Meet the Bloggers

Right to left: Paul Wester, Arian Ravanbakhsh, Susan Cummings, Laurence Brewer

My career at the National Archives began on June 30, 1990, while I attended the University of Maryland in pursuit of my dual Masters Degree in American History and Library Science. I started as a cooperative education student employee at the Washington National Records Center in Suitland, MD. Over the years I have worked for the National Archives in a number of capacities in several locations and have found every day exciting. I currently serve as the Director of Modern Records Programs.

The archival and records management challenges we face are immense, both in their scale and complexity. My work helps ensure the staff are aligned with the National Archives’ larger strategic goals and mission, and that they have the resources and support to do their jobs. I also ensure our customers know about and understand our strategic directions by communicating with our various customer groups:

• Federal agencies
• professional groups (national and international)
• public interest groups
• American public

I travel occasionally and make speeches about electronic records issues and NARA’s Strategic Direction for Federal Records Management. I’ve had the honor to speak to historians and archivists in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and records managers in Barcelona, Spain about our records management work at the National Archives. Every day it energizes me to work with some of the most talented and highly-motivated archivists, records analysts, and technical experts in the world on the most intractable problems facing our profession.

I found my way from a dairy farm in Street, Maryland, to a Paleolithic cave site in southern Greece and a Masters degree in Classical Archaeology, to the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, and eventually to the National Archives, with a few other stops in between.

At NARA I have worked for the Washington National Records Center, the Office of Regional Records Services, the Policy and Planning Staff and now the Office of Records Services, Washington DC, Modern Records Programs. As Deputy Director of the Modern Records Programs I support the NARA programs that work most closely with Federal agencies as they create, manage, maintain, and implement disposition of Federal records. I am most closely associated with the National Records Management Program (the unified direction and services of NARA records management staff nationwide), and the National Records Management Training Program.

This is my first experience with blogging — so be kind! I feel I represent a lot of records-people of a “certain age” who haven’t been terribly interested in web 2.0 but have a sneaking suspicion it might be important. I also like cats.

I came to NARA in 1999 after working several years as a records management contractor for the U.S. EPA and the VA Department of Transportation. As I was learning records management in those days, I got to do a lot of different things — training, developing file plans, implementing document management and recordkeeping systems — and enjoyed the work to the point where it sounded like a good career choice. I even put in some time after hours to get my Certified Records Manager designation in 1998. These many years later, I still have no regrets and am looking forward to the many challenges that continue to emerge in the field of Federal records management.

In the Life Cycle Management Division where I currently work, there are about 35 hard-working professional staff who work closely with agencies to schedule records, provide training, offer technical assistance, and otherwise ensure that Federal records are managed effectively across the Government. My role as division director is largely facilitative, or helping to make everyone’s job here easier. I also help write policy and guidance, make a few speeches, attend records and information management conferences, and do other work-related activities that no one else wants to do.

This year, I will be speaking on a mid-morning panel chaired by Susan Sullivan and also featuring Jason Baron. Our panel is entitled Records Management Implications of Implementing Social Media Tools. During this panel, we will discuss the existing NARA records management guidance and how it can be applied to these new and exciting tools.

My NARA career started in October of 2000 when I joined the staff of the Life-Cycle Management Division. I was the lead appraisal archivist for several agencies including the Department of the Navy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I have also served the NARA Records Management training program by working as a subject matter expert to revise and develop new training material, including the Records Management for Everyone CD, the Advanced Electronic Records Management course and the Asset and Risk management course. I have taught over two dozen records management classes and currently teach part of the Modern Archives Institute. I am an active member of the Society of American Archivists, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and ARMA International.

I am excited by the challenges ahead of us and think that this blog is a great vehicle for communicating with our Federal records management colleagues and all who are interested in helping us solve those challenges.

Comments

Vivian A. Scott May 26, 2009 at 3:03 pm

Thank you, Bloggers, for this wonderful new avenue of communication. Your new media site is beautiful and shows a tremendous effort on your part — thank you for thinking so much of people in the rm community.

Thank you also for taking comments.

Given your kind invitation then, may I please offer a few comments for your new Blog:
In taking a peek at the RACO Program for 2009, it is the same as previous years : spectacular! Thank you for having such outstanding speakers who are so expert in ongoing processes — including the much needed speaker on electronic records scheduling.

As I will be attending the RACO 2009 on behalf of the RMO with other FRTIB staff, we look forward to your wonderful program. I have been so fortunate as to have heard your outstanding speakers (Jason Baron, Laurence Brewer, and others) and look forward to their presentations.

In early March 2009, I attended the Digital Government Institute’s E-Discovery, Records & Information Management Conference — which had quite a substantial program (beginning with Jason Baron). Mr. Baron’s insight, expertise, and methodology is so vital to all areas of records management, i.e., in addition to E-Discovery records — particularly now as agencies are impacted with the needed understanding of right technologies and systems leading into the world of electronic records scheduling. Having worked in the realm of federal records for over 15 years, I can understand the concerns expressed.

There were other outstanding speakers at the DGI Conference, including Mr. Edwin McCeney of the Deaprtment of the Interior. Mr. McCeney’s “Five Records Management Maturity Levels” leading to his “Capability Maturity Model” — which include “10 factors for records management process improvement” appear to be a guiding light in turning agencies on to meeting all 10 factors before investing in greatly sophisticated rm vendor software. Mr. McCeney’s message and models are so appropriate, timely, and of considerable value to meeting NARA’s rm requirements.

I have also heard federal agencies speak of unhappy and costly results when engaging in highly sophisticated rm software which does not meet all the criteria for their applications.

Thank you again for this ability to comment within your new blog.

Good luck and good wishes to each of you!

Sincerely,

Vivian Anne Scott
Data Research Analyst
Office of Finance, Administration Group-
Records Management
FRTIB