Welcome to the ARMA International Educational Foundation

"Making a Difference"

Our CORE PURPOSE is to facilitate development of scholarly and practical knowledge in records and informational management.

Our MISSION is to generate and provide resources for education and research to effect positive change in how people access, use and understand records and information.

Our VISION is to be recognized as a leading resource for facilitating research and scholarship in records and information management.

The ARMA International Educational Foundation is a funding resource for research and scholarship in the field of records and information management. The source of funds is the income earned by an Endowment being raised by concerned individuals and organizations in the profession. Established by ARMA International, the leading professional association of records and information managers, it is a 501(c)3 non-profit entity. To review our privacy policy, please click: AIEF Privacy Statement For more information, click Annual Report

Announcing the on-line International Directory of English Language Courses in Records and Information Management. This is a useful tool for finding collegiate institutions offering programs leading to Associate, Bachelor, Masters and Ph.D. degree programs in the field. Funding for this directory was provided by the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ARMA International. To use, click Collegiate Directory

News: a major scholarship program for RIM Practitioners

Access Corp. Leadership Scholars Endowment

The full text of the Press Release is available here. Click Access Leadership Scholars Endowment .

Recognizing the receipt of the $25,000 Endowment gift, AIEF Chairman Nick De Laurentis, CRM, stressed that "The Access Leadership Scholars Endowment strengthens our current tuition reimbursement grant program by enabling larger scholarships for our most promising applicants. Access' participation is going to make a real difference in the upward mobility for talented people held back by the lack of a degree. We sincerely thank Access for establishing this program."

Application details and the coordination of the Access Leadership Scholars program with AIEF Tuition Reimbursement Grants will be announced by March 31, 2013. Contact Foundation Administrator for additional information.

Hot off the Press

April
2013

Peer Reviewed Journal Research Project now available. See below.

Foundation adopts new Core Purpose, Mission and Vision statements at January 2013 Strategic Planning Meeting. See Making a Difference above.

Tuition Reimbursement Grants Program: Apply now for Spring Semester. Application deadline is April 30, 2013. Up to $10,000 to be awarded each semester from this program. For more information, click Grants / Scholarships

Tickets for the Raffle to benefit the scholarship program are available at ARMA Chapters and from the Foundation. Three more drawings will be in May 2013. The May winners can choose between free registration for the Essentials of GARP® Certificate Program or Free Registration for the Las Vegas ARMA Conference in 2013. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.

Announcements

Research now available -

Records Management and Peer-Reviewed Journals: An Assessment

Researchers: Donald Force and Elizabeth Shaffer, University of British Columbia

The project aims to determine the amount of interest among records professionals for a peer-reviewed journal devoted to issues in records and information management (RIM) in the United States and Canada. While there have been positive accolades associated with peer-review journals, it remains unclear if records professionals believe a journal devoted to RIM issues is necessary and, if they do, who should be responsible for the
organization, publication, and distribution of such a journal. The findings from this research project will benefit ARMA and records professionals by providing an understanding of: 1) The level of interest for a peer-reviewed records management journal by records professionals in the United States and Canada; 2) The type of content and subject areas that records professionals would like to see explored in more detail; and
3) The survey results in the current context of peer-reviewed journals in archival science and related fields. This project is funded by the ARMA International Educational Foundation. Click: Records Management and Peer-Reviewed Journals: An Assessment

Implementing Litigation Readiness

A study by John T. Phillips, CRM, FAI, CDIA+

A major benefit of RIM programs is to reduce risks that accompany poorly organized and inconsistently retained records before, during, and after litigation. In order to assure that their clients are managing records appropriately in preparation for impending litigation, some law firms are now encouraging their clients to implement Litigation Readiness activities, including conducting records inventories, policy reviews, creating data maps of electronic records and reviewing records retention rules. This research study assessed the extent to which law firms are using these Litigation Readiness activities to prepare clients for litigation, and the role of industry information management associations and standards in facilitating these actions. The research revealed a host of opportunities for individuals and groups, including the records management staffs of law firms, to provide consulting, retention scheduling and policy development, software services, training and support services, working alone or in partnerships. The role of standards and guidelines for Litigation Support was also evaluated. John Phillips, of Information and Technology Decisions, is the research associate leading this project. He can be reached at 865-966-9413, or by email at j ohn@infotechdecisions.com. To download a copy of the report, click Implementing Litigation Preparedness

Updated Guide to Commonly Used National and International Records Management Standards and Best Practices

Researcher: Mary Margaret Fletcher, University of Pittsburgh

A Guide to Commonly Used National and International Records Management Standards and Best Practices, was authored by Virginia Jones, CRM, FAI and published by the AIEF in 2010. The project researcher, Mary Margaret Fletcher, updated the current Report by checking all existing references for correctness; identifing changes and determining if changes apply to the existing reference; updating the existing reference as appropriate; and indicating by code the review date. While conducting this review, the researcher added additional standards and guidelines. This is the revised Report now available for download. The project was funded by the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ARMA International. Click: Standards and Guidelines Reference Revised

For access to all completed Foundation Research Papers, click this link