• Meet the ACA Candidates!

    The 2024 ACA Election is coming up! Ballots will be emailed on May 1 and voting will be open until May 15.

    Join us for an informal Meet the Candidates event to learn more about the candidates on May 2 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

    Read about the slate of candidates on ACA’s website at www.certifiedarchivists.org/2024-election

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81481056995?pwd=OWZLRlVVdWZhVWVVc2tqQUVzbjNkZz09

    Meeting ID: 814 8105 6995

    Passcode: 710571

    Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb5XJVWBHt

  • Job Analysis Survey Open!

    The ACA is conducting a survey as part of an updated job analysis to assess the skills and responsibilities that comprise archival work and define the archivist profession in 2024 and beyond. We would appreciate your participation. The results of the new job analysis will provide crucial information to the profession about how archives jobs have changed with the advent of new technologies, new processes, and new theories. ACA hopes to share the results of the survey with all Archivists through the SAA 2025 Research Forum.

    The survey should take about 40 minutes to complete. While the survey may be completed on a phone or mobile device, ACA recommends completing the survey using a desktop computer or laptop for readability. You may leave the survey and finish at a later time by clicking the link again. The survey will close April 18, and we appreciate your participation. 

    To take the survey please go to: https://kryteriononline.co1.qualtrics.com/j fe/form/SV_0GqxEPw7I147PO6

  • The 2024 Reading List and Study Guide are available!

    In a change from previous years, the Reading List is no longer organized by Domain but instead as a bibliography with notations of all the domains a source covers. Many sources touch on multiple domains, and the Exam Development Committee hopes this new format helps guide your studying. When available, there is a link to an open access version of a source as well.

    The Study Guide has also been updated. We recommend you start by reviewing the Role Delineation Statement, and review the key archival terms and concepts. Also included are some study tips, primarily based on the experiences of past exam candidates.

    Throughout the next few months, we encourage you to ask questions of the ACA and each other. Teams channels are set up where you can post general questions or specific ones about a domain. If you are interested, email examadmin@certifiedarchivists.org to get added to a Teams group.

    We wish you the best of luck as you study!

  • President's Message October 2023

    Greetings ACA Members! I am excited to be taking over as President this year. I cannot tell you how hard this board works to keep this organization running so smoothly, including the ACA Office staff who are the nuts and bolts behind the organization.

    After a very successful summer board meeting, we are continuing on track with projects that you may have heard about at the annual member’s meeting.

    Job Analysis

    We continue to make progress in our efforts to define what it means to be an archivist. We’ve chosen a firm to complete the work and the contract is almost complete. We’ve put out a call for subject specialists to be interviewed in various areas to gather information about the profession. The process is moving along with the help of former President Gerrianne Schaad who has been tasked with overseeing the project.

    ACA and SAA Collaborations

    Current and past ACA and SAA leadership are continuing discussions on how to make our relationship stronger. After meeting this past summer, we met again recently to discuss ideas about creating partnerships to benefit each group. I think it is important to have these collaborative discussions. Look for more information soon about initiatives coming out of these talks.

    Outreach Volunteers

    With the recent changes to the position of Outreach with several Regents stepping down, we will be going in a different direction until we can fill that position. We are looking for a few dedicated members to be part of a committee to assist with outreach activities in the interim. Typical Outreach duties include managing advertisements for ACA, scheduling tables at conferences, working with student groups, and social media. This Regent works closely with the Regent for Membership Services as well. If you think you have an interest in helping guide Outreach during this transition time, look for a call shortly about that opportunity.

    ACA Board Elections

    It’s never too late to start thinking about running for a position with ACA. While it is early in the process, consider running yourself or nominating someone you think would be a good fit for the board. Positions up for election in the spring of 2024 will be Vice President/President-Elect, Nominations Committee, Treasurer, Regent for Exam Development, and Regent for Outreach.

    Zoom Events

    We will be having more opportunities to gather via Zoom for sessions on a variety of topics in the upcoming months. Sessions in the works range from an “Ask ACA Anything” to targeted ones regarding the exam, domains, recertification and other archival topics.

    I am excited to keep ACA moving forward. As always, please reach out with questions, ideas or just anything that is on your mind about ACA. Our goal is to work together to make this organization the best it can be.

    Liz Scott | President, 2023-2024
    ​​Academy of Certified Archivists
    president@certifiedarchivists.org  

Upcoming Events

Call for Proctors

Are you interested in assisting ACA exam candidates while earning recertification credits? We are seeking volunteers to proctor the online exam June 11-13, 2026. Sign up here. The 3-hour exam will be offered multiple times throughout the three days, and you can choose the time slots that fit your availability. Each proctoring session lasts for 5 hours and is entirely online. It’s a great chance to meet your fellow CAs and to help future CAs!

To ensure that everyone can earn points toward recertification, please do not sign up for more than two time slots. Proctor training will be provided several times in early June. If you have any questions, please reach out to examadmin@certifiedarchivists.org.

Examination Dates

The CA exam will next be held June 11–13, 2026.

The application period is open March 1 - April 30, 2026. Watch for future announcements about the application period. Please email examadmin@certifiedarchivists.org if you have any questions.

Not quite ready to take the exam? Here are the exam dates in future years.

  • June 10–12, 2027
  • June 8–10, 2028
  • June 14-16, 2029
  • June 13-15, 2030

The ACA Board standardized the exam to be held each year over three consecutive days starting on the 2nd Thursday of June.