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