Dr. Patricia C. Franks Earns Information Governance Professional Certification
In today’s rapidly evolving information environment, public and private organizations have a need for information governance professionals that can lead them in creating, organizing, managing, protecting, using, and disposing of information, in order to reduce their risks and help them reach their goals.
In early 2013, ARMA International introduced the Information Governance Professional (IGP) certification to provide a way for individuals to demonstrate their competence in helping executive officers, who are responsible for the organization’s legal/compliance, information technology, and lines of business activities, to implement effective information governance programs.
ARMA International describes an IGP professional as someone who “knows the ins and outs of his/her organization and its expectations. Said professional knows when to drive out excess cost, mitigate risk according to tolerance level and when to actively use information for its business value. This is a highly touted and respected person in the organization.”
Dr. Patricia C. Franks
The IGP exam was offered for the first time in May 2013, and Dr. Patricia C. Franks is among the first group of individuals to become a certified information governance professional. According to ARMA International, “By taking and passing the IGP exam, these professionals have proven their business-specific knowledge and now stand out as information governance experts in their organizations–and in their profession.”
Franks’ certification as an information governance professional is in addition to her certification as a records manager and adds to her already prestigious curriculum vitae.
Franks is an associate professor at the San José State University School of Library and Information Science. She is also coordinator of the information school’s Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) program, and she teaches courses in both the MARA and Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) fully online programs, including courses in archives and records management, information retrieval, and information organizations and management. In addition, she heads the innovative virtual internship program and Virtual Center for Archives and Records Administration.
Moreover, Franks is a faculty supervisor in the San José Gateway PhD program, an international doctoral program in partnership with Queensland University of Technology. Her research interests include archives, records management, virtual worlds, metadata and semantic web, and information technology. Currently, she serves as PI for several research projects as part of the information school’s Center for Information Research and Innovation, a virtual research center organized around seven research areas in the library and information science field, including digital records and curation.