Information Management Journal articles from September 2007

Information Management Journal archives from September 2007

Get serious about e-discovery.(IN FOCUS: A Message from the Editors)(Survey)
September 1, 2007... In early August, consulting services provider Contoural Inc. and Osterman Research released a survey showing that companies are "largely unprepared" for responding to litigation. How unprepared? Well, more than 69 percent of the survey's...

FOIA request backlog decades old.(UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis)
September 1, 2007... The U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted 40 years ago to give citizens, journalists, businesses, and public interest groups access to government information, but advocates for open government say the law isn't working as intended....

RAM ruling raises privacy issues.(UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis)(random access memory)(Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.)(Case overview)
September 1, 2007... A Los Angeles judge issued what some are calling a groundbreaking ruling in a copyright case that may shake up U.S. laws governing electronic discovery. In Columbia Pictures Industries v. Bunnell, U.S. magistrate judge Jacqueline Chooljian...

Ex-Boeing employee stole 320,000 files.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... Former employee Gerald Eastman calls himself a whistle-blower, but Boeing Co. says he is a thief who stole more than 320,000 pages of confidential company documents. In July, the former quality-assurance inspector pleaded not guilty to 16...

NARA intern gets 15 months for theft.(UP FRONT)(National Archives and Records Administration)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The 40-year-old National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) intern who pied guilty to stealing 164 Civil War documents from the NARA branch in Philadelphia has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $3,000 for his actions. ...

VP challenges classified data order.(UP FRONT)(Vice President)(United States. National Archives and Records Administration)
September 1, 2007... For four years, Vice President Dick Cheney's office has refused to comply with an executive order governing the classification, declassification, and safeguarding of sensitive government information, according to documents released by a...

5 million records exposed each month.(UP FRONT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... According to information from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC), data breaches have reached epidemic proportions. The San Diego-based consumer information and advocacy group lists a chronology of data security slip-ups on its website,...

Minnesota enacts e-health law.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... Minnesota recently became the first U.S. state to require all healthcare payers and providers to submit claims and eligibility transactions electronically using a common format starting in 2009. The new requirements, signed into law by Gov....

Yale U. press to publish Stalin's library.(UP FRONT)(Yale University Press)(Russian State Archive of Contemporary History)
September 1, 2007... The Russian State Archive of Contemporary History and Yale University Press have made an agreement to digitize Joseph Stalin's personal library and some 440,000 other documents belonging to the late Soviet dictator, according to The Chronicle...

Law firm offers online privacy library.(UP FRONT)(www.mofoprivacy.com)(Morrison and Foerster L.L.P.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Researchers, lawyers, academicians, and those just curious now have an easy-to-use online resource for finding privacy laws and information for countries around the world. Law firm Morrison & Foerster recently announced the launch of its...

Secrecy costs $541,000 in WA.(UP FRONT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Withholding public records will cost Washington's Department of Corrections $541,000--the largest penalty of its kind slapped on a public agency in the state. In June, Thurston County Superior Court approved the settlement ordering the...

PIPEDA compliance improving slowly.(UP FRONT)(Canada. Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act 2000)
September 1, 2007... As new data breaches during 2006 reinforced concerns about security issues and trans-border data flows in Canada, there has never been a greater need to take data protection seriously, according to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer...

EU adopts Prum Treaty.(UP FRONT)(European Union)
September 1, 2007... The European Council of Ministers has agreed to allow all EU nations to share access to genetic records, fingerprints, and traffic offenses, as well as allow national police to operate across borders. The decision essentially makes the...

Japanese bank loses 1 million records.(UP FRONT)(Resona Bank Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Resona, a major Japanese bank, reported that it lost transaction records on about 980,000 customers--a new record for data loss among the country's banks. According to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun, a routine...

UK National archives, Microsoft working to access old file formats.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... British Library research suggests Europe loses 3 billion euros each year in business value because of inaccessible data. According to BBC News, the UK National Archives, which holds 900 years of written material, has more than 580 terabytes...

Data security challenges small firms.(UP FRONT)(Survey)
September 1, 2007... According to a recent survey conducted by Visa USA and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), 57 percent of small businesses do not consider securing customer data something that requires formal planning, and 39 percent said...

Agencies take steps to safeguard data.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has ordered all federal agencies to eliminate the unnecessary collection and use of Social Security numbers by 2009. That order and several other new security measures to combat data breaches and...

Google reduces data retention period.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... In an effort to quell recent criticism from privacy watchdogs and the European Union, Google announced it would reduce the length of time it retains web users' search histories to 18 months rather than 24 months. In a letter addressed to...

SEC appoints first archivist.(UP FRONT)(David Brown )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced that David Brown has been appointed as the agency's first archivist. Brown will lead the agency's records management and vital records preservation efforts, according to the SEC....

ChoicePoint lessons learned.(UP FRONT)
September 1, 2007... After its involvement in a headline-grabbing 2005 data breach that compromised the records of 163,000 people, ChoicePoint has since turned itself into a role model for how to do data security and privacy right. So much so that the company,...

Livescribe offers pen-based computer.(UP FRONT)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2007... A new computing device in the form of a pen may change the way many gather and record data. Livescribe's pen-based computer, introduced at the D5: All Things Digital technology conference in Carlsbad, California, could aid students,...

Data management problems widespread: organizations should regard data as their greatest asset--and invest in data management accordingly.(ON THE EDGE: The Use & Misuse of Information)
September 1, 2007... A recently published Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) study--the first comprehensive look at how data management is practiced worldwide--reveals that most organizations do not manage information well. And there's more: despite...

Clarification.(ON THE EDGE: The Use & Misuse of Information)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2007... Clarification: "Living Dangerously," which appeared in this space in the previous issue, stated that the 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) give companies 30 days to make "disclosures regarding their electronic...

Authentic digital records: laying the foundation for evidence: a foundation for proving that records submitted as evidence are reliable, usable, and have integrity is built with policies and procedures based on standards and best practices--and documentation that shows they have been followed.
September 1, 2007... Proving the authenticity of records is of great concern to information and records managers. While this concern initially involved the integrity of paper-based records, today it extends to include records in digital format. Following are the...

Demand is high for new skills innovative technology, & collaboration. Are you ready?(SPECIAL SECTION)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In today's competitive marketplace, being good isn't enough. You have to be better. Organizations are being bombarded with new and changing regulations, escalating litigation costs associated with e-discovery,...

Hear from the experts.(SPECIAL SECTION)
September 1, 2007... Get the latest and best records and information management expertise from more than 100 of the top experts in records and information management-related policies and practices, legal, compliance, and technology, who will be presenting at the...

Pre-conference seminars.(SPECIAL SECTION)
September 1, 2007... Make plans to come early--October 5 & 6--to attend one or more of the six outstanding pre-conference seminars. They are offered as one- and two-day programs, all taught by records and information management professionals, university professors,...

Of special interest.(SPECIAL SECTION)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Each year, the ARMA International Conference delivers the most up-to-date information on managing information. Be sure to make time for these special sessions: International Day Saturday, October 6, 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Renaissance...

Meet your peers.(SPECIAL SECTION)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... The ARMA Conference and Expo isn't just the best place to go for professional education, it's also the best place to network with peers from around the world. Region Networking Receptions--Connect with Peers from Your Local Area! ...

Conference registration.(SPECIAL SECTION)
September 1, 2007... Full Registration 4 Days, October 7-10, 2007 Advance (Paid by August 25) Member $799 Non-member $1,049 Regular (Paid after August 25) Member $949 Non-member $1,199 Full registration fees include: Sunday through...

Managing the cycle of change: Resisting change is normal, but it is problematic for organizations looking to make changes or implement new technologies.
September 1, 2007... It is common to take great care in selecting and implementating new technology. Interactions between hardware and software are cautiously investigated; operating systems and network connections are carefully tested, and uptime on critical...

Redesigning the ReliefWeb: the redesign process of the humanitarian community's main information management system provides a model and lessons for others contemplating a website redesign.
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "People need information as much as water, food, medicine, or shelter. Information can save lives, livelihoods, and resources. It may be the only form of disaster preparedness that the most vulnerable can afford. The...

Legal records managers: ready for electronic prime time? Legal records managers working for firms that still rely on paper information systems must take the lead to move their firms into the electronic age.(Industry Focus)
September 1, 2007... When lawyers began using desktop computers in the early 1990s, some predicted they would be the first group to migrate from paper- to electronic-based information systems. Contrary to the prediction, the legal profession is likely still further...

Preparing for tomorrow with strategic enterprise services today: one Fortune 100 corporation decided to employ strategic enterprise services to better manage the retention, disposition, and access to business records and operational data.(Lessons Learned)
September 1, 2007... Most corporations are inundated with digital data generated by business applications, desktops, laptops, handhelds, partners, the Internet, e-mail, and other sources. Whether it is high-volume business transactions (accounts payable and...

10 critical decisions for successful e-discovery: the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure's recent emphasis on producing electronically stored information requires that the e-discovery team understands the collection and processing choices to be made--and their ramifications.(Legal Watch)
September 1, 2007... Today's explosion of electronic data, coupled with the December 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) concerning electronically stored information (ESI), requires information and legal professionals to expand their...

Mass collaboration changes everything.(Book review)
September 1, 2007... TITLE: Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything AUTHOR: Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams PUBLISHER: Portfolio PUBLICATION DATE: 2006 LENGTH: 324 pages PRICE: $25.95 SOURCE: Available in most online...

Pondering theoretical recordkeeping.(Book review)
September 1, 2007... TITLE: Record Keeping in a Hybrid Environment: Managing the Creation, Use, Preservation and Disposal of Unpublished Information Objects in Context (Chandos Information Professional Series) EDITORS: Alistair Tough and Michael Moss...

Conference agenda.(SPECIAL SECTION)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Conference Agenda * All events held in the Baltimore Convention Center unless otherwise indicated. ARMA International's 52nd Annual Conference & Expo Information RIM Practices ...