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Re: Certification Discussion



Regarding  Certification,

        Other "serious" professions would never substitute an exam  for
educational credentials and suggest that the exam is equivalent to academic
study.
        I don't want to be argumentative, but if you check the ACA Handbook,
a Masters degree is a requirement for eligibility and I believe that is an
educational credential.  There is also an experience component and specific
credit hour requirements.  Which leads to:
        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.
        Please be aware that in the USA there is presently no graduate
degree available designated as a Master of Archival Studies.  The program at
NYU is a certificate in conjunction with an MA in History.  I do not point
this out to denigrate any of the fine programs out there, but to emphasize
that SAA, not as large an organization as the ALA, does not support an
accreditation program.  The ACA, is therefore, currently the only type of
credentialing available specifically to archivists in the USA.
        That said, I believe that members of the profession should support
the development of MAS degrees and ultimately their accreditation by SAA.
Until then, however, it seems counterproductive to me to vilify the one
organization that offers  such a profession-specific credential.
        It does little good, in a profession suffering from a chronic lack
of public awareness to downgrade those members who choose to take the option
of acquiring the credential.   It is surely more constructive to the
profession as a whole to attempt to upgrade the process, by supporting it.
        That's my 2 cents.
Sharon A. Pullen, CA
Suffolk County Archivist
Historical Documents Library
Office of the County Clerk
310 Center Drive
Riverhead, NY 11901-3392

Phone: 631-852-2015
Email: Sharon.Pullen@co.suffolk.ny.us

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