Patricia C. Franks

Really no one should read this book unless they are interested in records management (but you knew that already, right?). In my case, the last time I read a records management text book was in library school circa 2001 or 2002, and since I am a professional records manager (and archivist, and librarian), I figured I should refresh my skills. There is a lot to like here. Franks does a good job of linking the traditional profession of records management to the new world of information management. The book is well organized with a helpful overview of a huge number of topics and will definitely be something I come back to as a reference for work. I also really liked the case study written by a different professional in the field at the end of each chapter. There are also some things to criticize here -- this is a 2018 update of the original 2013 text, and sometimes the melding of old and new seems to have led to repetitions or awkward insertions. It is also very focused on government and corporate settings with very little about higher ed, non-profit, or smaller institutions. There is some information on archives in here (which, yay!) that is kind of odd and not what I would consider to be best practices as a professional archivist (boo!). Like, does anyone really think JPEG2000 is the best format for long term preservation of images anymore? Even in 2013? And there are *a lot* of examples from the UK and Scotland, which appear to be tied to the author's personal research trips to archives there. Ah well, this book isn't called Archival Management, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯. For the most part, if you are a working or aspiring records manager, this is probably a good one to have on your shelf.… (más)