Linda-
 
I note your personal sense of loss should you write a job description that
eliminates a friend from your staff by redefining their work tasks.  But
are you really sure that including information management as a task that
you will in fact eliminate them from their position?  I carefully avoided
computers when I was in college because I was afraid of the "programming
nerds" around my campus and also because, as an environmental studies major
with deep misgivings about the role of technology in our lives, I preferred
my manual typewriter to the word processor.
 
You know what?  My first job required not only that I work with computers,
but that I help a small city government computerize most of its office
operations.  Another entry level staff administrator and I had to learn, in
three seemingly endless days, how to configure a group of HP 150s (PCs
didn't use to come out of the box ready to run) to communicate with our new
mini computer and a variety of printers, load the spreadsheet and
wordprocessing software, and give a basic introduction to the software to a
pool of support staff.  I survived that and many other computer systems
challenges, and now am considered to be one of the more computer literate
people at several of the jobs I have since held.
 
Don't assume that your friend can't make it if "information management" is
a part of the job description--they may make the conversion from manual to
electronic systems much more quickly and capably (if not painlessly) than
you think.
 
Good luck!
 
 
 
Richard Chute                           [log in to unmask]
 
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden         Claremont, CA 91711
Phone:  (909) 625-8767, ext. 222
FAX:  (909) 626-6760