Welcome to the first edition of the ICA New Professionals Newsletter following the 2016 Congress in Seoul, South Korea. In this edition you will find:
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A Spanish version of this newsletter will be available online soon!
Please check Facebook, Twitter or the ICA website for updates.
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Past editions of the newsletter are also available to view online.
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The 8 New Professional bursary recipients at ICA Congress Opening Ceremony (Image courtesy of Nicola Wood)
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New Professionals Survey: Results and Recommendations
You may have noticed that over the summer the New Professional’s Programme shared a survey with new information professionals across the globe. This survey aimed to find out about the current situation, needs and expectations of new professionals starting out in archives and records management regarding professional development, training, and professional associations. In this article we hope to summarise our initial findings and recommendations based on the responses and suggestions we received. We wanted to thank all of you that took the time to fill out the survey, we gained an enthusiastic response with:
- 399 responses in English
- 130 responses in French
- 221 responses in Spanish
- 101 responses in Chinese
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New Professional bursary recipients enjoying the sights of Seoul (Image courtesy of Nicola Wood)
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The results from this survey were presented in September at the ICA Congress in Seoul. A preliminary set of actions and recommendations were made for both the ongoing work of the New Professionals Programme and to the ICA more generally, with the aim of encouraging greater participation from the new professionals and meeting their needs.
It was clear from the survey that new professionals would like more help and advice. The survey results showed that:
- Employment and stability of employment for new professionals is a concern. Many new professionals suggested they were actively looking for a new job to gain more experience or felt they needed more training, professional development resources, guidance and support.
- In particular, participants identified a need for training and support in the following areas:
- Digital records management and preservation
- Working with audio-visual records
- Records management
- Working in low resources environments
- There was an indication that among the new professionals there was a reluctance to join professional associations, with costs and a feeling that they lack the experience citied as the most common deterrents.
- Employers and experienced professionals need to be both proactive and patient with new professionals
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New Professional bursary recipients speaking at the Closing Ceremony in Seoul (Image courtesy of Nicola Wood)
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In light of these results we came up with the following preliminary actions for the New Professional’s Programme:
- Writing a report of results and recommendations for the ICA community
- Promote the New Professional’s Programme and the ICA
- More pertinent social media and newsletter content to support the enhancement of technical and interpersonal skills of the new professional community through the promotion of relevant training and interaction with other professionals.
- Encouraging the new professional community to get more involved in content creation, translation and project work to help build skills (please note the ICA would particularly welcome more help with Spanish and Arabic translation!)
- More multi-language content including launching a new professional presence on Chinese social media
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Gyeongbokgung Palace (Image courtesy of Nicola Laurent)
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Following on from the Congress we will be putting together a formal report for the ICA based on our findings from the survey. We will put forward recommendations including a mentorship programme, a forum space for questions and answers, and ideas to help regional branches and expert groups with training, to help foster a reciprocal and collaborative relationship between the ICA and New Professionals globally.
Building on the work of last year’s amazing bursary holders and going forwards we hope you notice and benefit from changes we have made in response to your suggestions. We have expanded the New Professionals Online Network beyond the Facebook page and Newsletter to include a Twitter feed and a web space on the ICA website.
You asked, we responded! With new ideas arising from your suggestions we have seen an increased response to articles on our social media and a growth in the number of new professional community members. These spaces are a place where we can all share and learn from each other and our experiences. We hope to see this trend continue and that you feel encouraged to comment, question, share and discuss.
Over the next year we will bring you themed newsletters. We aim to provide thought-provoking, insightful and entertaining content written by and for new professionals. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future features, or if you would like to write an article or story for the Newsletter, Over the next year we will bring you themed newsletters. We aim to provide thought-provoking, insightful and entertaining content written by and for new professionals. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future features, or if you would like to write an article or story for the Newsletter we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch at newprofessionalsprogramme@gmail.com
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Information Professionals: Who are we and what do we do?!
Calling all budding writers, our social media team would like to feature your stories and experiences working as an information professional. Once a week our Facebook team will share your short posts telling us about your job, your studies, an event you have hosted or attended, or a favourite item in a collection you have worked with. We welcome entries written in any language.
Please message us at newprofessionalsprogramme@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook or Twitter.
The new professional’s community wants to hear from you!
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Tips for new conference attendees. Some advice from a Newbie.
I’m Australian and I work as a Senior Records Analyst at Monash University. ICA Congress Seoul 2016 was my first conference. I am so grateful to Gillian Olliver and Eric Boamah for the opportunity to present with them at a workshop there on Analysing Information Culture.
I wrote the following advice for Newbies who may be attending their first conference and looking for some tips:
What to do:
- Make sure all your social media profiles are up to date and professional, especially LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Bring business cards for when you meet someone new. You may continue the conversation online, but you need the details on the card to find them online.
- Have a plan for what sessions you want to attend, but be prepared to change it if you get interested in a particular topic or person.
- Make time for the fun activities such as a trade exhibition/vendor displays. These are great to do with any new friends you’ve made (or you may just make some friends there!).
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Left to Right: Eric Boamah, Lydia Loriente, and Gillian Oliver about to present a workshop on Analysing Information Culture (Image courtesy of Lydia Loriente)
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What not to do:
- Don’t fill every second of the day with attending presentations. Make sure you take a break to recharge and reflect on what you have learnt, revise notes, and talk to other attendees about what they have learnt.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions! As a Newbie, you have a lot of fresh ideas and new perspectives to offer.
- Don’t be afraid to volunteer for a task or responsibility at the conference. It’s a great learning experience, and will impress senior people who might just remember you next time there’s an opportunity available that’s beneficial to your career.
Written by Lydia Loriente, Student and Senior Records Analyst, Monash University.
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Lydia Loriente trying out virtual reality goggles at the Congress trade exhibition (Image courtesy of Lydia Loriente)
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ICA Conference 2017
The 2017 ICA conference is jointly shared with the Latin American Association on Archives, and will take place in Mexico City, Mexico There will be another round of the ICA New Professional bursaries and we encourage all new professionals to apply. Look out for more information coming soon!
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Annual Conference 2017 - Mexico, November 2017
The ALA-ICA annual Conference 2017 takes place in Mexico City, Mexico, under the title “Archives, Citizenship and Interculturalism”.
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Conferencia anual 2017 - Mexico, Noviembre 2017
La Conferencia anual ALA-ICA se celebrará en la ciudad de México, México, sobre el título “Archivos, Ciudadanía et Interculturalísmo".
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Conférence annuelle 2017 - Mexico, Novembre 2017
La conférence annuelle ALA-ICA se tiendra en novembre 2017 à Mexico City, au Mexique, sous le titre "Archives, Citoyenneté et Interculturalisme"
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Thoughts about the Congress from the Seoul bursary holders
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Ryan Courchene, Canada
The ICA Congress 2016 in Seoul Korea will have a long lasting impact on myself and my career. I learned so much in such a little amount of time. I made connections and friendships that I feel will last for a very long time and will have a direct impact on my work and my career development. Upon my arrival, I realized immediately that the week would be incredibly hectic and it was, but in a good way. The group of ICA bursary recipients for 2016 is an amazing group of New Professionals and I could not have asked for a better group of colleagues to work with throughout the ICA Congress. The days were long and the work was plenty but in the end, the experience was one that I will never forget and I will never be able to thank the ICA for giving me this opportunity. My focus was learning about digital archives and I not only attended sessions pertaining to the topic, but also made important connections with experts in the field.
I look forward to working with the ICA in any way I can for years to come starting with the development of the New Professionals section of the ICA website. To all the New Professionals in the Archival Profession, I implore you to be a part of the NP Programme in any way you can and to apply for the bursary every year you are eligible. You will not regret it.
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Nicola Laurent, Australia
Attending the ICA Congress in Seoul was an amazing experience and one that is hard to sum up into a few words. The presentations I heard, the people I met, the enthusiasm the congress ignited for the whole profession and the chance to present research I have been involved in combined to make it one big ‘wow’ moment and really inspired me. I cannot thank everyone enough for the opportunities and experiences the bursary has presented me with.
I particularly enjoyed the conference themes of reconciliation and cooperation as they align so well with my work and interests. Hearing about the value of archives and records to social justice projects is of never-ending importance, e.g. Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada and Forced Adoptions History Project in Australia. And learning about the involvement of archives and archivists with other organisations and disciplines really highlighted and reminded me of the specific role that archivists have to offer in the information sphere.
I am looking forward to working on improving advocacy around the ICA New Professional programme and the bursary over the coming year and generally becoming part of the larger ICA community.
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Annelie de Villiers, South Africa
I am Annelie de Villiers and I was one of the eight people worldwide who were selected for the 2016 ICA New Professional bursary.
I applied for the bursary as I was completing my Master’s thesis on personal archives of Indigenous Australian children in out-of-home care. As you would expect, the ICA 2016 Congress was an absolute dream as a major theme was the role of archives in the healing and reconciliation of nations.
Conferences such as these are invaluable opportunities for meeting fellow archivists with similar interests to yourself. I highly recommend that every new professional grabs onto opportunities such as these with both hands!
Once again, I would like to thank the ICA community for making this amazing experience possible. I look forward to being involved within the human rights and social activism aspects of the ICA into the future.
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Gabriela Andaur, Chile
There are many great things about attending a professional event, like learning about what other colleagues are doing and connecting with them. But there is more than that, because an event like the ICA Congress gives you something that no book can: you can actually see how a discipline and its theoretical basis is constructed (and re-constructed) based in our own practice and challenges. In this never-ending process, we are all called to participate, and we should do it whenever we can. It will not only be beneficial for us, but it will also allow us to contribute with our diverse professional backgrounds, experiences and views to a dialogue needed for the constant development of the profession. That is one of the things I value the most from attending the ICA Congress in Seoul, and I hope to have the chance to participate in future ICA events to keep listening, reflecting, sharing and getting inspired.
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Dolores Grant, Ireland
The ICA Congress 2016 was the first major international archives conference I have attended. It was a privilege, not only to attend the conference and become a part of the ICA, but also to meet archivists from around the world, including the lovely ICA Secretariat who gave all of us new professionals such a warm welcome in Seoul. This sums up my personal highlight of the conference- meeting so many impressive, successful and knowledgeable archivists. In my first contracts upon graduation I was often looked at with a mixture of curiosity and confusion when I shared with new colleagues what I do for a living! While I've developed a snappy speech for explaining my job by now, it's still a treat to be temporarily surrounded by 1040 archivists, where we can communicate with our own shorthand. Thank you again to the ICA, and especially to Cécile, for the opportunity to appreciate what a great profession we have entered!
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Nicola Wood, United Kingdom
The ICA Congress in Seoul was a very busy week of meeting new people, attending presentations and getting to know the ICA and the wonderful work it does and the support it provides to information professionals globally. As a new graduate from an Archives and Records Management Master’s programme in the United Kingdom, and with an interest in technology within archives, the conference provided the perfect opportunity to see theory put into practice and to hear about all of the great developments in the information sector. It was such an invaluable opportunity to learn from other professionals and an experience that will help me with my work going forwards.
I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with the New Professional’s Programme and volunteering to help within the wider ICA network. As editor of the New Professional’s Newsletter I am excited about bringing together stories and experiences from other new professionals and sharing these great articles with the new professional community.
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Left to Right: Nicola Laurent and Vilde Ronge (Chair of ICA’s Section of Professional Associations) in traditional Norwegian dress, working on the ICA stand together at the Congress (Image courtesy of Nicola Laurent)
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Thanks for reading, look our for our next issue in January!
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