Records Management: A Practical Guide for Cities and Counties.

Records and information management is records and information management. The basic RIM principles work for all industries. However, as industries do differ so do these differences affect their organizations' records and information. These unique aspects were the basis for ARMA International's forming the Industry Action Committees (now Industry Specific Groups) which continue to strengthen the RIM profession.

Industries tend to have their own language, types of challenges, and ways in which they prefer to manage and access their records and information. My first RIM position was working for the City of Irvine, California. It was a tremendous training ground for me. Looking back, I realize that what I learned prepared me well for my career in RIM. I learned, for example, how to deal in a political environment, how to be budget savvy, the importance of being able to make presentations, and how to wear a sales and marketing hat.

But as a local …