Introduction
Sagesse: Journal of Canadian Records and Information Management
an ARMA Canada Publication
Winter, 2021 | Volume VI, Issue I
Welcome to ARMA Canada’s sixth issue of Sagesse: Journal of Canadian Records and Information Management, an ARMA Canada publication.
Sagesse Editorial Team
Sagesse’s Editorial Board wishes to thank Uta Fox, CRM, FAI, for publishing five World Class issues of Sagesse. Uta is one of the founding members of Sagesse as well as the original ARMA Canada, Canadian Content Director. One of Uta’s many accomplishments include the Britt Literary Award for her article titled “Migrating Legacy Records – a Case Study”. This award is presented to the author of the best “feature” article appearing in the Information Management magazine. The Board is pleased to inform you that Uta will be remaining as part of the Editorial team.
We are also excited about the addition of Heather McAra-Tinkler to the Editorial board. Heather is the Information Management and Printing Service Team Lead at FortisAlberta. She also has experience as a Web designer and Newsletter editor for the ARMA Calgary Chapter from 2006 to 2008. Heather enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. Please join me in welcoming Heather.
We hope you attended and benefited from the first Sagesse Live webinar held in May of 2020. Lori Ashley from Preservica presented “Integrate Digital Preservation into Your Information Governance Program”. We were also lucky to have Christy Walters and Crystal Walters who shared their experiences with “The Transformational Impacts of Big Data and Analytics”. The next Sagesse Live is currently in the planning stages. Stay tuned!
University Essay Contest
ARMA Canada held its third essay contest for graduate students enrolled in graduate information management programs at Canadian universities in 2020. We are pleased to announce that Tomoko Shida from the University of Toronto was the $1,000 recipient with the article “Copyright Law and Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights for Canadian Archivists and Records Managers”. This article focuses on the barriers within Canada’s Copyright Act to respecting Indigenous notions of ownership and control over intellectual property in relation to records destined for or held in archives. It provides an overview of developments regarding Indigenous knowledge and intellectual property rights in the archival sphere, before turning to the Canadian legal context to examine specific issues within the Copyright Act.
Tomoko Shida’s article has also been translated into French, “La Loi sur le droit d’auteur et les droits de propriété intellectuelle autochtones pour les archivistes et les gestionnaires de documents canadiens”.
The recipients of the $600 award are Nicole D’Angela and Madeleine Krucker, both from the University of Toronto, for their article, “The Current State of Privacy in Canadian Archives”. This article explores the situation of privacy in Canadian archives, focusing on personal records within non-government institutions. It provides a review of Canadian privacy legislation and past discussions in the information management community that have addressed the relationship between archives and privacy. Through investigating the roles held by archivists, researchers, and governments, this paper considers ethics, access, and the utilization of personal information in archival holdings. It is evident that a gap exists within archival conversations pertaining to privacy. This oversight must be addressed by the resurgence of discussion, advocating for updated legislation, and an inclusion of forward-thinking concepts. This paper encourages archivists to reintroduce themselves as privacy protectors.
Congratulations to our students!
2021 Sagesse Articles
Many of the articles in this edition address the issues, challenges and changes that RIM managers and consultants are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sandra Bates and Amitabh Srivastav show that Digital Transformation (DT) is a key driver and a critical factor for organizational success in the current digital business environment in their article “Starting the Digital Transformation Journey in a Pandemic: Understanding Concepts and Enablers to Achieve Success”. The reality of the world-wide pandemic significantly affected normal business and social activities and has vaulted DT to the forefront of management’s priorities. DT has forced management in businesses and governments alike to digitally transform in order to continue functioning and providing products and services.
Bruce Miller examines a fresh approach to the retention schedule in his article “Re-Envisioning the Retention Schedule”. This approach uses electronic recordkeeping software to provide new capabilities and techniques for managing digital records that were not previously possible with physical records.
Bruce Miller’s article has been translated into French, “Repenser le calendrier de conservation: Comment élaborer un calendrier de conservation adapté aux logiciels”.
There were many challenges posed by the shutdown and people working from home was one of them. In this article “How Projects, Technology and Solutions were Impacted by Covid-19: The Issues and Solutions We Faced”. Troy Sawyer discusses his firsthand participation in three projects; how some things changed to adjust to the pandemic and what stayed the same.
Have you found yourself trying to recall pieces of your medical history? Alexandra Bradley’s (Sandie) article “Medical Information Management for Covid 19 or Other Medical Emergency/Procedures” examines why one’s personal medical information is a critical record, why record keeping techniques are necessary to access and preserve this information, and how this information assists with successful medical treatment. Observations are based on the author’s personal journey through the Canadian health care environment. Beyond treatment, a person should also consider what information to have immediately available in case of a sudden emergency. These records should be maintained for immediate access in case a person is stricken or must evacuate their home quickly.
The use of a digital student record is transforming recordkeeping practices for the creation, management, and disposition of records in Alberta. Donna Molloy’s article “Leveraging Digital Transformation to Benefit Student Learning – Creating a Digital Student Record in Alberta” explains what school divisions are doing to create and maintain digital records. It identifies strategies for Alberta school divisions preparing to upload digital student records into the provincial Department of Education’s digital record repository. Successful implementation of a digital student record project requires collaboration, resource sharing and engaging staff.
Jay Jorgensen’s article “Extraordinary and Pragmatic: Targeted Information Management in Higher Education” describes how a large Canadian University responded to both the COVID-19 pandemic and a significant multi-year reduction to its operating budget and government funding model. He introduces three case studies that highlight the different responses taken to change or enhance organizational information management practice in response to environmental factors.
Please note the disclaimer at the end of this Introduction stating the opinions expressed by the authors in this publication are not the opinions of ARMA Canada or the editorial committee. We are interested in hearing whether you agree or not with this content or have other thoughts or recommendations about the publication. Please forward to: sagesse@armacanada.org.
If you are interested in providing an article for Sagesse or wish to obtain more information on writing for Sagesse, visit the ARMA Canada’s website – www.armacanada.org – see Sagesse.
Enjoy!
ARMA Canada’s Sagesse’s Editorial Review Committee:
Christine Ardern, CRM, FAI, IGP; Barbara Bellamy, CRM, ARMA Canada Director of Canadian Content; Alexandra (Sandie) Bradley, CRM, FAI; Pat Burns, CRM; Sandra Dunkin, MLIS, CRM, IGP; Heather McAra-Tinkler; Stuart Rennie, JD, MLIS, BA (Hons.), FAI; and Uta Fox, CRM, FAI.
Disclaimer
The contents of material published on the ARMA Canada website are for general information purposes only and are not intended to provide legal advice or opinion of any kind. The contents of this publication should not be relied upon. The contents of this publication should not be seen as a substitute for obtaining competent legal counsel or advice or other professional advice. If legal advice or counsel or other professional advice is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
While ARMA Canada has made reasonable efforts to ensure that the contents of this publication are accurate, ARMA Canada does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of the contents of this publication. Opinions of authors of material published on the ARMA Canada website are not an endorsement by ARMA Canada or ARMA International and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of ARMA Canada or ARMA International.
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