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Re: Certification



Hi all.
 
Not being "certified" at the moment, I thought I'd write with my own skeptical viewpoints of certification.
 
As has already been mentioned, a number of employers have begun requiring certification for applicants (or at least stating "C.A. preferred.").  I wonder how many of them know what a "certified archivist" is.  Does it just sound good, or does it really mean something?  I also wonder the same thing when I see job advertisements requiring an M.L.S.  You can pass a test and you can get an M.L.S., but it doesn't mean you really know anything about archives.  I know some "certified" individuals who know a lot about theory, but can't apply it.  And I know plenty of librarians who are clueless when it comes to archival practice.
 
And the question of money always makes me skeptical.  I pay $50.00 to apply to the exam.  If I pass I pay $150.00 and then I pay $50.00 every year thereafter.  In five years I pay $50.00 to take the exam again and so on and so on.
 
So I'm paying a lot of money out of pocket to have the privilege of adding two letters after my name and announcing that I belong to an elite group of successful test takers.  It's not like getting a C.A. will insure that my salary increases (I saw one ad cross my desk awhile ago that required an M.S., and M.L.S. and a C.A.--and it was only paying $29,000.00/year in the northeast United States).  The yearly fee doesn't give you the "protection" of a union.  I pay union dues where I teach and it gives me some measure of salary and job security, fair treatment, and professional respect--or I'll join others on a picket line.  I mean, all that I can see is that the A.C.A. provides a receipt for my fees and dues and the opportunity to say I "belong" to them--oh, and it tells other archivists that I'm supposedly somebody.  Well, it tells "some" archivists that I'm somebody.  Most of the archivists I know don't care for certification, either.
 
I don't know.  I've never been one to buy into the argument that a degree or special designations means you're worthy of one thing or another.  I know that in the real world others are impressed and swayed by this, but a C.A. offers me a vastly different impression than someone flashing an M.A. or a Ph.D. at me.  It tells me only that someone passed a multiple choice test and nothing more.
 
Oddly enough, sometimes I get up and sit on the fence when thinking about this issue.  But inevitably I always jump down to the side of the skeptics. 
 
Susan
 
---
Susan Hamson
Archivist 

Othmer Library of Chemical History
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA  19106-2702
susanh@chemheritage.org

Voice: 215-925-2222
Fax: 215-925-6195

The views expressed here are those of the individual author only and not necessarily those of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

-----Original Message-----
From: Suzanne Durham [mailto:sudurham@VUU.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2001 3:23 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Certification

At the risk of opening old wounds, could I learn from this list what the arguments/opposition are against certification and the Academy of Certified Archivists? Maybe this list has hashed out the certification issue, but I'm fairly new to this list so bear with me.
 
I was just finishing graduate school when certification came into existence. I heard grumblings from the professionals around me then about what hoops these were to jump through. However, in the intervening years, I've never heard an argument against certification that will also address the need for a professional standard. In other words, ANYONE can call themselves an archivist. And our salaries and status in organizational charts usually reflect that.
 
Maybe a multiple choice test isn't the best measure of professional expertise, but it's way better than - nothing. I notice many job descriptions now asking for certification, especially among the private sector. In fact, I wonder if the majority seeking certification aren't from the private sector, that there is some dis-incentive for public sector archivists to pursue certification.
 
I'm a private sector archivist who was recently certified. I considered it a professional development activity, which is important in an academic setting. This is all meant to solicit other viewpoints from the profession. Please reply to the list.
 
 
Suzanne K. Durham, C.A.
Special Collections Librarian & University Archivist
L. Douglas Wilder Library
Virginia Union University
1500 N. Lombardy St.
Richmond VA 23220
 
Ph. 804/278-4124
Fx. 804/257-5818

The views expressed in this message are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.