Professionalism and Archivists in the United States

Abstract

Since the formation of the Conference of Archivists in 1909, archivists in the United States have been concerned with their own professional status and standards. Although archivists have made tremendous strides in the development of professionalism, especially over the past decade, recent self-assessments reveal that their profession still has serious deficiencies. This essay, using sociological models and examples of other professions, attempts to analyze some of the reasons for these problems and suggests an agenda of issues for archivists' consideration. The article discusses society's image of the archivist and its understanding of the archival mission, archivists' need to develop a stronger national voice, problems with archival education, the purpose of individual certification and institutional accreditation, and the need for archivists to acquire a broader notion of their own potential. While an improved professionalism is not the only solution to the problems archivists face, it is certainly a means for working towards their mission and its goals.