A new book by Dr. Patricia Franks, an associate professor at the San José State University School of Library and Information Science, introduces readers to records and information management from prehistoric times to today’s high-tech culture.

The 424-page book titled “Records & Information Management” is intended for a broad audience, Franks said, from students in archives and records management programs to records and information management professionals looking for a comprehensive reference book.  

As one reviewer wrote on Amazon.com, Franks’ book “begins with a solid foundation of RIM fundamentals, [and] progresses through essential program components, risk considerations, prominent standards, vital records considerations, a review of emerging technologies and how they affect RIM, program training and implementation insights, and more.”

A unique feature of the book is that at the end of each of the 12 chapters, Franks has guest authors write two or three pages of either their reflections on the topic or a case study. This helped bring a “real-world” perspective to the book, she said.

“The guest authors include archivists, records managers and information professionals who come from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands,” Franks wrote in a section titled “About This Book.” “They talk about their experiences dealing with artifacts, records and information that include both paper and digital objects, and they give us ‘something to think about.’” 

With a doctorate in organization and management, Franks also is a certified records manager. At the San José State University School of Library and Information Science, she teaches courses related to information organizations and management, archival studies, and records management. She’s also the coordinator for the fully online Master of Archives and Records Administration degree program at the information school.

This is Franks’ first book, which she said took her about 14 months to write. The editing and publication process took another year. She describes the entire experience as “exciting, frustrating, educational, and exhausting.”

“The biggest challenge was in keeping the sections related to emerging technologies as current as possible,” she said. “That entailed making minor adjustments even during the final review of proofs for publishing.”

Franks recently learned that the Institute for Records and Information Managers, the certifying body for the certified records management designation, will be using the book as a source of test items for all five sections of its CRM exam.

Published by American Library Association imprint Neal-Schuman Publishers Inc., the book is available in paperback for $76 on Amazon.com.