Guest blog post by Grace McRae
My time as the Records Management Student Assistant at the Records Management Office has been illuminating for defining my
Seems the RMO attracts musicians. Grace McRae, 2023
professional goals in the field of records management and archives. In addition, my experiences working with UBC units to provide records management services and help solve some recurring information governance issues has been very rewarding.
My role as the Records Management Student Assistant involved conducting an inventory of International Student Development’s digital repositories, making recommendations for the retention and destruction of their e-records. In addition, I developed records governance documentation that was tailored to meet the specific information needs of this unit, while remaining compliant with the institutional and legal requirements outlined in UBC BoG Records Management Policy GA4. Lastly, I assisted the e-Records Manager Barbara Towell with the review of UBC’s retention schedules.
Over the past four months, I have developed my skills related to records management and e-records governance. In addition, my responsibilities surrounding the creation and development of records governance documentation has developed my skills in project management. After completing this position, I have greater confidence in my ability to lead RM-related projects, while maintaining project goals, deliverables, and timelines. Lastly, this position reinforced one of the major reasons why I enjoy working in the archival and records management fields: While records are often administrative and legal evidence of activities, they are ultimately about and connected to people. I believe that the records management and archival fields can offer avenues for people to have more agency and support in taking care of their records, which often means approaching projects with a collaborative and user-centered mindset.
I believe that students that are curious to enter the field of records management would have plenty of opportunities to expand their knowledge and skillset in a role like the Records Management Student Assistant. My previous experiences in core courses such as ARST 516 provided a solid foundation for conducting the work required of this role. However, I have gained a significant amount of experiential learning in this position as well. One of the most significant areas of learning I experienced was how to apply university-wide records management policies to specific unit priorities and needs. This required collaboration between the RMO and these units, which was one of my favourite aspects of this position.
Overall, this experiences at the records management office have been very positive. It has provided me the opportunity to apply course teachings to an experiential context, while refining my skills in records management and e-records governance. I look forward to applying these experiences and skills to my upcoming position with UBC’s Student Health and Wellbeing this fall, where I will be conducting similar work related to developing records governance procedures and documentation. I will look back this position very fondly, and I am grateful for the people and experiences that have made my time at the Records Management Office feel really special. Special thank you to Barbara Towell, Alan Doyle, Erwin Wodarczak, and Candice Bjur for their guidance and support throughout my time at the RMO!