| Recertification by petition is the only
professional forum for recognizing and rewarding the normal
development activities in which archivists routinely engage. |
by
Willow Powers
Michael Holland
Cindy Smolovik
Introduction
Congratulations
on achieving certification by the Academy of Certified Archivists. To
maintain certification Academy members must enhance their professional
skills and knowledge and contribute to the archival profession. Every
archivist engages in some of these activities, depending on their resources,
opportunities, and personal interests. For example, you may:
- maintain
employment in an archives or a related institution with archival duties
- continue and
expand your archival education through workshops, seminars, college
courses, etc.
- participate
in archival organizations through attending meetings, accepting
committee assignments, or running for elective office
- present
papers, publish articles, or edit newsletters
Even though
every archivist engages in some of these activities, before certification
there were few opportunities to be recognized for them. Recertification by
petition provides the only professional forum for recognizing and rewarding
the normal professional activities in which archivists routinely engage.
Background
Certification
must be renewed every five years. You may renew either by taking the exam or
through the petition review process. The purpose of these guidelines is to
provide members who think they will be electing to recertify by petition an
easy reference for what is expected. These guidelines will also give you
ideas for the types of documentation you should maintain to simplify
completing your recertification petition.
Recertification
by petition requires a total of 100 points within five categories of
activity. You may obtain the points through a variety of activities. Points
within all five categories are not necessary. A petitioner with full time or
part-time employment, consistent membership in one or more archival
organizations, and attendance at a few workshops or meetings can easily
obtain the 100 points needed for recertification.
Recertification
by petition is an honor-based system. For example, you will be asked to
provide information such as titles and dates of meetings and workshops you
attended, along with a brief description. However, the Academy does not
require you to include receipts, registrations or other documentation as
evidence. Your word is sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Section
A: Employment (40 possible points)
What is meant
by "employment in archives or a related field with archival
duties"?
The petition
defines qualifying professional employment as a professional archivist or
archival educator actively exercising responsibility for or teaching about
one or more of the following: the acquisition, preservation management,
reference, or control of archival materials.
Qualifying
professional employment should require an understanding of basic archival
principles and the ability to apply them. Managing the work of archivists
or administering an archival repository will be considered qualifying
professional experience if performance requires substantial knowledge of
archival principles and practices, including identification, preservation,
or use of archival documents.
How is
part-time employment or employment where archival activity is not the main
focus (i.e. records managers, oral historians, special collection librarians
with minimal archival collections) rated?
The
certification process recognizes colleagues in related fields. However, it
assumes archival certification must be justified by archival activity.
Positions that include a mixture of archival and other professional duties
will be pro-rated.
For example,
a position consisting of 50% archival work held for one year would be
equivalent to one-half year of professional archival employment;
therefore, if this same position were held for the entire five years the
total would be 20 points. Each year of full time archival employment is
worth eight points.
How are
consultants and archivists with independent employment rated?
Projects will
be pro-rated on the same basis as other employment. The petition should
describe each project-including its archival components-and total time
spent.
Why is
employment rated so heavily while the other sections have more components to
make up the total points?
Employment
enhances skills by putting them into practical use and creates
opportunities to learn new techniques. Since practicing the archival
profession is the main focus of most archivists it stands to reason that
employment would be a significant point contributor.
Why are
activities such as exhibit mounting, creating finding guides, and in-house
training sessions not counted in other sections?
Unless these
activities are done for an outside organization, they are considered part
of the forty possible points credited in the employment section. If an
exhibit, training session, finding guide, or other publication is done
outside your job for a totally separate organization, then it can be
counted in the appropriate sections. In this situation, the petition
should include enough detail to explain why the activity is being
considered separately from employment.
Section
B: Education (60 possible points)
What type of
courses count for recertification?
Formal
classroom work relating to any of the domains of archival practice such as
selection; arrangement and description; reference services and access;
preservation and protection; outreach, advocacy and promotion of
documentary collections and archival repositories; managing archival
programs; and professional ethical and legal responsibilities.
What graduate
degree programs are acceptable for recertification?
Any graduate
degree conferred by an accredited institution of higher learning during
the five years earns credit.
What types of
workshops, seminars, and institutes count toward certification?
As with
formal college course work, any continuing education opportunity dealing
primarily with activities in the archival domains is acceptable for
recertification.
What does
"archival component" or "domain" mean?
Archival
component and domain simply mean one or more of the basic archival
activities: selection; arrangement and description; reference services and
access; preservation and protection; outreach, advocacy and promotion of
documentary collections and archival repositories; managing archival
programs; and professional ethical and legal responsibilities.
Are sessions
attended at annual meetings accepted as workshops, seminars, or institutes?
Each session
is not counted individually, but attendance at annual meetings and
conferences is credited in Section B-4 of the petition form. If a specific
workshop, seminar or institute is given before, after or during an annual
professional meeting or conference, it is separately credited in Section
B-3.
Are sessions
attended at a related organization meeting accepted for credit?
Yes, but only
if the topic is related to an archival domain. For example, if the
Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) sponsors a
workshop on microfilming, digital imaging, preservation or similar topics
for historical or permanent records then it would count toward
certification. If the title of the meeting or workshop does not make the
archival domain obvious, include a brief description so that reviewers can
evaluate the validity of the offering for archival credit.
Does a session
attended as a presenter or facilitator count in this section?
No. This
session should only be counted once under Section C: Professional
Participation and Outreach.
Section C: Participation (45 possible points)
How is
"participation" different from "education" or
"professional service"?
This section
rewards members who present archival programs, workshops and seminars.
Most archival educational opportunities focus on introductory or moderate
skills. This section offers an opportunity for those at advanced levels to
accrue points.
Can points
counted in this section be counted in "Section B: Education"?
No, this
section is designed to give points for enhancing the skills of others by
sharing skills and knowledge. The education section is intended to reward
points for enhancing ones own skills.
Section D: Professional Service (30 possible points)
What does
"professional service" mean?
Professional
service means giving something back to the archival profession by
supporting the organizations that sponsor or provide continuing education,
networking, and information.
Which
organizations are accepted?
Certified
Archivists should be members of at least one regional or national archival
organization and preferably both. Memberships in related organizations are
counted but should be in addition to professional archival societies. A
suggested list includes but is not limited to national organizations such
as:
- Association
of Canadian Archivists (ACA)
- Australian
Society of Archivists (ASA)
- National
Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA)
- Society of
American Archivists (SAA)
- Society of
Archivists (UK and Ireland)
and other
international counterparts to ACA, ASA, SAA, etc.
Regional
organizations such as:
- Association
of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives (ANLA)
- Conference
of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA),
- Mid-Atlantic
Regional Archives Conference (MARAC),
- Midwestern
Archivists Conference (MAC),
- Northwest
Archivists (NWA),
- Society of
Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA),
- Society of
Southwest Archivists (SSA), etc.
Related
organizations:
- Association
of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA)
- Association
for Information and Image Management (AIIM), etc.
Section
E: Writing, Publishing, Editing (30 possible points)
What is peer
review?
Peer review
is a process used by most scholarly publishing houses and professional
journals to assess the worthiness of a manuscript for publication. It
consists of others within the same profession reading the manuscript
critically to provide the publisher with an informed opinion as to the
value of the work. If an author is in doubt as to whether a publication is
peer reviewed, call the publisher or the journal editorial offices.
What types of
publications are accepted for credit?
Those related
to archival theory and/or practice. Also acceptable are publications in a
related area such as history or biography where reference to archives or
archival documents is primary.
Why aren't
finding guides considered publications?
Finding
guides, in-house manuals, and exhibit publications are considered part of
employment and are counted in the 40 points given in Section A.
General questions about recertification
Why is
recertification necessary?
The
requirements to maintain certification allows for continued growth in
knowledge and skills which enhance both the individual and the profession.
Why is the petition a two-part process
consisting of a form plus additional freeform information? This seems to
repeat the same information.
A strict form
limits the amount of space for descriptive information. Since ACA is not
requiring documentation, such as job descriptions, receipts and
registration forms, more space is needed for descriptive information than
the certification maintenance form allows.
The form
neatly outlines the types of activities and the amount of credit claimed.
The freeform information allows the petitioner to give as much detail as
necessary. The freeform format also allows petitioners to prepare
documentation for the recertification petition on their personal
computers, greatly easing the process for many.
Why can't
petitioners just send in a current resume or vitae?
Reviewing
hundreds of recertification petitions is a very time consuming and
exacting process. The petition form greatly eases the burden and increases
the speed and uniformity of the evaluation process. Using a form rather
than a resume or vita has advantages for both the petition reviewers and
the petitioners.
Suggestion for
making the petition process easier:
Keep good
records of your activities. Keep a file folder into which you drop
programs, agendas, and other documents from meetings you attend, calendar
notations, database of activities, running lists. Whichever method you
choose, you will need to update it regularly. Make it a habit beginning
today.
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