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ACADEMY OF CERTIFIED ARCHIVISTS
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"Our commitment to certification is not about the past ... our commitment is ... strengthening the archival profession."
"The Academy of Certified Archivists is now enjoying its fifteenth year and is stronger than ever." |
Thank you for visiting our home on the internet!
Welcome to the Academy of Certified Archivists website! Please take some time to navigate through the pages and bookmark the site for future reference; it is a rich and extensive repository of information about certification and the Academy. If you have questions after perusing the site or would just like to chat with someone about certification, I encourage you to contact me, or one of the ACA Board members. We will be pleased to speak with you or communicate by e-mail.
I am excited to tell you that as the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) approaches its 20th anniversary, it has nearly 1,000 members. The majority of the membership no longer represents the founding class of 1989 but is based on those that have taken the exam in the last eight years. It is interesting to note that our founding class of 1989, to whom ACA owes a huge debt of gratitude, continues to maintain their certification either through active participation or emeritus status. This indicates that certification, over the last 20 years, has proven beneficial to our members. The steadily increasing number of new members also reflects that the ACA is strong and vibrant, and that certified archivists remain dedicated to the principles and practices of our profession, and to pursuing the highest standards of excellence.
For those with questions about the certification examination, please know that the ACA exam is not developed in isolation, nor is it in anyway a haphazard exercise. All questions are tied directly to existing published sources on archival practices, and are written in accordance with standard rules for the creation of multiple choice exams. The Exam Development Committee (EDC), consisting of six ACA members serving three year terms, the Vice President, and the Regent for Exam Development, works conscientiously to prepare an exam that is balanced between the domains as described in the Role Delineation Statement, developed and updated by ACA to define the knowledge and skills necessary for archival work, and is consistent with current thought and best practices. After every exam all questions are reviewed in accordance with sound psychometric standards and principles.
ACA provides several opportunities for input on the exam, including an open forum discussion, with the most recent one being held at the Society of American Archivists (SAA) annual meeting in Chicago, IL. Those who attended included board members, people interested in sitting for the exam in the future, and those who took the exam at the SAA meeting site. And to assist in exam preparation, the Academy's website has added a new feature, a Certification Examination On-Line Discussion Forum, for approved exam applicants. It was created to allow applicants an opportunity to work together in preparation for the exam (and is "closed" until the next applicant pool is created); and this summer, in fact, several dozen applicants registered and logged onto the Forum. For more information about it please read the summer issue of the ACA NEWS.
For the past several years, in order to help members understand how the exam is constructed, ACA has offered an Item Writing Workshop at the Annual Meeting of SAA. ACA is willing to hold similar workshops at regional meetings, depending on the availability of EDC members in a given location and as money allows. This workshop provides an opportunity to experience the challenging and intellectually stimulating exercise of writing exam questions based on published practices. Many of those who have attended these workshops go on to serve on the EDC. Service on the EDC and participation in item writing workshops gives ACA members an opportunity to become directly involved with the development of the exam.
In addition to service on the EDC, ACA members can join a team that reviews petitions for certification maintenance to verify the continuing education and professional service required to preserve one’s status as a certified archivist. If this opportunity is attractive to you please contact me, or the Regent for Certification Maintenance, Shelly Croteau, to express your interest.
The area of outreach involves communication with our membership, offering important information about ACA; and can encompass a variety of initiatives including the preparation of articles for newsletters, the development of materials for the speakers’ bureau, or service as a presenter talking about the Academy and its mission. Again, let me, or the Regent for Outreach, Laura McLemore, know if you would like to assist in these endeavors.
Periodically the ACA has formed special task forces to study issues important to both certified archivists and the future of the organization, and offer recommendations for actions to be implemented. If such activities are of interest to you please let me know, or be alert for announcements calling for volunteers.
I know from personal experience that the ACA is a most vibrant organization that will continue to thrive because of the dedication of its members to professional archival standards of practice, education, and leadership; and commitment to active participation in the various areas of archival enterprise. I sincerely hope you enjoy visiting this site and that you will find the information you are seeking.
Judith G. Cetina, PhD, CA |
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