The secrets to successful archives and records management.

• Author: Barnes, Nancy Dupre
• Position: Book review

TITLE: Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs: Strategies for Success

AUTHOR: Bruce W. Dearstyne, Ph.D.

PUBLISHER: Neal-Schuman Publishers

PUBLICATION DATE: May, 2008

LENGTH: 347 pages

PRICE: $78

SOURCE: Available at www.arma.org/bookstore

Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs is a welcome addition to the archivist's and records manager's bookshelf series. It serves as a compilation of essays on leadership and management, written from multiple perspectives and capturing the collective wit and wisdom of more than a dozen respected professionals. Above and beyond the tactical advice it imparts, this book comprehensively details the records management profession's most pressing challenges.

Editor Bruce Dearstyne aptly sets the stage in Chapter 1 by providing not only an introduction to this volume, but a reality check as well. He offers a sobering glimpse into the profession's current state of affairs. Many archives and records management professionals are members of the "baby boomer" generation and, for them, retirement looms near. There is concern that there are not enough younger professionals interested in these occupations to satisfy information management needs through the 21st century.

In addition to records management becoming a graying profession, it's also failing to attract a diverse minority representation. Dearstyne indicates that approximately 10 percent of archivists and records managers claim minority group membership. U.S. Census Bureau projections indicate that minority,, group populations will grow from 28 percent to 50 percent of the total U.S. populace by 2050. Archivists and records managers bear the responsibility of maintaining organizations' cultural identity and history. Minorities should be better represented and their collective voices should be heard.

Greater vocational awareness of archives and records management, both inside and outside the industry is also warranted. One possibility,' to increase visibility, and grow demand for workers is to achieve buy-in for the importance of professional certification. Professional certification efforts sponsored by organizations bestowing the Certified Records Manager and the Certified Archivist designations have, it would seem, fallen short of any mandate to boost awareness or foster greater interest in the profession. In fact, it seems that certification is far from universally embraced by professionals in archives and records management. Dearstyne...