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Re: Certification Discussion



10/19/01

Listers--

      Today, I stopped to read the certification-related emails that arose out of Suzanne Durham's query about the need or importance of the CA  designation for archivists.  From the very beginning, it has been a critical issue for archivists because the archival certification debate goes to the heart of our profession--our concerns with professional image, status, and salaries, etc.-- Who is a well-trained archivist and how can we determine that?

        For many reasons, certification was presented as a panacea to this dilemma, mostly for the reasons Charles Schultz mentioned, primarily the difficulty of accrediting archival education programs, because the archival profession and library/history departments can't agree on a standard archival education curriculum nationwide.  Therefore, rather than  struggling with that problem, which is the key concern that doesn't every go away, it was determined that accrediting individual archivists would solve the competency question.  But, does the exam solve the problem?

        Not to be too blunt about this, but-- over the past 15+ years of discussion over the pros and cons about the need for test, how to re-credential certified archivists, what fees should be charged for the CA designation, etc. etc. I have never changed my opinion that the certified archivists exam is basically worthless and a waste of money.  Other "serious" professions would never substitute an exam  for educational credentials and suggest that the exam is equivalent to academic study.  Rather the exam would be tied to the completion of the graduate professional degree in archival studies and would validate the knowledge, skills and training acquired in an archival program of study.    

      I am in complete agreement with Susan Hamson's comments regarding the certification process as a money-raising scheme with little verifiable benefits. She wrote:

       "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."  

      Touche, Susan.
(p.s.  I have hired many archivists over the years and, not surprisingly, I would never request or prefer the CA designation as a serious job qualification.)

                                                Sincerely ,  

                                                 Lucinda

Lucinda Manning
UFT Archives & Records Center          
United Federation of Teachers
260 Park Ave. South
Ny, NY 10010
212-598-9213