Volunteering with the ARA
Volunteering in the record-keeping sector is a great way of gaining new work experience and the skills you need to progress in your career. As a member you can volunteer with us at the ARA via our nations, regions, sections or groups.
The ARA National and Regional groups and Sections are absolutely essential to the success of the ARA. They are the focus for much membership activity and communication.
The National and Regional groups and Sections are made up of a variety of volunteer roles. All groups have a Chair and Secretary and are free to create posts as they need them which may include a Communications Officer, Training Officer, and Treasurer.
Volunteering in any of these roles will only require a few hours per month of your time and involve participating in two or three meetings a year. For these volunteering opportunities you will need to be a member of the ARA. If you are not already a member, find out more and join today.
Volunteering with us gives you:
• The chance to meet and work with like-minded people near you
• Wider experience than your day-to-day role
• Experience that counts towards your CPD and ARA professional registration
• Opportunities to advance the profession at a national level, influence agendas and drive improvement
• Wide ranging opportunities for experience in a variety of roles including being part of the editorial team for the ARA’s prestigious research Archives and Records Journal, professional development mentoring or part of the ARC Magazine editorial team
We have outlined each ARA Officer role so that you can decide what will be the best fit for you.
Take a look at our Why Be? Guides to find out more.
Contact us to find out more and get involved.
Ongoing Volunteering Opportunities
Peer Reviewer for the Archive Accreditation Scheme
The Archive Service Accreditation Scheme tests how far archive services meet the Accreditation Standard and helps organisations to make value-adding improvements to the services provided.
The Archives and Records Association would like to hear from archivists or those with experience in the archives sector who would like to join the pool of Peer Reviewers, becoming part of the teams which carry out onsite validation visits for Archive Service Accreditation in England.
As a Peer Reviewer for the Archive Service Accreditation Scheme you will have the opportunity to undertake validation visits as part of the assessment team within your chosen English region(s). You will work in conjunction with the Scheme’s Assessors for England, from The National Archives.
Find out more about the role and how to apply here.
Professional Registration Assessors & Mentors
Would you like to help others develop their careers by supporting their journey to professional registration?
There is a strong demand for ARA professional registration. Every year we see an increase in the number of applications and in the number of enquiries. This is driven by a competitive job market and increasing recognition of the importance of CPD and lifelong learning.
We have vacancies for members to volunteer as assessors and/or mentors. You will have complete control over how many applications you choose to assess, and how many candidates you choose to mentor; we will always fit around your availability and commitments. Do you want to give something back to the profession? Do you want to develop your assessment skills, as well as interpersonal and advisory skills, then this may be the role for you! We offer training and support whenever you need it.
Find out more here or contact chris.sheridan@archives.org.uk for more information.
Reviewers for ‘Archives & Records’
Archives & Records, the journal of the ARA, regularly prints reviews of scholarship and digital resources relating to the record keeping professions. The editorial team are happy to receive expressions of interest in reviewing books and resources for the journal. Could those interested please contact Rosie Al-Mulla, the Deputy Editor in charge of Reviews and Obituaries with their preferred contact details and some information on their specialisms or areas of interest so that the Reviews Editors can match publications to appropriate reviewers.
Reviewers are unpaid but are able to keep the item they review.
Current Officer Vacancies
Each of our regions, sections and groups has a committee made up of officers (see above for the Why Be Guides to these roles). You usually need to be an ARA Individual Member to take on one of these roles, however in some circumstances groups can co-opt non-members and affiliate members to their committees or to specific work-groups. Any current vacancies are shown below.
