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Guidelines for the Development of Post-Appointment and Continuing
Education and Training Programs (PACE)
Adopted by the Council of the Society of American Archivists,
August 30, 1997.
Note to the reader:
The PACE guidelines below were approved in 1997 and underwent a scheduled
five-year review in 2002 by the Committee on Education and Professional
Development (CEPD), now the Committee on Education. The committee noted
in its report that several
aspects of the PACE Guidelines need revision. Perhaps most notably,
the "Subject
Framework" section of these PACE guidelines were based on the
1994 Guidelines for the Development of a Curriculum for a Master of
Archival
Studies (MAS) Degree. The MAS Guidelines were replaced by a new set
of Guidelines for a Graduate Program in
Archival Studies in January 2002.
The Committee on Education is currently
working to update and revise the SAA's approach to professional and
continuing education. The result will be a new set of guidelines that
also include an articulation of the priorities and approaches that
the
SAA Education Office will utilize in planning its own professional
and continuing education program. The committee will
also explore the possibilities
of developing a comprehensive set of new guidelines in conjuction with
allied professional organizations.
Although portions of these PACE guidelines are somewhat out of date,
many of the ideas in the document itself, especially those in the "Planning,
Delivery, and Support" section and the "Roles and Relationships"
section, remain useful for reference purposes.
Introduction
In 1994 the Society of American Archivists (SAA) adopted Guidelines
for the Development of a Curriculum for a Master of Archival Studies Degree.
That document expresses SAA's position that "programs of the extent
and nature outlined in these guidelines are the best form of pre-appointment
professional education for archivists." A field as complex and rapidly
changing as archives, however, also requires effective post-appointment
and continuing education and training. In order to plan and foster educational
programs which address this challenge, SAA approved Guidelines for
the Development of Post-Appointment and Continuing Education and Training
Programs (PACE).
PACE programs are intended to provide brief, focused learning opportunities.
(They are not a substitute for graduate archival education.) PACE programs
should provide both education and training. Education involves gaining
knowledge of archival principles and methods and developing a professional
ethos and approach to archival administration. Training involves the application
of principles, methods, and ethos in archival practice.
PACE programs meet the needs of a varied audience. Although an increasing
number of archivists enter the field with graduate archival education,
many arrive with other academic backgrounds. Archivists with graduate
archival education require continuing education and training to update,
expand, and deepen the knowledge they gained in graduate courses and through
their work experience. Individuals employed as archivists who have not
had the benefit of graduate archival education can improve their knowledge
and skills through post-appointment education between these groups is necessary
for post-appointment and continuing education and training to be effective.
Recognition of their different roles and responsibilities is also important.
(1) Individual archivists are responsible for assessing their educational
needs, communicating these needs to their employers and professional organizations,
and keeping their archival knowledge and skills up-to-date. Archivists
are also responsible for educating employers, colleagues, and others in
the knowledge and skills required to administer an archival program.
(2) Employers are responsible for encouraging and supporting post-appointment
and continuing education and training for archivists. This can be accomplished
through a variety of means such as financial support, administrative leave,
and flexible work schedules. Such support enables archivists to gain access
to post-appointment and continuing education and training activities and
other educational tools, such as publications and internet access, which
support their professional development. Employers are also encouraged
to attend programs to learn more about archival functions within their
own organizations.
(3) Professional organizations and college or university-based archival
education programs are responsible for assessing the post-appointment
and continuing education and training needs of archivists, employers of
archivists, and others interested in the care, use, and preservation of
historical records. These organizations are also responsible for developing
educational programs and tools which identify and explain the knowledge
and skills necessary to ensure that records are properly managed for administrative,
legal, and historical purposes.
Audiences
PACE programs may be offered to three audiences.
Introductory
This audience category is intended for individuals employed as archivists
and paraprofessional archives staff who have neither had the benefit of
graduate archival education nor substantial professional experience. Continuing
education in this category provides a basic introduction to archival concepts
and functions. Offerings in this category emphasize the rationale for
the concept or function discussed and basic training in how particular
functions are performed.
Advanced
This audience category is intended for archivists who have had the
benefit of graduate education in archival administration and/or substantial
professional archival experience. Educational opportunities in this category
build upon knowledge acquired either in graduate archival education or
through substantial professional experience. Participants should already
understand subject matter dealt with in the Introductory category. Offerings
in the Advanced category examine archival issues, concepts, and functions
in greater depth than at the Introductory level. They may also draw on
knowledge and techniques from related professions and disciplines. Continuing
education and training in the Advanced category provides opportunity to
study in depth new trends in the discussion of archival theory and practice
and/or to receive advanced training.
Ancillary
This category is intended for non-archivists. For a variety of reasons,
both personal and professional, this audience may need to learn more about
archival administration, yet does not want to pursue formally either graduate
work in archival studies or continuing education and training designed
for archivists. This group includes actual or potential sponsors of archives,
users of archives who are not archivists, employers and supervisors of
archivists, volunteer workers in archives, and persons who are simply
interested in knowing more about archives. Topics of interest to this
group include the role of archives in sponsoring institutions and in society,
archival principles, concepts, practices, and sources, and research strategies
and opportunities in archives. Offerings in the Ancillary category emphasize
what is done in archives and its rationale rather than how it is done.
Subject Framework
The subject areas covered in post-appointment and continuing education
and training reflect the three knowledge areas identified in Guidelines
for the Development of a Curriculum for a Master of Archival Studies Degree:
contextual knowledge, archival knowledge, and complementary knowledge.
The PACE guidelines do not prescribe specific courses for continuing education
and training programs. Rather, the knowledge areas presented here can
be developed into a variety of educational offerings that draw on subjects
from different areas. Not all subjects or topics are appropriate for each
audience described above. (The subject areas text below has been adapted
from Guidelines for the Development of a Curriculum for a Master of Archival
Studies Degree. Although the word archivist appears throughout this section,
certain PACE programs may be of interest to non-archivists.)
1. Contextual Knowledge
Rationale:
Archival work rests on an understanding of the context in which archival
documents have been created, preserved, maintained, and used. Archivist
should be knowledgeable about the administrative, legal, economic, and
cultural contexts which shape the purposes for which records in the United
States have been created and used, the procedures and processes of their
creation and maintenance, and their form and content.
More specialized contexts also influence the archivist's understanding
of records in areas such as literature, religion, the sciences, and family
life. Although these records are created within the same organizational,
legal, financial, and cultural framework that defines classical archival
work, they are also shaped by more specific and equally significant professional,
(sub) cultural, and family frameworks. These more specific frameworks
are diverse, and the educational needs of individuals who work in these
areas may be met by instruction tailored to their needs.
Although these guidelines relate to PACE programs intended for U.S. archivists,
in a world moving toward a global community, it is important that PACE
programs emphasize relationships between the United States and other countries.
For this reason, instruction in the contextual knowledge area should be
delivered in a comparative way.
Components:
U.S. Organizational History
PACE programs provide instruction in the origin, development, and nature
of American institutions, the responsibilities, functions, procedures,
and processes of all levels of government and private organizations, and
the administrative relationships between governments and private organizations
(such as churches, universities, and financial institutions).
U.S. Legal System
PACE programs provide instruction in the origin, development, and structure
of legal systems, legal jurisdictions and legal processes, specifically
those affecting the way in which individuals and organizations accomplish
activities and execute programs, and in the legal principles and procedures
governing the creation, maintenance, and use of archival documents.
U.S. Financial Systems
PACE programs deal with the principles, methods, and procedures of accounting,
budgeting, and financial planning, and with how they affect the creation
of records. Instruction in this area should cover the origin, development,
and structure of accounting systems, as well as the characteristics of
accounting for private organizations compared with the characteristics
of accounting for government agencies and offices.
2. Archival Knowledge
Rationale:
The identity of a profession is based on a body of knowledge belonging
exclusively to it, and on a professional culture that arises from a common
history, a united purpose, a shared language, and collective values, norms
and standards. Archival knowledge is the core of archival studies and
thus PACE programs. Because the elements of archival knowledge are interwoven,
the components described below overlap. Since archival knowledge and professional
culture transcend geographical and national boundaries, each component
should be taught from an international and multicultural perspective.
Components:
The History of Archives, Archival Organization and Legislation, and
the Character of the Archival Profession
PACE programs provide instruction in the historical development of
recordmaking and recordkeeping systems in various civilizations, ranging
from ancient systems to modern ones, including computerized systems. Instruction
should cover the structure of the archival network in the Western world
in general and in North America in particular, the types of archival repositories
and programs in existence in the United States, along with their policies
and procedures, and the legislation and regulations governing archives
and influencing archival work in the United States. Instruction should
also address the historical development of the archival profession, its
missions, roles, and values over time, and the profession's code of ethics
and contemporary concerns.
Records Management
PACE programs teach those aspects of organizational culture, structure,
procedures, processes, and communication systems that relate to records
creation and use. Instruction should include records control through information
systems and record forms, recordkeeping systems (including classification,
retention and disposition, identification and retrieval, maintenance,
storage, and transfer systems), reformatting techniques and standards,
design and implementation of multimedia integrated records management
programs (including methods of analysis of records systems and of taking
inventories), and information technologies.
Archival Science
PACE programs encompass archival theory, archival methodology, and
archival practice. In treating theory, PACE programs should emphasize
the analysis of fundamental ideas about the nature of archives, archival
records, and archival functions. In treating methodology, they should
emphasize the analysis of ideas about performing archival functions. In
treating practice, they should emphasize the analysis of practical implications
and the implementation of theory and method in actual circumstances. Instruction
should cover the history of archival theory and methods and their articulation
in the professional literature. Archival science should be taught with
a focus on the functions of appraisal, acquisition and collection development,
arrangement, description, reference services and the administration of
access, outreach, and preservation. Proper attention should be given to
the development of new record formats which result from changing information
technologies for the creation, maintenance, and use of records, and to
automated systems for archives. The challenges to archival thinking and
practice posed by these phenomena must be fully explored. PACE programs
should also offer an introduction to the foundations of ethical professional
practice.
3. Complementary Knowledge
Rationale:
Archivists, like all professionals, rely on knowledge not entirely of
their own creation. Archival work is rooted in archival knowledge, but
it also necessarily employs methods and perspectives from other fields.
The interdisciplinary nature of archival studies derives both from the
complexity of records and the contexts of their creation and from the
many roles which archivists must fill. The components of this knowledge
area are listed below by field of study. Archivists need to be knowledgeable
about select elements of these fields.
Components:
Preservation
Archivists' most traditional role has been that of preserving the materials
in their custody. Therefore, archivists need to know about the physical
nature of archival materials (regardless of format), the causes of deterioration,
the methods of preventing or retarding deterioration, and the methods
of treating deterioration. To accomplish this, archivists should be familiar
with basic conservation treatments and techniques. They should also be
able to establish and administer institution-wide programs of preservation,
including holdings maintenance, reformatting, and disaster planning.
Library and Information Science
Many descriptive standards and practices employed by the library community
are useful for archival description. For this reason, and because archivists
often disseminate descriptions of their collections through automated
library systems, archivists need to know some of the principles, methods,
and practices developed for bibliographic control of library materials.
These include fundamental concepts governing indexing, cataloging, and
the compilation of thesauri and authority lists. In addition, archivists
must increasingly be knowledgeable about information systems and technologies.
This knowledge extends beyond basic familiarity with hardware and software
to include such topics as telecommunications and information networks,
information storage and retrieval, and database design and use. Although
these subjects are not the exclusive purview of library and information
science, they are most often taught within these fields.
Management
At all career levels, archivists manage resources and make decisions which
should be based on thorough evaluations. For this reason, archivists need
to know the fundamental principles of organizational management, systems
analysis, program planning, financial management, human resources management,
public relations, and the management of buildings, facilities, and equipment,
including security.
Research Methods
An understanding of research methods is necessary to enable archivists
to assess the status of research in their discipline, to undertake new
research, to manage archival functions and institutions, and to understand
archival users and their research needs. Knowledge of research methods
contributes to the ability to blend theoretical and empirical aspects
of archival studies in scholarly investigations.
History
History provides an understanding of social systems and relationships
that over time create and change archival institutions and archival records.
History assists archivists in acquiring knowledge of the evolution of
organizations and their functions, as well as knowledge about the activities
of individuals. The historian's skills in evaluating evidence and the
context of its creation also contribute to the skills of archivists.
Planning, Delivery, and Support
Needs Assessment and Planning
The knowledge areas and components outlined in the PACE guidelines represent
an assessment of the most general education and training needs of archivists.
Even so, identifying the needs that should be addressed by specific post-appointment
and continuing education and training programs requires the use of short-term
and long-term assessment tools such as surveys, personal interviews, and
focus groups.
In planning PACE programs, the needs of the three audience groups—Introductory,
Advanced, and Ancillary—must first be understood. Such assessment
should go beyond surveying the needs of those who have already taken advantage
of continuing education and training offerings. Assessments should take
into account the perspectives of archival educators, members of archival
organizations who do not or cannot attend traditional PACE venues such
as workshops, recent graduates of graduate archival education programs,
members of allied professional groups, administrators, and researchers.
Second, in order to ensure that continuing education and training are
relevant to the conditions of the workplace, the knowledge and skills
desired or required by employers of archivists should be understood. Finally,
an assessment of the long-term impact of continuing education and training
programs on their participants is important in shaping structures and
venues that provide more than transitory benefits.
Based on such needs assessments, providers of post-appointment and continuing
education and training should conduct long-range program planning so as
to identify the subjects and knowledge areas in which programs will be
delivered. Moreover, providers should coordinate and prioritize their
efforts. Overlapping coverage—whether geographical, topical, structural,
or of delivery methods—by different providers should be avoided in
an effort to improve utilization of the finite resources available for
continuing archival education and training.
Structure and Venue
Assessment and planning provide the foundation for selecting the best
means of meeting continuing education and training needs through appropriate
delivery structures and venues. A variety of structures and venues are
available. The goal should be to match structures and venues to the needs
of participants and the subject being taught. Traditional workshops have
a place in continuing education and training, but other options should
be explored as well.
Examples of program structures are:
- independent workshops, seminars, institutes, and courses which treat
a single topic at various levels of detail (depending, in part, on the
audience and the venue)
- coordinated workshops, seminars, institutes, and courses which treat
a series of interrelated or overlapping topics
- graduated series of workshops, seminars, institutes, and courses
which treat one topic at different levels of advancement or detail
- independent inquiry, accomplished through such venues as listservs,
mentoring, and professional literature.
Most of these structures may be delivered through such venues as
- workshops
- seminars
- institutes
- internships
- apprenticeships
- in-house training programs
- local study groups
- professional association meetings
- consulting
- mentoring (either one-on-one or via listservs)
- professional literature
- distance education (including teleconferencing, home study, or internet
courses)
- fellowships
Educator Qualifications
Qualified educators must be identified to plan and deliver post-appointment
and continuing education and training. Educators should be experts in
their field, possessing mastery of the subject being taught. This expertise
may be indicated by a combination of elements such as experience in archival
practice in the given subject matter, publications, a record of presentations
at conferences, work in related professional associations, formal academic
credentials, or other demonstrable indications of advanced knowledge.
Educators should demonstrate an ability to teach effectively. This may
be confirmed by a successful teaching record or teacher training. In the
context of continuing education and training, however, teaching skills
must be broadly conceived to reflect the wide range of venues and structures
appropriate for such education. Therefore, teaching skills consist not
only of the ability to construct and present an effective in-person workshop,
they also include the ability to critique written or hands-on assignments
effectively, to conceptualize and deliver course content via distance
education, to research and write a formal manual, and to provide thoughtful
and committed mentoring.
Curricular Materials and Supplies
Supporting materials appropriate to the structure, content, venue,
and style of the presentation should be readily available. Some curricular
materials are best utilized if participants receive them prior to the
beginning of the course, while others may be designed for in-class use.
They may be either created specifically for the particular education and
training program, or they may be obtained through licensing agreements.
Education providers must obtain permission to use copyrighted materials
before using them. If original curricular materials are being developed,
the individual or organization responsible should consider registering
them for copyright. An array of supplies and equipment may be needed to
support the content of the subject being taught and the style of the instructor(s).
Office supplies will be needed for virtually all subjects. Electronic
equipment such as overhead projectors, slide and film projectors, VCRs,
televisions, and computing hardware and software also may be needed. In
some cases, more sophisticated computer networking will be essential,
especially in the employment of certain distance education methods.
Facilities and ation and training opportunities. In addition, it is in
the best interests of archivists to provide information about archives
to non-archivists who, for a variety of reasons, need to know more about
archival functions, the uses of archives, and the importance of archives.
PACE programs address the needs of
- archivists who have received graduate archival education and/or who
have substantial professional archival experience
- archivists who have neither the benefit of graduate archival education
nor substantial professional experience
- non-archivists who have responsibilities pertaining to archives or
who have an interest in archives.
The purpose of the PACE guidelines is to
- build upon the educational foundation outlined in Guidelines for
the Development of a Curriculum for a Master of Archival Studies Degree
- outline elements of program planning, curricula, and delivery that
will provide effective PACE programs
- stimulate nationwide discussion of cooperative approaches to PACE
programs.
PACE programs should be a cooperative enterprise involving various participants,
including the SAA, other national, regional, and local archival associations,
employers, and related professional associations.
Roles and Relationships
Who is responsible for providing and/or facilitating post-appointment
and continuing education and training? Responsibility is distributed among
(1) individual archivists, (2) employers of archivists, and (3) professional
organizations and educational institutions.
Sufficient space and, when necessary, an appropriate technology infrastructure
are necessary for the selected program delivery method. Facilities appropriate
to the subject being taught may also need to be available in the vicinity.
Examples of such facilities might be a functioning archives, records center,
conservation laboratory, and/or computing facility. Facilities used in
continuing education should meet the requirements of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. In addition, administrative support is needed to distribute
programming information, process registrations, perform other secretarial
and coordination tasks, and employ a system of recognition to reward participants,
such as the awarding of continuing education units.
Evaluation of Educators and Continuing Education and Training Programs
Organizations providing continuing education and training should conduct
evaluations of educators and the education programs. PACE program providers
should obtain the views of participants in the program and their employers
as part of the evaluation process. Educators at all levels of experience
should expect evaluation of the content, suitability of the program delivery
method, success in imparting new skills and knowledge to students, and
other factors deemed appropriate. Program evaluation should judge both
specific continuing education offerings and the total program of offerings
over time. All of these approaches are essential elements of successful
evaluation.
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