Certification Maintenance

Certified Archivists must recertify every five years, either by re-taking the examination or submitting a petition listing their participation in and contributions to the profession.

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Option A: Recertification by Examination

Certified Archivists who recertify by examination will take the same examination as applicants who are certifying for the first time. This exam is offered once a year at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting and concurrently at four geographically dispersed sites and any "Pick Your Site" locations where five or more archivists apply to take the exam.

To recertify by examination, fill out the Recertification by Examination Form by the deadline. Recertification applicants pay no exam fees and do not need to submit any documentation in addition to their application.

Recertification by examination has several advantages:

• Universal credential. Certification by examination allows archivists to remain certified even during periods of unemployment or while otherwise unable to pursue professional development.
• Minimal fuss. Examination is the fastest and easiest way to recertify. Most persons complete the examination in less than two hours.
• Minimal paperwork. All Certified Archivists are forever qualified to sit for the examination.
• Self-evaluation. The certification examination allows you to compare your professional knowledge to a consensus view of current archival standards.

Option B: Recertification by Petition

The petition option uses a point system to reward professional experience, continuing education, and contributions to the profession such as attendance at archival meetings, participation in workshops, presentation of papers, and service on archival committees. Petitioners have five full calendar years to earn points toward their recertification.

The petition for recertification consists of two parts, a Qualifying Archival Experience Document (Word template available here) and an online form summarizing the points claimed for each section of the petition.

The Certification Maintenance Packet (PDF) contains an Application Form worksheet listing the different activities that can qualify for archival recertification credits and the number of credits you can earn for each activity. It is strongly suggested that you look through this packet during your five-year recertification period, so you can proactively earn and keep track of your credits.

Claiming archival recertification credits is done on the honor system; unless a question arises, you do not need to submit evidence of your activities. Applicants must demonstrate a variety of professional activities to qualify for recertification by petition. The petition form should be submitted by the exam deadline in the year recertification is due.

You might find it helpful to review the list of past programs that were pre-approved for archival recertification credits on our ARCs page. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of activities that can be claimed for credits, just those that applied for pre-approval.

Recertification by petition has several advantages:

• Archival specialization. Recertification by petition allows you to specialize in particular aspects of archival practice without keeping up-to-date on the entire scope of the profession, as you would need to when taking the examination. This is an advantage for people who are relatively settled in a career and ready to specialize.
• Academic archivists. The scope of activities for which recertification credits may be earned includes writing and research activities particularly well suited for archivists working in an academic setting.
• Continuing education. Archivists who are able to attend archival workshops and conferences will be given credit for these activities.
• Professional service. Archivists who volunteer to serve on committees or run for office in local, regional, or national archival organizations can earn credits for their service.

For more detailed information about recertifying by petition, please review the Recertification Definitions and Special Instructions.

You must maintain your annual dues, but regardless which certification maintenance option you choose, there is no recertification fee.

Timeline

Because of the way the certification year is administered, the certfication period for an archivist who passed the exam in August will begin the following January. The archivist will then have five calendar years in which to earn credits toward recertification and will participate in recertification by examination or petition the following year. For example, if you passed the exam in August 2000, you would have from January 1, 2001 - December 31, 2005 to earn credits. You would then either submit your petition by June 1, 2006, or take the examination in August 2006.

Certified archivists who are due for recertification will be notified in December and again when recertification materials are made available in January.

If you were provisionally certified when you passed the exam and later attained full certification after one year of full-time professional work, your timeline will vary, depending on what time of year you become officially certified. If you have any questions about when you are due to recertify, please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Questions?

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