Thing 21: Professional Groups

For Thing 21, I have selected Option 4 as my task.  I joined the Archives and Records Association (ARA for short) as a student member in 2006, when it was still called the Society of Archivists, became a full member when I graduated in 2011, and a registered member in 2017.  ARA is the lead professional body for archivists, archive conservators, and records managers across the UK and Ireland, and has about 2,500 members.  On its website, ARA lists its main functions as follows:

1. To represent the interests of the profession nationally in discussions with central and local government, with allied information professionals, and with the archive user community.
2. To set standards of professional conduct.
3. To provide, monitor, and develop training for the profession.
4. To promote the exchange of expertise and experience among its members.
5. To market the skills of its members to potential employers.

Among other things, ARA organizes an annual conference for its members, provides research funding, runs accreditation schemes, runs and supports campaigns to raise the profile of archives, and distributes awards to teams and individuals who deserve recognition in their achievements.

Strength in Numbers!

I have nothing but good things to say about joining ARA.  It makes me feel part of a professional community (particularly important in a profession where you often work alone or as part of a very small team); keeps me informed about job opportunities, upcoming conferences, and current issues; offers training opportunities; and provides the chance to promote projects and share news through its magazine and newsletters.  In 2012, I signed up for ARA's Continued Professional Development Programme (then called Registration Scheme) in order to become a registered or 'chartered' member of the association.  It was quite a tough experience, as it meant I had to undertake twelve different projects which had to fit into one of four different categories - training courses, study and research, work achievement, and contribution to profession - so that each category was represented by at least one project.  It took me five years to complete the process but it was worth every minute.  I learnt a huge amount and spent much of the time totally out of my comfort zone which is always a good thing!  I might add that completion of the 2015 Rudaí 23-course was one of the projects I undertook, and I had no difficulty in having it accepted as part of my accreditation portfolio.

I should very much like to be more involved in the activities of ARA's Ireland Region but the fact that these are mostly centred around Dublin makes it complicated for somebody living in County Cork!


Image from Pixabay under Creative Commons Licence CC0 1.0.