Thursday, October 14, 2010

Learning Outcomes for Electronic Data Management

In "Refining Skills for Electronic Data Management" I trimmed down the list of Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) skills applicable to an ANU course in Electronic Data Management (COMP7420). But how does this list of skills relate to the ASA/RMAA Statement of Knowledge for Recordkeeping Professionals. TSFIA is from IT professioanls and may not match what archivists or records managers thin important.

ASA/RMAA list four Knowledge Domains in their "Course Accreditation Check-list". I have highlighted some of the words I find interesting:
  1. Purposes and characteristics of records and recordkeeping system

    1. Purpose of records
    2. Characteristics of records
    3. Purpose of recordkeeping systems
    4. Characteristics of recordkeeping systems

  2. Context

    1. Expectations and needs of individuals,
      organisations, communities and society in
      the past, now and in the future
    2. Characteristics of the jurisdictions in
      which recordkeeping activities occur
    3. Influence of technology on recordkeeping
    4. Influence of advances in best practice on
      recordkeeping
    5. Influence of continuity and change on
      recordkeeping and the value of records
    6. Culture and language of individuals,
      organisations or communities
    7. Risk management
    8. Perspectives and needs of stakeholders in
      that domain where there is a responsibility to identify requirements
      and educate
    9. Expertise and knowledge of agents and users of records
    10. Role of recordkeeping processes,
      practices and recordkeeping systems
    11. Respect for provenance
    12. Legal mandates and ownership of business processes
    13. Principles of risk
    14. Information management frameworks
    15. Principles of administrative change where records follow function

  3. Recordkeeping processes and practices

    1. Arrangement and description
    2. Preservation
    3. Custody and storage
    4. Metadata schemas
    5. Business and systems analysis
    6. Functional approaches to recordkeeping
    7. Appraisal of records and functions
    8. Reference and access

  4. Underpinning Knowledge Domain: Recordkeeping theories and principles
    1. Systems of control
    2. Provenance
    3. Original Order
    4. Classification systems
    5. Custody principles
    6. Records continuum theory
    7. Life cycle theory
    8. Accessibility of records
    9. Arrangement and description
    10. Mandate and ownership of business processes
    11. Risk principles
    12. Administrative change
    13. Appraisal theories
    14. Ethics
    15. Code of practice
    16. Advocacy
    17. Education of value of records for memory

Some of these terms are familiar from SFIA. But some, such as Business risk management, are ones I previously removed from consideration, thinking them not relevant. So I might need to go back two steps and try to align the ASA/RMAA knowledge domains with SFIA. However, most of the ASA/RMAA requirements should fit under the SFIA Information strategy subcategory, in particular Information management, Information policy formation.

While it is not normally thought of as part of the record's managers job, I would like to include Information content publishing. Both records managers and librarians make the mistake of thinking they are passive collectors of electronic records which other people devised. In my view they would provide a much better service (and have an easier time) if they were to actively promote good formats for electronic information and were involved in the creation of electronic documents.

Perhaps what I need to do is is take the ASA/RMAA Knowledge Domains and see if I can fit them under the SFIA skills categories.

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