In 2007-2008 the ASA is undertaking a round of accreditation of university courses in archives and recordkeeping at Curtin University, Monash University and Edith Cowan University. News about course accreditation will appear on this page and also on the aus-archivists list-serv and in the ASA Bulletin.
Course accreditation is linked to the ASA's rule regarding professional membership (Rule 4.2.a.iii), which states that:
Professional membership shall be open to any person who is or has been an archivist employed in a recognised archives institution who (iii) being a holder of a qualification in archives administration accredited by the ASA, or such other qualification as may be deemed by the Council to be the equivalent thereof, has been so employed for one year.
The document Course Accreditation Policy, Principles, Procedures states that the ASA will seek to accredit archives and recordkeeping bachelor's degree, postgraduate diploma and master's by coursework programs. The Guidelines for ASA Participation in University Courses provide additional information on the ASA's interactions with universities beyond the accreditation of courses. The key document for ASA course accreditation is the Statement of Knowledge for Recordkeeping Professionals (the Statement), developed jointly by the ASA and the Records Management Association of Australasia. The Statement is supplemented by course assessment criteria used to evaluate the objectives and content of individual courses. These are contained in the document ASA Course Assessment Guidelines. The ASA maintains a list of courses it accredits and will publish the names of the relevant institutions and courses on this page.
The following courses offered by Curtin University of Technology have been accredited by the ASA for a period of five years from 1 January 2008:
Bachelor of Arts (Librarianship and Corporate Information Management)
Graduate Diploma (Records Management and Archives)
Master of Information Management – Records Management and Archives stream
For further information on Curtin, Monash and Edith Cowan, accredited courses visit the University websites.
Course accreditation is only one aspect of the ASA's support for education in archives and recordkeeping. Universities and other providers interested in these areas of study are invited to contact the Education Officer.
To find out more about ASA course accreditation activities, contact the Education Officer at education@archivists.org.au.