Another awesome Spring Shred Day is in the books we want to thank all the awesome volunteers who helped pull it off.

On behalf of Austin ARMA:

• Kim DeCola
• Laura Tenberg
• Jeanel Walker
• Jen Greer
• Annie Rodriguez
• Ricka Zobel
• Jo Ortiz
• Betty Knipp
• Mary DeCola

 

And from our wonderful partner, Balcones Resources:

• Danny Esparza
• Julian Serrano
• Joshua Alvarado
• Luis Rivera
• John Eric Tovar
• David Lorrain
• Eleazar Gomez
• Thomas Contreras

 

Additionally, thanks to our partner Austin Energy, for including it in the utility bills and AARP for publicizing it to their members.

 

We could not have pulled off the event without the help of everyone above or without the participation of our citizens!

 

We had a productive day with 407 cars visiting us. The total weight of all three shred trucks came out to be 8,760lbs and the recycling truck weighed in at 1,162lbs.

 

We also raised a total of $2,284.81 with $1,182.81 to Austin ARMA and $1,182 to the Capital Area Food Bank.

Stay tuned for details on Fall Shred Day coming soon!

Get to know the Austin ARMA Chapter President, Laura Tenberg, in this virtual interview. Would you like to be the next featured chapter member? Go ahead and write up your own answers (or contribute other content) and email us at austinarmachapter@gmail.com.

What led you into the field of records/data/information management?

Libraries and organizing skills/inclinations led me into information management. I’ve always enjoyed organizing things and helping people find what they’re looking for. As a kid I loved the summer reading program at my local library. In college, I worked in multiple departments in our main library and got to know the inner workings and roles that make libraries run. I decided to further my education and interests in graduate school by working in cataloging at the geology library and taking course work in information management and preservation broadly. Records and information management ended up being a great combination of organizational skills and helping people find/manage their information.

Have you had a mentor (not necessarily in this field) who positively impacted your career?

Yes, my manager at the geology library was always willing to talk through course work/career decisions and reminded me of the importance of having a work life balance.

Would you encourage someone to pursue a career in the field?

Yes.

Describe how you initially got involved in the chapter and what was your initial impression of it?

I started out coming to chapter meetings as a non member for the education aspect. My first impression was that it was a large group of people with a whole lot of experience (a little intimidating). As I got to know folks better and started volunteering, I realized that that first impression was accurate, but that everyone is also so friendly and willing to help that I didn’t really need to be worried.

How would you most succinctly describe your job to people? 

I help people manage their information, so that they can find it more easily later.

What do you like most about your job?

Helping people find what they’re looking for and the analytical/project management type tasks.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Veterinarian or pet photographer

Outside of work, are there any hobbies or activities you enjoy?

Bouldering, reading, yoga, hiking, tv/movies, baking

Recommend any books, movies, shows, songs, or albums that you’ve enjoyed this year.

A little late, but I enjoyed Wednesday (tv series). I finally watched the Discovery of Witches tv series (I loved the books).

As we approach the end of the calendar year - and the middle of the chapter year - it's a good time to look in the rearview mirror, assess where we are, and consider where we should go next. This fall we've had several successful events, including Shred Day, learning sessions, and our chapter meetings.

Webinar: Judges and Generative AI 

We recently hosted presenter Ronald Hedges for a one hour webinar that provided an overview of GAI from the viewpoint of attorneys and judges who must address its use and alleged misuse. View the webinar page for more information about the presenter as well as supplemental materials provided to attendees. You can also find a recording on YouTube.com.

e-Records Recaps

Several chapter members attended the annual e-Records conference hosted by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and Department of Information Resources. Recaps of all the sessions, including the keynote by our own chapter's Azure Brown, will be published on The Texas Record blog.

Shred Day Shout Out

From Kimberly DeCola, Shred Day Chair, Immediate Past-President

Fall Shred Day 2023 is a wrap and a successful one, at that. We processed over 220 cars! Despite the icky weather in the morning, we had a steady stream of lovely people come through, but none of it would have been possible without the help of several amazing people. I’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to our stupendous volunteers: Ricka Zobel, Bonnie Zuber, Laura Tenberg, Tina Silguero, Jen Greer, Kim Reddin, Betty Knipp, Annie Rodriguez, Jocelene Ortiz and Julie Johnson. There is also no way we could have managed the event without the awesome crew from Balcones: Danny, Chris, Jose, David, Eleazar, and Josh.

We raised $1520.21 in donations, but more importantly, we are proud to have helped the community shred nearly 15,000 lbs of paper records. Mark your calendars for April 2024 when we will have Spring Shred Day 2024!

Member Survey

To help drive us forward into years ahead, we're seeking feedback from members to find out what is benefitting us and what may not be. Whether you've been around ARMA for a while or just recently joined, we want to know what you think, so check your email soon for a link to an anonymous survey to help us assess the health of the chapter. We'd also like to know which sounds better: bowling or arcade?

November has already been a busy month for the Austin ARMA Chapter with Shred Day and the e-Records conference, both of which we will recap for anyone who missed out. But there are still several more events coming up next week!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 

First up, at 10:00 AM CST, we'll be hosting a free webinar, Judges and Generative AI—What Might Litigation Look Like? Ronald J. Hedges will host this one hour session, providing an overview of GAI from the viewpoint of attorneys and judges who must address its use and alleged misuse. Be sure to register to attend this free webinar.

Our November Chapter Meeting and Learning Session will be held remotely after the webinar. Starting at 11:30 AM we'll convene to talk about recent and upcoming events. Then we'll take a deeper dive with the City of Austin Privacy Office about information privacy requirements, standards, and best practice tips. Although we can't provide lunch remotely, be sure to register to attend the November meeting. More details coming soon! The link will be provided in advance of the meeting.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 - 5:30 - 6:30 PM

The Austin ARMA CRM Study Group is a great opportunity for you to learn and to have some discussion with your fellow CRM and CRA candidates, or to just find out more about the process and requirements for earning the CRM or CRA designation. This month's meeting will focus on parts of the exam to earn the Certified Records Analyst (CRA) designation; Part 2 (Records and Information Creation and Use), Part 3 (Record Storage, Retrieval, Conversion, and Facilities), and Part 4 (Records Identification, Retention, Protection and Disposition). Check out the event page for details on location and remote attendance options.

Any Day, Any Time

Throughout the month, check out our new job board and follow us online to keep up with new content or event updates. Members are welcome to contribute content like blog posts, photos, or RIM-related stuff on the web. Email austinarmachapter@gmail.com and we will post it!

The Austin ARMA Chapter hosts a seasonal Shred Day for the community, and for it to be successful we need two things: people and good weather. The latter is up to chance, but you can help out by spreading the word and volunteering to make it happen. 

Sign up to volunteer and help support our chapter and Operation Turkey (a charity dedicated to serving hot meals on Thanksgiving) on Saturday, November 4, 2023. More details on the Shred Day event page.

Not sure what kind of work is involved with Shred Day? Mainly directing traffic, collecting donations, and handling boxes. Breakfast, snacks, drinks, and lunch will be provided! Accommodations available for anyone with limited physical ability. Choose your preferred shift, morning or afternoon, but we are very flexible and will appreciate any time you're willing to give. 

All chapter members can easily help out by promoting Shred Day. Share announcements on social media or forward email announcements to coworkers or groups that may not otherwise know about it. 

In case you missed it, the first Austin ARMA chapter meeting of the year was held on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2023. In-person attendees shared pizza at the Austin Energy headquarters; virtual attendees joining remotely were on their own for lunch. 

After relaying announcements and upcoming events, board president Laura Tenberg opened the learning session by introducing Lona Chastain, City of Austin Privacy Office Team Member, JD, CIPM, presenting “An Overview of Information Privacy Today.” We will soon add a recording of the session and slides for members who could not attend.

Shred Day Announcement

Fall Shred Day 2023 has been set for Saturday, November 4, 2023 at Balcones Resources. As always, we will need volunteers and fingers crossed that the weather is good. Sign up if you are available to help out that day - whether directing traffic, taking donations, or unloading boxes.

e-Records Conference

Registration for the 2023 e-Records Conference is now open! This one-day conference is for state agency and local government officials who are creating or managing electronic records. This educational opportunity seeks to improve electronic records management in Texas government by bringing together staff responsible for and interested in records management and information technology. It is also a great chance to network with other attendees who are working on some of the same electronic records management issues you face in your office. Join 300+ government personnel, speakers, and exhibitors for this exciting day.

Be sure to visit the conference webpage to read about the exciting lineup of speakers and exhibitors (including a table for our own chapter).

Next Meeting

Our next chapter meeting, lunch, and learning session will be Tuesday, October 24, 2023 from 11:30 AM  - 1:00 PM. We will again offer in-person or virtual attendance, and we encourage members to bring a guest who might be interested in joining the chapter. We’ll share more information about the speaker and topic as we get closer to the event.

We are happy to unveil a new job board feature on our chapter website! This feature is conveniently integrated with the membership/content management system that we use, so we no longer need to have job postings submitted via Google forms or email. The submitted jobs will be reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate and within the realm of the records, information, and data management fields. 

To post on the job board, chapter members and guests will need to log in using the same website username and password that is required for registering for events and accessing members-only content. For now, there is no cost to post on the job board or browse. If we get traction on usage, we can send out emails to highlight new postings.

So check out the postings, share them on social media, and feel free to post jobs you've heard about (public or private sector). This feature will only be as useful as we make it, so let's make it awesome!

Could there be a better pairing of community events? 

The annual e-Records conference - sponsored by TSLAC and DIR, will be held Friday, November 3, 2023. This conference is open to public sector employees only. Find out more information on the TSLAC website.

The next Shred Day - sponsored by our business partners - is scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Balcones Resources 9301 Johnny Morris Rd, Austin, TX 78724.  Stay tuned for more information and weather advisories as we get closer to the event.

Welcome to the start of the new chapter year for Austin ARMA members. While we continue to plan for an exciting new year, the board met on Saturday, August 26 to set the budget and discuss some changes that we hope will be a great benefit to chapter members. Here are a few initial updates, in advance of more great news to come.

First, our board has been made whole, so we are no longer advertising open board positions. However, there will be ways to get more involved with committee work as the year progresses. The new board is a mix of brand new and veteran members, so we are able to identify tried and true methods of running the  organization, as well as considering new alternatives that might work well for today’s chapter. 

Second, we will be lowering the cost of attendance at regular meetings for both members and guests. We will continue to provide a tasty lunch for regular meetings and other events, so let us know if you have dining recommendations. Also, the board discussed implementing a regular co-working session after meetings, which would allow members to avoid traffic and anyone with the freedom to work remotely could bring a laptop, work together, or work together-but-solo, and we can pretend it’s a coffee shop.

Third, the newsletter has been retired as of the last issue, Volume 70, but that doesn't mean we'll be short on information to share with the chapter. We will continue to offer advertising opportunities for our business partners. We will still use email for all event invitations and reminders, and depending on feedback we can also deliver these blog updates via email on a semi-weekly basis. In place of the traditional periodical, we will be regularly sharing content like photos, memes, member contributions, and event promotions on our various social media platforms, not all of which require an account to view the content. Check out our Linktree to find connections to our Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Youtube, LinkedIn. 

And last but not least, we have more new content coming soon:

• Letter from the President, Laura Tenberg
• Membership points - list of members' accrued points and an outline of all obtainable points.
• Media library - recordings, presentations, and other downloadable resources.
• Newsletter archive - mostly from 2005-2022, but let us know if you have any older publications.
• New Job Board - this is available now, but it’s brand new and we’re still learning how to use it. Use your same Austin ARMA website login information to log in to the new job board.

In case you missed it, after a series of delays due to bad weather, the Austin ARMA Chapter held the semi-annual Shred Day event on Saturday, June 10 at the Balcones Shred facility. 

Third time was the charm, because the weather was sunny and mild thanks to a quick early rain shower keeping the temperature down all morning. We had a steady trickle of cars bringing boxes to the shredders and an appreciable amount of cash donations. As we wrapped up the event, we rehydrated and enjoyed some pizza and conversation. Thanks to Steven for coordinating a great Shred Day! Check out the Shred Day page for more information about the event and photos from past events.

We are currently making plans for the upcoming season of events, so in addition to checking your email, you will soon find updates and photos here on the website, as well as shared across a few social media platforms: https://linktr.ee/austinarma.