33 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21 st Century Cristina BIANCHI, Ph.D. Archivist of the city of Pully, and AAS representative in the Section of Professional Associations of the Interna- tional Council on Archives, Archives of the City of Pully, av. du Prieuré 2, phone number +41 21 721 35 52CH- 1009 Pully, Switzerland e-mail: cristina.bianchi@pully.ch Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21 st Century ABSTRACT The paper discusses the competency model for archivists that the Swiss Association of Archivists (AAS) has writ- ten and published in 2012 to create a common model for all the parts of Switzerland including its different Ger- man, Italian and French traditions. The goal was to define the profession at the Swiss level, including its new as- pects, and also communicate a positive picture of the profession, which remains mainly unknown outside specialized circles. Challenges between different linguistic traditions, new requirements of the professions, and a threefold set of competencies are explained through examples given in French and German, and translated into English, in the AAS documents Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivistes (Profession in Ar- chives : Competency Model of the Archivist) and Archiviste: un métier (Archivist : A Profession). Archival activi- ties require specialized knowledge, professional competencies and social competencies, a new area for the first time taken into account and officially recognized. Key words: competency, model, archivist, records manager, skills Modello di competenza svizzero per l’archivista del XXI secolo SINTESI Il documento disquisisce sul modello di competenza degli archivisti che l'Associazione svizzera degli archivisti (AAS) ha scritto e pubblicato nel 2012 per creare uno standard comune per tutte i Cantoni della Svizzera, incluse le diverse tradizioni tedesche, italiane e francesi. L'obiettivo era quello di definire la professione a livello svizzero, compresi i suoi nuovi aspetti, e anche comunicare un quadro positivo della professione, che rimane prevalentemen- te sconosciuta al di fuori della cerchia degli specializzati. Le sfide tra le diverse tradizioni linguistiche, i nuovi requi- siti delle professioni e un triplice insieme di competenze sono spiegati attraverso esempi in francese e tedesco e tradotti in inglese nei documenti AAS Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivistes (Professione archivista: modello di competenza dell'archivista) e Archiviste: un métier (Archivista: una professione). Le attività ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 34 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 archivistiche richiedono conoscenze specializzate, competenze professionali e competenze sociali, una nuova area per la prima volta considerata e riconosciuta ufficialmente. Parole chiave: competenza, modello, archivista, gestore di archivio, capacità Švicarski model kompetenc za arhiviste 21. stoletja IZVLEČEK Članek obravnava model kompetenc za arhiviste, ki ga je Švicarska zveza arhivov (AAS) pripravila in objavila leta 2012, da bi ustvarila skupni model za vse dele Švice, vključno z različnimi nemškimi, italijanskimi in francoskimi tradicijami. Cilj je bil opredeliti poklic na ravni Švice, vključno z njegovimi novimi vidiki, in prikazati tudi poziti- vno sliko o poklicu, ki ostaja zunaj specializiranih krogov v glavnem neznan. Izzivi med različnimi jezikovnimi tradicijami, novimi zahtevami poklicev in trojnim setom kompetenc, so pojasnjeni s primeri v francoskem in nemškem jeziku, v dokumentih AAS Les métiers des archives: Prof profil professionnel des archivistes (Poklic v arhivih: Model kompetenc za arhiviste) in Arhiviste: un métier (Arhivist: poklic) pa so prevedeni v angleščino. Arhivska dejavnost zahteva specializirana znanja, strokovne kompetence in socialne kompetence, ki so novo po- dročje, ki se prvič upošteva in uradno priznava. Ključne besede: kompetentnost, model, arhivist, delavec, ki dela z dokumentarnim gradivom, spretnosti 1 Introduction The Association of Swiss Archivists (AAS) decided in 2009 to create a common competency mod- el for all the parts of Switzerland including its different German, Italian and French traditions. The goal was to define the profession at the Swiss level, including its new aspects, and also communicate a positive picture of the profession, which remains mainly unknown outside specialized circles. The success of the French document «Référentiel métier: La profession d’archiviste ou les métiers des archives» was also an incentive (2017). In 2010, a group of 5 people coming from the AAS working group in Training worked on a draft, based on the French one. Integrate the Swiss reality was a challenge; it had to give space to French and German-speaking traditions. In 2011, it was translated into German. In 2012, the last modifications were brought in order to give an overview of the profession in Switzerland. The competency model also had to get away from the French system, rather traditional and centralized, whereas Switzerland is a federal country with independent levels (federal, regional and local communities). Moreover, there was a search for a balance between records management, new aspect of the profession, and the other more traditional dimensions of the profession like preservation, better known by specialists and non-specialists. Three documents were produced, in paper and electronic form, in French and German (in which the term “archivist” includes also “records manager”). “Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivistes” (2012), in table form, 19 pages easy to modify if necessary. “Archiviste: un métier” (2012), shorter graphic leaflet of 11 pages. “Schéma de formation en archivistique et offre de formation de l’AAS” (2012), a one-page training map and AAS training offer explaining the professional three-level education available in Switzerland. 2 Official definition of an archivist in Switzerland Archivist: a profession. Archivists deal with information of extremely varied types. They evaluate, collect, support documents and communicate them. They work with originals and unique pieces, import- ant in legal, historical or scientific terms. They ensure the preservation and enhancement of the value of written, electronic and audiovisual documents (Archiviste: Un métier, 2012, p. 2). 35 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 Archivists work in public archives (federal, cantonal, communal or ecclesiastical archives), in ar- chives dedicated to specific themes and in other public institutions, private companies and associations. 3 Special skills and varied activities Archival work requires specific professional skills. Those who practice it have followed different paths. Entry to the field often involves a university course - mostly in history - or by learning as a records information officer, followed by postgraduate studies in an Haute Ecole de Gestion. Various institutions offer post-graduate courses and the Swiss Association of Archivists (AAS) itself organizes professional development courses and professional days dedicated to the profession and its actors. The activities of archivists vary greatly, determined by the type of enterprise employing them, their specifications, their training, their personal qualifications and inclinations. They are subdivided into five main categories, and a sixth one concerning communication, which is a fast growing area. Figure 1 The activities of an archivist and records manager Archival institutions do not necessarily carry out all the activities related to the profession, and these activities do not have the same importance everywhere: they depend on the type of archives, their institutional links, the characteristics of the fonds they own, direction and strategy of the institution, the means available, and of course the staff. Very often, archival staff specializes in one of the five main cate- gories. The synoptic table “Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivistes” gives a detailed overview of all the activities that it encompasses, based on the specialized knowledge and social and pro- fessional skills to which they rely. The original idea of this document is to give advice on the kind of interpersonal skills to cultivate to be able to maximize the effects of archival work in an institution, where nowadays archivists are in ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 36 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 constant contact with other co-workers who know nothing about archives, and have to give them rules on how to manage records. The “best” archivist will both show professional competencies and interper- sonal skills to maximize its impact. Figure 2 Necessary competencies The objective of an archival professional profile is to establish a list of activities that are carried out within an archive. Professionals who run or carry out these activities have specialized knowledge. This theoretical knowledge constitutes the basis of the professional competences through which they carry out their activity. In order for these professional skills to achieve the desired goal and achieve their full potential, it is essential that archivists also have social skills. This is how the document is presented with each activity. Figure 3 What it takes to fulfill an activity 4 Advocacy for a changing profession This professional profile is designed as information for people and training institutions, employers and co-workers, those interested in the trade and for the general public. However, it is also thought of for archivists, as a point of reference which allows, within the profession, to orientate, position and find themselves. One of the Spanish associations, the Asociación de Archiveros de Navarra, found it so interesting 37 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 that it translated it to Spanish for its members in 2014. The French Association of Archivists has dedica- ted a whole issue of Gazette des Archives on the subject “Changes in the profession of archivist and his environment” (Les mutations du métier d’archiviste et de son environnement, 2016). Their site has also evolved, now proposing job descriptions for most of the existing archival positions 1 . Our profession, as well as its profile and image, continues to evolve… Examples of main activities taken from the Swiss competency model 1 Records management (French and German figures) (see Les métiers des archives, (2012), p. 4) An essential part of the archivist’s specifications is to design and implement classification plans, as well as systems for optimal management of records and their life cycle. It implies that the archivists active in the records management are people who have the sense of communication and service and who are able to motivate, to create networks, to carry out projects and to negotiate with pedagogy and tenacity. 1. Available at http://www.archivistes.org/Referentiel-metiers-498 (accessed on 04.04.2017). ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 38 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 2 Appraisal (French and German figures) (see Les métiers des archives, (2012), p. 7) Today, archivists try to analyze the duties and competences of authorities, companies or organiza- tions in order to decide about archiving procedures, even before documents are created. The archivists active in appraisal have the sense of analyzing tasks and processes. They are aware of legal issues and legal retention periods and base their decisions on sound archival and historical knowledge. 3 Acquisition (French and German figures) (see Les métiers des archives, (2012), p. 9) From the archival point of view, the delivery of data in paper or electronic form makes no differen- ce: acquisition of records always remains a legal, organizational and technical task. It is governed by legal regulations. Archivists actively offer their services; they look after contacts with different administrations and companies employees, as well as private donors. It is also up to them to sensitize the persons involved in the collection process to the fact that the documents have not only legal but also cultural value. The archivists active in acquisition have a sense of negotiation and work with rigor. They possess organizational capacities and an excellent spirit of synthesis. 39 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 4 Treatment (French and German figures) (see Les métiers des archives, (2012), p. 10) Fonds are treated in accordance with the principle of origin: records are classified according to their origin and the history of their production. A writing is more meaningful when it is kept in context than when it is extracted from it to be classified thematically. The archives are thus not limited to deliver- ing particular facts or information, but also, by preserving the structure of the files, make it possible to understand the relationships that unite them. Knowledge of these structural contexts facilitates access to information on a long term basis. Archivists active in the processing of records are able to demonstrate method; they are able to quickly identify and understand the nature and stakes of these records. They have extensive knowledge and proven editorial skills. This knowledge and skills are necessary for a proper understanding of the pro- cesses used and for the development of research instruments. Discretion, perseverance, analytical skills and a sense of order are other valuable qualities in this field. 5 Communication (French and German figures) (see Les métiers des archives, (2012), p. 15) ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 40 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 The archives are made of rough diamonds that history has left us, and it is up to the archivists to give them access. To allow the public to consult the archives, many technical and organizational measures are needed, including the provision of appropriate infrastructures. The archivists also actively communicate information: the archives publish and offer guided tours, conferences and exhibitions, courses for schools and universities. Archivists active in the field of communication appreciate contact with different groups of re- searchers and historians, journalists and students, genealogists and individuals. They have a sense of com- munication, dialogue and service. They must also have a good knowledge of the archival holdings, be able to explain the research techniques and be familiar with the data protection requirements. 5 Conclusion Everybody knows “Information is power”, and the management of information is the basic trend of the archivist. The domain of Information science not only includes archives, libraries and documenta- tion, but also adds aspects of law, administration history, IT and museums, for example. So, we can say that the archivist of the 21 st century, with all its skills and activities listed above, has become pluridisci- plinary and interdisciplinary; some even say she/he has become a superhero! This is the only way to sur- vive in very complex and electronic surroundings. Their common characteristic is the respect of codes of ethics regarding the management of docu- ments (see Code of Ethics, 1996), their role as archivist (see Basic rules on the role of archivists and re- cords managers in support of Human Rights, 2016) and the access given to researchers see Principles of Access to Archives). It is also the conviction to contribute to human sciences, through their personal and specific work, in accordance with the selected standards and the fulfillment of the fundamental mission of archives services. The new “digital humanities” information specialist, super-connected, is on its way… The old way The new way Figure 4: Peeters Schuiten, Les cités obscures: L’archiviste Figure 5: Information Digital W orld, super-connected 41 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Cristina BIANCHI: Swiss Competency Model for the Archivist of the 21st Century, 33-41 References Référentiel métier: La profession d’archiviste ou les métiers des archives (2017). Association des Archivistes Français. Available at http://www.archivistes.org/Referentiel-metier-la-profession-d (accessed on 04.04.2017). Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivists (2012). Association des Archivistes Suisses. Available at http://vsa-aas.ch/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/aas_metiers_table_2012-09-04_fr.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). Archiviste: Un métier (2012). Association des Archivistes Suisses. Available at http://vsa-aas.ch/wp-content/up- loads/2015/06/RZ_F_Archiviste_metier.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). Training map (2012). Association des Archivistes Suisses. Available at http://vsa-aas.ch/wp-content/up- loads/2015/06/aas_schema_de_formation_2012-09-05_fr.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). Les mutations du métier d’archiviste et de son environnement: Actes du 11e colloque national des archivistes com- munaux et intercommunaux, 2-3 juin 2015 (Limoges). In: Gazette des Archives, n° 244, 2016-4. Code of Ethics (1996). International Council on Archives. Available at http://www.ica.org/sites/default/files/ ICA_1996-09-06_code%20of%20ethics_EN.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). Basic rules on the role of archivists and records managers in support of Human Rights (2016). International Council on Archives. Available at http://vsa-aas.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Basic-principles-on-the-role-of-archi- vists-and-records-managers-in-support-of-Human-Rights_2016-09.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). Principles of Access to Archives: Technical Guidance on Managing Archives with Restrictions (2014). International Council on Archives. Available at http://www.ica.org/sites/default/files/2014-02_standards_tech-guidelines- draft_EN.pdf (accessed on 04.04.2017). SUMMARY The paper discusses the competency model for archivists that the Swiss Association of Archivists (AAS) has writ- ten and published in 2012 to create a common model for all the parts of Switzerland including its different Ger- man, Italian and French traditions. The goal was to define the profession at the Swiss level, including its new aspects, and also communicate a positive picture of the profession, which remains mainly unknown outside specia- lized circles. Challenges between different linguistic traditions, new requirements of the professions, and a three- fold set of competencies are explained through examples given in French and German, and translated into English, in the AAS documents Les métiers des archives: Le profil professionnel des archivistes (Profession in Archives: Com- petency Model of the Archivist) and Archiviste: un métier (Archivist: A Profession). Archival activities require specialized knowledge, professional competencies and social competencies, a new area for the first time taken into account and officially recognized. This professional profile is designed as information for people and training insti- tutions, employers and co-workers, those interested in the trade and for the general public. However, it is also thought of for archivists, as a point of reference which allows, within the profession, to orientate, position and find themselves. Five main activities are described: records management, appraisal, acquisition, treatment and commu- nication, with examples of competencies that they encompass. The archivists and records managers active in these fields should, for example, have the sense of analyzing tasks and processes. They are aware of legal issues and legal retention periods and base their decisions on sound archival and historical knowledge. They must analyze the du- ties and competences of authorities, companies or organizations in order to decide about archiving procedures, even before documents are created. Archivists have a sense of communication and service and are able to motivate, to create networks, to carry out projects and to negotiate with pedagogy and tenacity. It is also up to them to sen- sitize the persons involved in the collection process to the fact that the documents have not only legal but also cultural value. They must have a sense of negotiation and work with rigor. They possess organizational capacities and an excellent spirit of synthesis. Discretion, perseverance, analytical skills and a sense of order are other valuable qualities in these fields. The archivist of the 21 st century, with all its skills and activities listed in the competency model, has become pluridisciplinary and interdisciplinary. The profession, as well as its profile and image, conti- nues to evolve. The new “digital humanities” information specialist, super-connected, is on its way … Typology: 1.04 Professional Article Submitting date: 09.04.2017 Acceptance date: 05.05.2017