Well said, Peter. I think a wry chuckle and a sense of perspective is called for. Records management is, after all, records management.
John
John Davies
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-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Records Management mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Emmerson
Sent: 08 April 2010 15:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Unconference: Storing Information in the Cloud - 21 May in Manchester
Steve
I'm reluctant to engage in this debate at length on the list. I think
you're in danger of taking yourself too seriously. My main concern was
that, in explaining an unfamiliar, and questionable, term to your
professional colleagues, you then chose to berate them for not being
sufficiently interested in the wider future of records and information
management. The two things were, and are, unconnected. Chris Tinsley has
made the point already that the creation and use of new words for familiar
concepts might, and in this case clearly did, get in the way of the message.
It was this that I chose to categorise as BS not your wider point on the
need to engage with the future. I happen to think that you've gone too far
down that route and are in danger of losing sight of some fundamental
principles, but you are entitled to your view. Much of your argument is
persuasive but you make assumptions about the nature of records and
recordkeeping, and indeed the role of recordkeeping professionals, which
will, in my view, exacerbate the very situation you seek to avoid. By
making the vision too all encompassing, it becomes unsustainable.
More generally, you're fortunate to work in an environment which encourages
you to scan the far horizons and to think about the years ahead. Most of
your professional colleagues are still struggling, with inadequate resources
and support, to deal with yesterday's legacy, today's 'must dos' and, in
their copious free time, planning for tomorrow's immediate challenges.
While they need encouragement to get their heads up to see the horizon,
their feet are very firmly in the trenches of the day job. Most of them
would settle for some practical help with that rather than being berated for
their lack of interest in a future which seems very remote from these more
immediate concerns.
Thank you I am enjoying my retirement, if only because it gives me the
opportunity to engage in this kind of debate without fear of upsetting a
potential client.
Peter
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