WYOMING CHAPTER
Association of Records Managers and Administrators
Chapter Meeting
October 10, 2006
Hitching Post, Cheyenne, WY

Please Note: These minutes are abridged.

Members Present: Tony Adams, Kristy Anderson, Mary Bauserman, Kim Castenada, Ramona Christensen, Donna Crock, Wendy Kinkade, Debbie Leonard, Pat Newbern, Lynn Orester, Vicki Seals, Deanne Widauf, Rich Wilson.

Guests: Mark Browne, Georgia Cash Hoening, Sue Layman, Jennifer Mickle, Bruce White.

Speaker: Janie Wait, CRM, Intermountain Records Center, Inc., Casper, WY

Topic: Media Mix Tragedy

Members and guests met at the Hitching Post where everyone enjoyed lunch and visiting with each other. Rich Wilson asked everyone to introduce himself or herself and also introduce their guests as appropriate. Rich then introduced Janie Wait, CRM, President and Director of Marketing for the Intermountain Records Center, Inc., Casper, WY. Rich described the format Janie would be giving today was different than the Poster Session format she would present at San Antonio, in that her presentation today would be an informative presentation rather than an answer/qualifying-more interactive session. Janie then began her presentation on ‘How to Determine the Best Media Mix for Your Organization’ (adapted from the Poster Session, The Media Mix Tragedy, she will be presenting at the ARMA International Conference, San Antonio, TX, Oct. 21-25, 2006). First, Janie explained the intent of the ‘Poster Session’ with the white board and 11 separate posters format, which is to facilitate an informal and interactive forum for in-depth and one-on-one dialogue with facilitators. Poster sessions showcase topics with visual impact and result in sharing of information and messages important to everyone involved Records and Information Management. Janie then began her presentation and described the three Media options available: Paper, Microfilm or Digital (as she referred everyone to the white board explaining the flow of her presentation). Janie’s explanation of Media options today is in fact the dilemma faced by all of us, and why there must be a complete evaluation of all options before decisions can be made as to what will work for each of our different record management needs and requirements in today’s Government and Private enterprises. Evaluation criteria includes; Maturity-the lifecycle of records (Where in the lifecycle?), Accessibility of media options (Who & how many?), Distribution-narrow or wide/slow or quick (When & how quick?), Admissibility of the three media types, Longetivity (How long?), and Cost to accomplish and maintain the media (What investment?). Equipment options are another variable that must be defined and includes multiple choices; Scanners, Camera, Archiving (film & digital); and Hybrids. In summary Janie described Short Retention (1-3 Years), Medium Retention (4-6 Years), and Long Retention (7 years-Permanent) and the factors that should define what method or methods of media one should use. Janie described a healthy media mix is like a balanced nutritional mix for the human diet: You need to use some of all the technology options available to be healthy in business! When Janie completed her presentation, she handed out evaluation forms and asked for everyone to please share comments so she could expand and improve her Poster Session.

Respectfully submitted by,
Pat Newbern
Secretary