Chapter Background
The Madison Chapter was incorporated in 1978, and during its 20-year life, the Chapter has promoted the records management profession locally and statewide. Madison Chapter members, working with those in Milwaukee, encouraged the formation of two additional Wisconsin chapters during the past 11 years: the Fox Valley Chapter and the LaCrosse Chapter. When the Fox Valley Chapter was formed, Madison saw several strong members transfer to their closer-to-home Chapter.
The Madison Chapter also operates effectively in a community where training opportunities in information and records management and related fields abound. It's a challenge to attract members and guests to ARMA programs in a community with so many educational opportunities, and the Chapter stays abreast of other local and regional training opportunities in order to target its programs and other activities successfully.
The Madison ARMA Chapter partners, rather than competes, with related professional organizations, including Business Forms Management Association (BFMA); Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM); Data Processing Management Association (DPMA); Midwest Archives Council (MAC) among others. Many members belong to and are active in more than one association.
During its 20-year history in the Madison area, this Chapter has developed its members professionally, increased the visibility of the records and information profession in the community and publicized ARMA International locally and state-wide.
About Madison, Wisconsin
The Madison Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) is located in the capital of Wisconsin, an appealing small city with a population of 191,000. Madison is home to the world-class University of Wisconsin and the seat of state government. With four lakes and over 200 parks, it is a scenic city with small-town charm and a range of cultural and recreational opportunities usually found in much larger cities.
Madison consistently ranks among the top places in the nation to live, work, and raise a family. For example, Money magazine rated Madison the #1 Best Place to live in America in July 1996 and July 1998; it was ranked by Ladies Home Journal as the #1 Best City for Women in November 1997 and #1 American's Most-Wired Cities according to International Demographics, March 1998. Other publications praising the quality life in Madison include Parenting magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Good Housekeeping, and Entrepreneur magazines, weighing such factors as safety, low crime rate, quality of public schools, and health care.