Archives and Records Education Stakeholders (ARES) Forum

12-13 June 2003

Introduction

The ARES Forum is being organised by the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) and the Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA). It will be held at Public Record Office of Victoria, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne.

Parking is available at 112 Macaulay Road. Map

The Forum is intended to focus on education within a broad range of practices including archives, records, records management and recordkeeping. It will focus on the need to sustain specialist education within these fields rather than other areas which might be related to, or necessary to support, the education of an archives or records professional.

Background

The idea of the Forum was first suggested at a meeting convened by the RecordKeeping Educators and Trainers Forum (RKETF) in the lead up to the ASA's Conference in Sydney in August 2002. Participants discussed the state of education within the profession and agreed that it would be useful to convene a meeting to further discuss education issues with all stakeholders. The ASA agreed to convene the meeting and was delighted when the RMAA offered to be co-hosts.

The Forum was initially referred to as an education stakeholders' round table. The name ARES Forum was chosen when it was realised that the many interested stakeholders could not be accommodated around a single table. It is important that all stakeholders have the opportunity to be represented at the Forum.

The Public Record Office of Victoria has kindly agreed to provide the venue for the Forum without charge. The ASA and the RMAA would like to thank them for this support.

Scope and Purpose

The ASA and the RMAA believe that there should be minimum educational qualifications to become a professional practitioner in their respective fields. The two associations also take the view that professional education includes a broad range of activities pursued over a professional working life. They are concerned to ensure that such education is sustained in a climate of considerable change in the educational landscape in Australia and New Zealand.

Thus the Forum will cover education in the full range of work carried out by archivists, records managers and recordkeepers, but it will only be concerned with, for example, Australian history, librarianship, knowledge management, information technology and management generally, to the extent that these related or supporting fields contribute to sustaining the core of records education. This is not to imply that other fields will not be studied by records and archives professionals. Rather, it is a recognition of what is the core content required for the education of professionals in the fields of archives and records and the practicalities of what might be dealt with in a large forum in only two days.

The aims of the Forum are:

1. To ensure that all stakeholders understand the current environment for professional education,
2. To ensure that stakeholders understand each others' views on education,
3. To develop a shared agenda for professional education which will benefit all stakeholders,and
4. To develop a list of actions for implementation which will sustain professional education which is valued by all stakeholders.

The Forum is a working meeting and its success depends on participants' willingness, not only to share their views, but to commit to work which will advance education for professional archivists, records managers and recordkeepers.

• Process and Format

Attendance at the Forum will be by invitation. It is intended that all stakeholder groups, educators, employers, employees, regulators (for example archival institutions which are responsible for recordkeeping across government) and professional associations will be well represented. It is estimated that there could be 60 participants.

The ARES Forum Committee has provided a Background Paper which covers some of the issues of concern.

The Forum programme will include a session for each stakeholder group. Speakers have been invited to submit papers by 23 May. At the Forum, they will be asked to open the sessions by speaking to their papers for 5 - 10 minutes. Discussion, which will be facilitated by a professional facilitator, will follow. There will be 2 or 3 opening speakers for each 1 ½ hour session. The educators' session will have more introductory speakers and more time allocated. It is expected that suggestions for actions will arise during these sessions. Time will be allowed at the end to review all discussions and suggestions and to develop an agenda for implementing actions which are agreed by the Forum.

Participants will be asked to provide a few lines on their background and interest in education for the participants list. This is a means of introducing participants to each other and of letting all stakeholders know who will be representing them.

Organising Committee

Members of the ARES Forum Committee are the existing ASA Education Committee:

• Karen Anderson, Edith Cowan University Perth
• Jill Caldwell National Archives of Australia, Canberra
• Peter Crush Consultant Adelaide
• Del Cuddihy Queensland Rail Brisbane
• Brenda LeGrand Monash University Archives and Records

and as RMAA representative

• Lesley Ferguson Western Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet Perth

Details about the Forum are available on both the ASA and the RMAA websites.

Enquiries can be directed to Jill Caldwell jcaldwell@naa.gov.au or Lesley Ferguson lferguson@dpc.wa.gov.au

Jill Caldwell, Convenor, ARES Committee

Lesley Ferguson, RMAA Representative