This testimonial about the intersections of archives and records management comes from Jenna Cooper, Records Analyst at the Austin History Center.

Bridging the gap between records managers and archivists is critical to preserving the historical record. It seems so obvious, right? However, the two professions are continually siloed from each other academically and logistically. When records managers and archivists aren’t on the same page, it’s so easy for historically significant materials to slip through the cracks, especially the records of non-executive or managerial individuals. We are all records custodians in the end and should put working together at the forefront of our initiatives. That is my goal in my current position as the Records Analyst for a public library department who also arranges transfers and appraisals of municipal records to the City archives (another library branch). Even presenting to departmental records management teams about the value of their own records to posterity inspires folks to be better stewards of their active records. Moreover, communication motivates people to be forthcoming in ensuring materials are promptly ushered into the archives, instead of being lost to desk dumps or indefinite long-term storage in Iron Mountain.