Thing 13: Professional Organisations

I have been a member of the Archives and Records Association (ARA) since I started my Archive Administration degree course at Aberystwyth University back in 2006.  It was one of the first things on the agenda on the first day of our study school - application forms were circulated around and we were strongly advised to join.  I don't know how many of us did but I thought it made perfect sense, particularly since they had a special subscription rate for students - I think it was something like sixteen euro per year which was incredibly good value!  For professionally qualified archivists the subscription fee is tied up with your salary range - the lower your salary the lower the fee.  They also have very low special rates for the unemployed and the retired.

ARA operates nine sections of special interest that members can join - I subscribe to Specialist Repositories, Preservation & Conservation, and Film, Sound & Photography sections.  There used to be a charge of a few euro per section but these days belonging to them is free.

I have nothing but good things to say about ARA.  They publish a magazine once a month full of news and information.  Members can contribute articles about events, projects, new acquisitions and any number of other topics.  I have contributed to it a couple of times and find it a great way to spread the news within the archival community.  The Irish branch also publishes an e-zine three times a year and we have contributed to this also once or twice.  ARA also publishes a peer-reviewed academic journal twice a year to which needless to say I have not contributed...

In addition to the magazines and newsletters, ARA publishes recruitment notices twice monthly and organizes a range of workshops both in the UK and ROI throughout the year.  They also run an Registration Scheme which enables full members to pursue accreditation by ARA.  I started on this path a couple of years ago but I have to say it entails an enormous amount of work and effort and is definitely not for the faint-hearted!

I would highly recommend membership of a professional organization, it is a great support network, keeps you up to date with news and developments, provides professional advice and is useful in myriad other ways.