Professional Societies

What does the ARA do? “It represents the interests of the record-keeping profession nationally in discussions with central and local government, with allied information professionals and with the archive user community. It sets standards of professional conduct including maintaining a professional register. It provides, monitors and develops training for present and future members of the profession. It promotes the exchange of expertise and experience among its members. It markets the skills of its members to potential employers”

ARC Magazine The Journal of the Archives and Records Association Bulletin of employment opportunities most of which are not advertised in the national press. ARA training events ARA annual conference Best Practice Guidelines Registration Scheme and Conservation Training Scheme Bursaries to attend training courses and international conferences are available to members. Networking, networking, networking!

ARA Eastern ARA East Midlands ARA Ireland ARA London ARA Northern ARA North West ARA Scotland ARA South East ARA South West ARA Wales ARA West Midlands Archives for Learning & Education Section Archives & Technology Chief Archivists in Local Government Business Records Community Archives & Heritage Group Film, Sound & Photography Preservation & Conservation Public Services Quality Group Records Management and Information Governance Specialist Repositories New Professionals

The foremost professional association for all those whowork in or are concerned with records or informationmanagement Also include organisations wishing to develop recordsor information systems and those that provide servicesin these fields Launched in 1983, previously called the RecordsManagement Society Currently have over 1100 members from 30 countries Who they are...

What are their aims? To provide leadership in records and informationmanagement To champion the status of this profession throughrepresentation, external liaison and promotion To support professional development through sharingknowledge and expertise To promote all aspects of good information and recordsmanagement, including governance, assurance, security,sharing, compliance, rights and business continuity

What do they do? Encourage high professional standards through close and regular contact with its own members and with related professions Hold regular meetings for discussions or to hear guest speakers Organise an annual conference for speeches, debates and networking Publish the bi-monthly Records Management Bulletin containing comment, analysis, case studies and news from the UK and beyond Produce information guides on issues such as records retention and information technology Run training courses for members and non-members

Local Government Classification Retention Scheme Joining the IRMS also gets you free access to the LGCRS database This database provides an online, web-based Records Retention Reference Tool The legislation contained within it is kept up to date on an ongoing basis Currently based on the Local Government Classification scheme, which has been mapped to UK legislation and regulations, IPSV (Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary) and the LGSL (Local Government Service List) The LGCRS is being reviewed by the LGCRS sub committee, an ongoing process and the database will be updated as this progresses

A professional membership organisation for everyone working in museums, galleries and heritage The oldest museums association in the world, set up in 1889 to guard the interests of museums and galleries Over 6,000 individual members, 600 institutional members and 250 corporate members They are independently funded by their membership, which is made up of museum professionals, institutions and corporate members Who they are…

Their mission and what they do... Their mission is “To enhance the value of museums to society by sharing knowledge, developing skills, inspiring innovation, and providing leadership” Run essential training and professional development for members wishing to further their careers Put on an annual conference, which is Europe's largest event for museum and heritage professionals Advocate for museums and set ethical standards, which we'll look into further

What is advocacy for museums? Definition: “the process whereby an organisation seeks to influence others in order to gain support for its mission, interests or course of action. In order to achieve this, networks of support are developed and used to lend credibility, wield influence and offer third-part endorsement” Mainly considered and undertaken as a form of political communication As well as a form of stakeholder communications Spans a wide range of strategies, both general and specific, with tactics frequently involving data-gathering, evaluation, creating a compelling 'narrative' for the organisation and presenting this information through publications and meeting

Ethics Committee The Museums Association help to set ethical standards through their ethics committee, which aims to create a culture in UK museums that embraces ethical practice Develop and promote the understanding of ethical principles, practice and issues within the museum community Provide confidential advice on specific issues in individual museums Its members help with investigations in difficult cases Created a ten point code of ethics, available at

Membership... Types of membership are Individual, Institutional, Corporate & Sole Trader Members get free entry (or discounts) at over 900 museums and galleries in the UK Individual membership is £55 for unsalaried people and between £73 and £213 for people working in museums, depending on salary bracket Gets you access to a weekly newsletter with news, comment, jobs, events and careers advice As well as a copy of their monthly MP newsletter, with the latest museum practice, case studies and thinking from experts in the sector

Web Resources at Very handy website, featuring a lot of resources for: Campaigning and Policy Extensive careers and events listings Help, advice and funding for collections

“CILIP is the leading body representing the information professions. We believe in a literate, knowledgeable and connected society. We build the professionalism of our members by supporting the development of skills, knowledge and excellence. We provide unity through shared values and advocate on behalf of the information professions.”

Professional Development Career coaching, expert advice Bursaries to attend events. CILIP Update magazine Access to a wide range of professional journals Special deals and discounts Virtual Learning Environment Networking, networking, networking

Central East North North East Tayside West CILIP UK CILIP CYMRU WALES CILIP IRELAND

Academic and Research Libraries Group Career Development Group Cataloguing and Indexing Group Commercial, Legal and Scientific Community, Diversity and Equality Government Information Group Health Libraries Group Information Literacy Group Information Services Group International Library and Information Group Library and Information History Group Library and Information Research Group Local Studies Group Multimedia Information and Technology Group Patent and Trademark Group Personnel, Training and Education Group Prison Libraries Group Public and Mobile Libraries Group Publicity and Public Relations Group Rare Books and Special Collections Group Retired Members Guild School Libraries Group UK eInformation Group Youth Libraries Group

Why should I join a professional society? It looks good on your CV It’s cheap whilst you’re a student Training Conferences Jobs Mentors Knowledge about your profession Networking, networking, networking

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