![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Tuesday, I was pretending to be a real archivist (as opposed to being a fantasy archivist - being hon. archivist to the TS means I am a real fantasy archivist). This was at a meeting to discuss the future of the occupational standards for archivists, etc.
It soon became apparent that while we are all doing broadly similar stuff, the language we have means that whatever we say is going to 'not apply' to someone, or make no sense to someone else.
While sitting in the clinic (blame the drugs) I came up with the concept of the 'R.I. Resource'. This is what we manage, exploit, preserve, etc.
Records managers and Information specialists can use the phrase 'R.I. resource' to mean 'Records and/or Information Resources'.
Public service librarians can use the phrase 'R.I. Resource' to mean 'Recreational and Informational Resource (aka books and the other stuff)'.
Archivists can use the phrase 'R.I. Resource to mean 'Rerum ipsum resource' (see, I'm not a real archivist, my Latin is wonky). I am trying to say 'things themselves resource' I.e. the original stuff.
It may not (especially the Latin!) be perfect, but is is better than arguing whether Records are a subset of Information or vice versa, and everyone saying the standards are 'too Public Library oriented', except the PLs, who are saying that 'it's all about information, and nothing about the recreational use of ... R.I. Resourses'.
Comments especially welcome from Librarians, real Archivists, Records Managers and Information Specialists, and anyone who did Latin more recently than me.
It soon became apparent that while we are all doing broadly similar stuff, the language we have means that whatever we say is going to 'not apply' to someone, or make no sense to someone else.
While sitting in the clinic (blame the drugs) I came up with the concept of the 'R.I. Resource'. This is what we manage, exploit, preserve, etc.
Records managers and Information specialists can use the phrase 'R.I. resource' to mean 'Records and/or Information Resources'.
Public service librarians can use the phrase 'R.I. Resource' to mean 'Recreational and Informational Resource (aka books and the other stuff)'.
Archivists can use the phrase 'R.I. Resource to mean 'Rerum ipsum resource' (see, I'm not a real archivist, my Latin is wonky). I am trying to say 'things themselves resource' I.e. the original stuff.
It may not (especially the Latin!) be perfect, but is is better than arguing whether Records are a subset of Information or vice versa, and everyone saying the standards are 'too Public Library oriented', except the PLs, who are saying that 'it's all about information, and nothing about the recreational use of ... R.I. Resourses'.
Comments especially welcome from Librarians, real Archivists, Records Managers and Information Specialists, and anyone who did Latin more recently than me.
