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Archival certification myths



The board of the Academy of Certified Archivists occasionally discovers
inaccurate information about archival certification circulating within the
archival community. In the hope that misunderstandings can be corrected
before they become urban legend, we offer the first in a series of "Reality
Checks" that compare myths to simple, straightforward, and verifiable facts.

MYTH: "The Academy considers the examination to be the equivalent of
academic study and encourages archivists to substitute the exam for
educational credentials."

FACT: Few myths about the Academy depart further from reality. From its
inception, archival certification was intended and designed to foster
archival education and complement graduate degree programs. The Academy's
support of archival education is so strong that, except in rare cases, a
graduate degree is required to take the exam. To learn more about the
requirements applicants must meet to take the examination, review the
Academy's handbook.

Among the Academy's elected positions, archival educators have been
represented at a far higher degree than in the general archival population.
For example, the founding president of the Academy was an archival educator,
and of the Academy's eleven presidents, five have been archival educators.
Strengthening support for graduate archival education was one reason the
Academy was founded, and it informs and motivates every Academy program and
discussion.

For more comparisons of myths to facts about archival certification, visit
the Academy's "Reality Check" web page at www.certifiedarchivists.org. If
you learn of a new myth, we'd like to hear about it. Contact us at
aca@caphill.com.

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