in the areas they're not so strong on with their own study.  That means finding books, magazine articles, blog posts, webinars, conference sessions, chapter events, lunch & learns, and conversations with experienced practitioners, and then soaking it up.  It's not as daunting as it looks - it just takes a bit of time, and the bonus is that learning it is enjoyable and even exciting.

I have a whole library of records management and information government books.  (Okay, maybe not a whole library, but quite a few all the same.)  They're some of the classic study materials and include many of the recommended resources listed by the ICRM on their website.  Some offerings:

• Winning Strategies for Successful Records Management Programs (Langemo, 2002)
• Records and Information Management: Fundamentals of Professional Practice (Saffady, 2011)
• Records Management for Dummies (Richardson, 2012)
• Micrographics: Technology for the 21st Century (Saffady, 2000)
• Records Management:  Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic (Stephens, 2010)
• Information and Records Management:  Document Based Information Systems (Robek, Brown, & Stephens, 1995)
• Barron’s Business Guides:  Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms (Downing et all, 2013)
• Records Management (Read & Ginn, 2007)
• Digital Document Management (Saffady, 2007)

Give me a shout to sign a book out.  Or to ask any questions.

A question to both CRA/CRM candidates and existing CRA/CRMs - what study resources did you find most helpful?  Share them with us all in the comments.

Happy studying.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison
icrmrep@armacalgary.org

CRM Workshop is Full

I think back to the discussions at the ARMA Calgary board level - "Should we do a CRM workshop or not??"  I knew that there were a couple of interested people but that was about it.  Now the workshop is completely full!  Congrats and thanks to all of those that registered.  If you were thinking about it and waited too long - I'm sorry.  Please let me know one way or another and it will help to guide us in how soon we offer the workshop again.

And now I will take this opportunity to soapbox (cue heavy sighs).  I have always felt that the CRM designation, and the knowledge and experience that comes with it, is forward looking, not backwards looking.  If you wear your CRM designation as badge of the bygone era of paper management, you're unfortunately missing its point.  The CRM prepares us for the future, and for the storm of information change that we're already in.  There was no way to predict the impact that personal computers would have on information management in the 80's and 90's.  There was no way to predict the impact of the internet in the 2000's, or of social media or mobile computing more recently.  There is no way to predict what else is coming around the corner - be it AI or quantum computing or blockchain or something else.  What we DO know is this:  organizations need people who understand the fundamental risks and requirements of information, no matter its form, and how those risks and requirements are managed.  I constantly go back to the generally-accepted recordkeeping principles and consider how they are fundamental to all eras of IM.

Soapboxing is done... go forth and manage. :)

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison
ARMA Calgary
icrmrep@armacalgary.org

CRM Preparation Workshop Confirmed for April 25

Yes, you readers of the CRM blog get the inside scoop!!  The earlier rumour has come true, and the CRM prep workshop is confirmed for April 25.

We're trying to make it as accommodating as possible.  You can stay for Parts 1 to 5 (the morning), Part 6 (the afternoon), or stay the whole day for the whole workshop.  You can also take just the CRA prep - this is Parts 2 to 4 - which we will be covering first thing in the morning, at a reduced rate.  So the agenda looks like this (times are subject to change):

8:00 - Parts 2-4 (CRA preparation)
10:00 - Parts 1 and 5
12:00 - Lunch
12:30 - Part 6
4:30 - Adjournment

Part 6 is all on its own because, of course, it is a written exam.  And the afternoon will include an orientation and strategies for Part 6, following by an actual exam session:  you will be given an exam question and have 2 hours to create a response.  All responses will receive a detailed feedback report, provided by an actual Part 6 exam marker.  (Yes, that person is me.)  Prices are currently set to range from $70 for the CRA prep to $125 for the whole day.  Perhaps I'm biased, but it's a heck of a deal.

The registration hasn't been set up yet, but by all means please set the day aside.  Hope you can make it!  if you have any questions by all means ask away.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison
ARMA Calgary
icrmrep@armacalgary.org


* * * * * * * * * * *  Late breaking bulletin!!  * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The announcement from ARMA Calgary just came out this morning.  You can find full details and a registration link for the workshop here.

ICRM now providing for ESL candidates

Perhaps this has been in place for a long time and I just never noticed it before - but I'm quite pleased to see that the ICRM provides accommodations for candidates with English as a second language.  Their website reads:

If English is not the Candidate’s native language, they are entitled to an additional 20 minutes of test time for each of Parts 1 through 5, and an additional one hour of test time for Part 6. Candidates requiring this additional time should request approval from the Regent, Exam Administration and Grading (examadmin@icrm.org) prior to registering for an exam.

That's good news for ESL students who may have all kinds of RIM experience and knowledge, but are hampered by the fact that the exam is conducted in English.  This is especially true of part 6, which is of course the written response.  (As a former English teacher, I know well the frustrations of ESL students who knew their material but struggled to get their thoughts onto paper.)

Has any candidate taken advantage of this accommodation?  I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.  Please comment below or email me at icrmrep@armacalgary.org.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison
ARMA Calgary

What order do the exams have to be taken in?

I received a question today from someone potentially interested in the CRM preparation workshop.  Her question was this:

"Do we have to complete the CRM exams in order from 1 to 6?"

That's an excellent question, and it warrants a more public response for those others that might also be wondering.  The short answer is:  no.  The longer answer comes below.

• There is only one restriction:  parts 1 to 5 must be completed and passed before you can write part 6.
• Parts 1 to 5 can be taken and/or passed in any order.  Some candidates write the "easiest" ones first (i.e. what's easiest for them) and then take a little extra time studying for the harder ones.  For example, if you're a techie, you might take Part 5 (Technology) first and fly through it.  If that's not your strong suit, maybe you save it for last and take extra time to study.
• Candidates that want only the Certified Records Analyst (CRA) designation are only required to take parts 2 to 4.  They do not write parts 1, 5, or 6.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment to the post or email me at icrmrep@armacalgary.org.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison
ARMA Calgary