Certification Maintenance by Petition: A View from a Petition Review Team Member

By Kristine L. Toma, CA
A version of this article was originally published in “ACA News,” Summer 2009.

Certification maintenance by petition remains a popular way to maintain one’s status as a Certified Archivist. Information about recertification is easily available on the ACA website under Certification Maintenance, including a link to all the forms and instructions for completing a petition. Professional archivists have a variety of areas in which to earn credits for recertification, and those who are active in the profession frequently earn far more than the minimum number of credits to maintain their CA status.

ACA’s Certification Maintenance petition review teams are charged with a straight‐forward task: to verify each credit claimed on a petition and determine if the petitioner has enough valid credits to remain certified for another five years. Submitted petitions are divided into batches and distributed among review teams for evaluation; each of the three ACA members on a review team receives copies and is responsible for evaluating every entry on each petition within that batch. The Definitions and Special Instructions pages of the maintenance packet provide guidance for the team to evaluate claims for credit. Allowed credits are totaled and each petition is assigned a status of “pass” or “no pass” based on the information provided.

While this process works very well for many petitions, difficulties arise when a petition does not include sufficient information. In this case, the team members often go in search of more information – searching the Web for a statement of professional archival components in educational events, for the number of days that educational sessions were scheduled at local archival meetings, and for online versions of articles to determine if the publications are sponsored by the individual’s employer. The simple fact that team members must resort to research is frustrating because the petitioner should have provided these details in the first place. Petitions that require in‐depth research by the team are often the same petitions that end up with a “no pass” status. However, the most surprising thing is not that a relatively small number of petitions lack adequate credits to pass, but that a growing number of petitions contain inaccurate, incomplete, incoherent, and – occasionally – misleading information.

Certification Maintenance by Petition requires a level of organization, detail, and accuracy that should be attainable by any professional archivist who works with donors, processes materials, and creates finding aids. Frankly, these concepts should be familiar to anyone in a professional position. Would an employer accept a travel reimbursement request with no dates specified and a vague list of expenses? Would a supervisor accept inaccurate data submitted for an annual report? Would a manager allow an employee to claim a vague number of vacation days taken sometime during the previous 5‐year period? If an employer requires organized, detailed, and accurate information, should a certification maintenance petition deserve less? The value of the CA designation begins with its members; if ACA members fail to respect the recertification process, employers have no reason to value certified archivists.

The CA designation is neither automatic nor awarded to individuals who have achieved a certain status or reputation; it must be earned and maintained either by exam or thorough the careful documentation of professional activities. Create a strong petition by becoming familiar with the Certification Maintenance requirements. Download the packet now – before the end of your certification period – and read through the Definitions and Special Instructions. Better yet, begin your petition and update it annually – just as you prepare for your employer’s annual performance review. Follow the instructions and provide details; remember that a team of your peers will evaluate your petition and determine which credits are allowed. Three or four years into your certification period, calculate your credits to see where you stand. If you lack credits, perhaps you can alter you professional development plans to earn additional credits for a strong petition, or perhaps you should you consider taking the exam to recertify. Both methods are valuable and equally valid for recertification. Take pride in the fact that you are an archivist and a member of the ACA. Continue to learn and participate in the profession, and carefully document this activity if you choose to maintain your certification by petition.