OVERVIEW: As an employee at the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, I was hired to be only the third librarian in the young agency’s history. After arriving, I then started gathering additional job titles to include photographer, AV specialist, utility player, and most relevant to this presentation, Agency Records Officer (ARO). While I have a background working in archives, I am still learning the ropes as I enter year two of being the ARO.
I would like to present my own experience as a solo practitioner working to revive a mostly dormant RIM Program. Our schedule has not been officially updated since 1992 and we haven’t sent NARA any records since 2011. Through outreach, and knowledge gathering, I have been able to gather a makeshift team and make some internal progress, but challenges on implementation lie ahead. The challenges of standing up a program have been numerous, especially without anyone else at my agency to turn to for answers. While NARA and other organizations (to include NAGARA) have resources out there, I have mostly relied on the collegiality of other professionals to help based on their real-world experience.
While I have not yet completed all my strategic goals in this effort, a mid-stream presentation can help share lessons learned for those in a similar situation, while also being a forum for feedback on developing elements of a RIM Program. I want this presentation to be a frank discussion about why RIM Programs are necessary, especially for smaller agencies without integrated support infrastructure. While I work at a unique agency, I imagine this is a common problem across RIM Programs.
Lastly, I want to focus on time management as I know that many RIM professionals have other job responsibilities that are outside the scope of RIM. I have those, as previously mentioned, and prioritization has been an issue and will continue to be. I’d like to shine a light on how internal deadlines and strategic plans have been helpful for myself, as well as getting support from leadership on standing by their priorities and recruiting advocates.
I am hopeful members who are new in the profession will find it encouraging to see someone who is going through growing pains and learning on the job, and that members who are experienced in the profession will think about their own experiences and how they can be of service to their own program or other professionals. At the Atlanta 2025 Conference, I learned the most from real world examples where the presentation was a dialogue with the audience and members openly interacted. That’s what I am hoping to spur with my descriptions of resurrecting a program and questions regarding how to handle problems that arise.
GARA CERTIFICATE CORE COMPETENCY AREAS: "Program Establishment and Administration" OR "Training, Advocacy and Outreach"
TARGET AUDIENCE: Federal, Local
FOCUS AREAS: Records Management
PRESENTER: John Leon, Librarian and Archivist, US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims