The Society of American Archivists's recent decision to establish a program to certify individual archivists has been seen by both proponents and opponents as a sign of fundamental change in the nature and direction of the profession. While its merits and potential effects have been debated extensively, there are other contexts in which it should be considered, including as an example of the broader phenomena of professionalization and credentialism, as a means to define competencies for use in employment decisions, and as a generic aspect of the behavior of a professional association. Yet, these perspectives have not been brought to bear sufficiently on either side of the issue. To illustrate some of the larger dimensions of certification, this article reviews sociological and historical analyses of the professionalization process, human resource management studies of competency, legal issues, and case studies of four other occupational groups. It concludes with a commentary on archival certification and suggestions for the profession.

This paper traces the historical development of archivists and archival programs in institutions of higher education, from their existence as a handful of manuscript repositories in the 1930s to the creation in 1979 of the Society of American Archivists's College and University (C&U) Professional Affinity Group representing 40 percent of the society's membership. The evolution of C&U activities is illustrated using surveys of academic archivists, publication projects, and education and training programs. The role of academic archivists within their institutions, their influence on the wider profession and on archival institutions, and the increasing importance of their collections are examined in detail.

For archival institutions to maximize productivity and efficiency and create well-balanced work environments for the individuals within those institutions, archivists must begin to focus more seriously and intently on the organizational processes and management style of their institutions. This article suggests that the management technique of organizational development be considered as an optimal alternative to more traditional management styles, particularly autocratic management styles. The author discusses organizational development in the context of an archival institution which, for a period of time, implemented the organizational development theory. The article concludes that unless the managers and individuals of an institution are truly committed to a progressive and humanly responsive management approach that values the processes of the organization and the development of the employee, archival institutions may remain mired in their own management deficiencies, thereby affecting the ultimate goal of an organization—to create an environment that is responsive both to the goals of the profession and the needs of the individual.

How important to the archivist is an increased understanding of communications technology and its impact on society as it applies to the media of record? There is a growing awareness of the need to "read" the often obscure meanings in nontextual media. In addition, there is a need to understand how various technologies impinge on communication in such a way as to change bureaucratic process and the meaning of the act or decision entered in the record, which may look the same but ceases to have the same authority, especially as the age of the computer is already evincing certain characteristics analogous to preliterate society. The relationship of physical or oral acts to their record is discussed and, thereafter, the impact of writing and print on bureaucratic and administrative textual material. There is good evidence that not only is a knowledge of form and phraseology important in the study of modern diplomatics, but also the technology which has its own cultural impact on the user, including the archivist. The archivist has to assess this as part of the appraisal process and in order to assist the user in the interpretation of meaning over and above that of content and context. The article's approach is discursive in an attempt to put a general light on the subject and is not intended to be a piece of original research.