How your ARA membership supports the recordkeeping sector as a whole through advocacy and thought leadership
Your ARA Membership supports the recordkeeping sector as a whole through advocacy and thought leadership
We work to ensure that Governments - local, central and devolved - know the value of the recordkeeping sector and ensure that it is adequately supported with the resources it needs. We collaborate with other organisations across the sector to maximise the work we do. We also work with individual groups and sections on specific issues and can support individuals and individual services where their work is threatened
Campaign for Records - Democracy and Rights in the Digital Age
The Campaign For Records has been initiated by the Archives and Records Association UK & Ireland and the Information and Records Management Society. The day to day running of the Campaign is managed by ARA’s Head of Communications.
The Campaign for Records highlights the need for better records management in public life and calls for more resources, better regulation and improved freedom of information and access to public sector and government records.
Without a robust framework for the collection and preservation of records, the age of dis and mis-information will continue. Accusations of ‘fake-news’, conspiracies and cover-ups will abound and trust in government and democracy will be further undermined. Even in the 2020 Trust in Government survey carried out by the OECD, the UK came 34th out of 41 countries – in the bottom ten just below Brazil and Colombia. Fundamentally there needs to be proper investment into the recordkeeping sector and its work. Over time, we also advocate that a new, comprehensive legislative framework will be needed to ensure that all records (including those in digital format across the public sector (and its partners and contractors) will provide the essential records and evidence that the public need to rebuild and maintain trust in government and diminish the threat to representative democracy. Much of the existing mishmash of legislation governing the collection, preservation and retention of records was framed more than 60 years ago and does not adequately cover digital records.
The Campaign was launched to the sector in November 2022 and to parliamentarians and public sector influencers in January 2023 at a reception in Westminster. You can find out more about the Campaign and how to get involved here.
Diversity and Inclusion
The recordkeeping sector is currently not very diverse. The Archives and Records Association has put diversity and inclusion at the heart of its 5 Year Strategic Plan and works with others including our members to develop best practice, encourage greater diversity in the recordkeeping workforce, examine issues such as decolonising, accessibility, respresentation.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Allies lead on much of this work along with the Diversity Portfolio holder on the ARA Board.
Publicising the sector though press, publicity and campaigns
Our awards give us an opportunity to let people know about the good work that the recordkeeping sector is doing. We regularly put out press releases highlighting winners of the various awards administered by the Archives and Records Association.
We also encourage MPs to nominate local services and groups for the ARA Excellence Awards and for the Community Archive and Heritage Group Awards. Last year the winner of the CAHG overall award was won by a group nominated by their MP. The Arts Minister, Lord Parkinson sent a message of congratulations to the winner of the Archive Volunteering Award - Archives: Wigan & Leigh.
ARA supports the Explore Your Archive Campaign and its annual focus week. Last year we launched the Outside the Box podcast as part of the campaign. The podcast and the campaign are public focussed and aim to create greater understanding amongst the public of what archives are and can do.
Working with members on specific issues
We support both individual members and also our groups and regions where they identify a specific issue that they need public affairs or communications help with. These issues are mostly confidential and therefore we cannot publicise them here but they include saving jobs and services and addressing major threats to the sector.
Legislation and Standards Working Group
ARA’s Legislation and Standards Working Group help us formulate responses to Government and sector consultations.
Collaboration
Collaboration with others in the sector (and beyond) is vital and we work with a range of other recordkeeping, heritage and GLAM (galleries, libraries, arts, museum) sector organisations across the UK and Ireland.
In collaboration with the International Council on Archives we have been able to offer support for the crises in both Afghanistan and Ukraine.
You contribute to the strategic direction of ARA and affect its impact on the sector
As a member you can stand for election to the ARA Board. In this role you can help direct the strategy of ARA and how it adapts and changes to the opportunities and challenges that affect the recordkeeping sector. You also vote for those who are nominated and are regularly consulted on strategic direction. In 2023 we are running a consultation on taking forward Diversity and Inclusion within our strategic plan.
As a volunteer officer for one of our regions, nations, groups or sections you can direct specific work - for example on environmental sustainability or best practice in your specialty. As a member of a working group you can help shape our response to changes to legislation and national guidance or provide best practice updates on vital issues such as security and access.
As a volunteer peer reviewer, as a member of an accreditation panel or as a mentor you can make a difference to how archive services are run, how recordkeeping is taught and to individual member’s careers.