Heather Jack is one of the very few stand-up records managers who can be guaranteed always to raise a laugh. With her irrepressible grin and one hand held aloft, finger pointed to the sky, she makes what might appear the dull monotony of records management exciting. Something every sane person should aspire to.
Without a single note, she talks excitedly about her personal journey from the pastures of the library to the challenge of being an information management consultant in both the public and private sector. Like a female Bill Connolly she never falters, even if sometimes you wonder where she is leading her audience. Always she brings it together in a resounding conclusion that there can be no more rewarding career than helping organizations understand why effective management of their knowledge base can improve efficiency and add value. This may be management speak, but from Heather it is delivered with the passionate enthusiasm of a practitioner who believes whole-heartedly in what she does and the contribution she makes.
Long before government woke up to the knowledge economy, Heather was wittily advocating unlocking the value of records hidden in cupboards or computers. Each year for nearly a decade with her memorable presentations she has launched many students on the Information and Management and Preservation (IMP) masters programme at the University of Glasgow on a career in managing information.