139 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI Director General of Records Organization, National Records and Archives Authority - NRAA – Oman e-mail: abdulm@nraa.gov.om Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century ABSTRACT Archives are a memory of the people, therefore the training of archivists and other staff is extremely important. Archival material comes into the archive in all its forms and in large quantities, and the work in the archives requi- res different specific experiences. Thousands of documents are exchanged between archives and various offices every day. Before opening this material for the public, these documents need special treatment: they need to be organized in accordance with office management rules, it is necessary to establish the original order, to regulate is- sues related to access restriction, to prepare retention periods, to provide the retrieval and a whole series of other records management procedures. All these procedures cannot be carried out without the practical and theoretical education of archivists. Training and developing other skills and knowledge that relate to specific competencies must be planned and its purpose is to acquire knowledge that leads to the improvement of an individual’s or orga- nization’s performance. Training is an ongoing process in the life of the individual according to his needs, which leads to a change of behavior based on sophisticated methods of training. The training of archivists should not take place only in the form of knowledge transfer with lectures, since such training requires more intensive approach. Records managers are not focused solely on records themselves, but on the entire recordkeeping system. Such a system includes people who create and use organization records and policies regarding individual record procedu- res in order to ensure access to and the use of records. The training of archivists brings significant benefits to both archives and staff. All records and information generated by archives or collected from other sources are classified or organized in such a way that they can be found and successfully used in decision-making and long-term plan- ning, which can be achieved only through continuous training. In the article, the author will discuss the importan- ce of training in general and for the archival organization. There are many different types of training that are used to train archivists and other archival staff. The article presents the educational activity of the IIAS in providing archival knowledge and skills and the publication of Atlanti. The content of the publication contributes to the exchange of experience between archivists of members and non-members of the Institute, and also serves as an educational tool. The article also presents the training provided for archivists by the National Records and Archi- ves Authority in Oman. Key words: education, training, types of training, IIAS, Atlanti, Oman, National Records and Archives Authority Formazione degli archivisti nel XXI secolo SINTESI Gli archivi sono la memoria dei popoli, quindi la formazione degli archivisti e degli altri addetti è estremamente importante. Il materiale d'archivio entra nell'archivio in tutte le sue forme e in grandi quantità e il lavoro richiede diverse esperienze specifiche. Migliaia di documenti vengono scambiati quotidianamente tra gli archivi ed i diversi uffici. Prima di aprire questo materiale al pubblico, tali documenti richiedono un trattamento speciale: devono essere organizzati in conformità alle regole di gestione dell'ufficio, è necessario stabilirne l'ordine originale, regolare le questioni relative alle restrizioni all'accesso, preparare i periodi di conservazione, fornirne il recupero ed una serie di altre procedure di gestione documentale. Tutte queste procedure non possono essere svolte senza la formazione pratica e teorica degli archivisti. La formazione e lo sviluppo di altre competenze e conoscenze che si riferiscono a specifiche conoscenze devono essere pianificate, ed il loro scopo è quello di migliorare le prestazioni di un individuo o dell'organizzazione. La formazione è un processo in divenire nella vita dell'individuo in base alle sue esigenze, che porta ad un cambiamento di comportamento basato su sofisticati metodi. La formazione degli archivisti non do- vrebbe avvenire solo in forma di trasferimento di conoscenze tramite lezioni, poiché tale percorso richiede un ap- proccio più intenso. Gli archivisti non sono concentrati esclusivamente sui record stessi, ma sull'intero sistema di gestione documentale. Tale sistema include figure che creano e utilizzano documenti organizzati e politiche riguar- danti procedure individuali di registrazione per garantire l'accesso e l'utilizzo dei documenti stessi. La formazione degli archivisti comporta notevoli benefici sia per gli archivi che per il personale. Tutti i documenti e le informazio- ni generati dagli archivi o raccolti da altre fonti sono classificati o organizzati in modo tale che possano essere tro- ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 140 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 vati e utilizzati con successo nel processo decisionale e nel lungo termine, cosa che può venir acquisita solo attraver- so una formazione permanente. Nell'articolo, l'autore discuterà dell'importanza della formazione in generale e per l'organizzazione archivistica. Ci sono diversi tipi di formazione che vengono utilizzati per formare archivisti e altri addetti all’archivio. L'articolo mette in risalto l'attività formativa dell’IIAS nel fornire conoscenze e competenze archivistiche. Il contenuto della pubblicazione “Atlanti” contribuisce allo scambio di esperienze tra archivisti membri e non membri dell'Istituto, e serve anche come strumento didattico. L'articolo presenta inoltre anche la formazione fornita agli archivisti dall'Autorità nazionale di archivi e registri dell’Oman. Parole chiave: educazione, formazione, tipi di formazione, IIAS, Atlanti, Oman, Autorità nazionale di archivi e registri dell’Oman Izobraževanje arhivistov v 21. stoletju IZVLEČEK Arhivi predstavljajo spomin narod, zato je usposabljanje arhivistov in drugega osebja izjemno pomembno. Arhi- vsko gradivo prihaja v arhiv v vseh oblikah in velikih količinah, delo v arhivu pa zahteva različne specifične izkušnje. Na tisoče dokumentov se vsak dan izmenja med arhivskimi službami in različnimi uradi. Pred odprtjem tega gradi- va za javnost, ti dokumenti potrebujejo posebno obravnavo: urediti jih je potrebno v skladu s pravili pisarniškega poslovanja, vzpostaviti je potrebno prvotno ureditev, urediti zadeve v zvezi z omejitvijo dostopa, pripraviti roke hrambe, zagotoviti poizvedovanje in še celo vrsto drugih postopkov upravljanja z gradivom. Vseh teh postopkov ni mogoče izvesti brez praktičnega in teoretičnega izobraževanja arhivistov. Usposabljanje in razvijanje drugih spret- nostih ali znanju, ki se nanašajo na specifične kompetence, mora biti načrtovano, njegov namen pa je pridobitev znanja, ki vodi k izboljšanju uspešnosti posameznika ali organizacije. Usposabljanje je potekajoči proces v življenju posameznika glede na njegove potrebe, ki vodijo k spremembi vedenja na osnovi sofisticiranih metod usposablja- nja. Usposabljanje arhivistov ne sme potekati zgolj v obliki podajanja znanja s predavanji, saj takšno usposabljanje zahteva intenzivnejše oblike usposabljanja. Upravljavci z zapisi namreč niso osredotočeni le na zapise same, temveč na celoten sistem upravljanja z zapisi. Tak sistem vključuje osebe, ki ustvarjajo in uporabljajo zapise organizacije ter politiko glede posameznih postopkov z zapisi, z namenom zagotavljanja dostopa on uporabe gradiva. Usposablja- nje arhivistov prinaša znatne koristi tako arhivom kot tudi osebju. Vse arhivsko gradivo in informacije, ki jih ust- varijo arhivi ali pa so zbrani iz drugih virov, so razvrščene ali organizirane tako, da jih je mogoče najti in uspešno uporabiti pri odločanju in dolgoročnem načrtovanju, to pa je mogoče doseči le s stalnim usposabljanjem. V članku bo avtor razpravljal o tem, kako je usposabljanje pomembno na splošno in kako za arhivsko organizacijo. Obstaja veliko različnih vrst usposabljanj, ki se uporabljajo za usposabljanje arhivistov in ostalih zaposlenih v arhivih. V članku je prikazana izobraževalna aktivnost MIAZ in njegova vloga pri pridobivanju arhivskega znanja in veščin ter publikacija Atlanti. Vsebina publikacije prispeva k izmenjavi izkušnje med arhivisti članov in nečlanov inštituta, prav tako pa služi kot izobraževalni pripomoček. V članku bo predstavljeno tudi usposabljanje, ki ga za arhiviste izvaja Nacionalni arhiv v Omanu. Ključne besede: izobraževanje, usposabljanje, oblike izobraževanja, MOAT, Atlanti, Oman, Nacionalni arhiv Sul- tanata Oman 141 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 1 Archivists Training Human resources represent a basis on how to organize the vision and mission of any organization. The training of archivist has several benefits for individuals, institutions and stakeholders. They develop skills and new ideas in the work process, encouraging them to develop skills and gather new information which they can use in doing their duty in the right and easy way. This training should be supplemented by study of the principles and techniques of records creation and of the organization and maintenance of current records. Increasingly, archivist develop knowledge, skills and abilities by pursuing a formal edu- ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 142 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 cation and training in records management and archives through universities, colleges and specialized institutions in this field. Training archivist needs specialize requirements, because they must gain good and verity of skills to be able to deal with different types of records and documents, to be also aware to analyze the enduring value as reliable memory of the past and to help people find and understand the information they need. However, the archivist training should be supplemented by study of the principles and techniques of records creation and of the organization and maintenance of current records. In addition, the impor- tance of the training of archivist lies in the fact that the archival records are frequently unique and rare, so the archivists may be as much concerned with the preservation and custody of the information carrier. To successfully implement the archival tools, the agency will need to draw on skills, knowledge and expertise in the following areas: • Archival theory and principles; • Classification and its value in records management; • International rtandards and it’s importance for records; • Access management; • Archival preservation; • Appraisal and acquisition; • Community relations; • Evaluations and disposal; • Information technology; • References, access and outreach. 2 Who is an archivist? Definitions on archivist as interpretation of the meaning differ from one institution to another, but all of them believe that those who work in this field have high skills and knowledge, because they are entrusted with the memory of a nation and must maintain it and enable the access for the public and re- searchers with internationally accepted system and standards. According to the definition of the International Council on Archives (ICA) the archivist is “a fa- scinating role. There are not many jobs where it can be said that what you do today will matter hundreds of years from now. An archivist or record keeper needs a passion for history, an eye for detail and a strong com- mitment to service. The return is to be a custodian of society’s memory” (Who is an Archivist?, 2017). In the United States, “Archivists are specially trained in preserving the original material and helping people obtain it. Archivists work with paper documents, photographs, maps, films, and computer records. Many begin their careers as historians and then attend classes to learn from experienced archivists. Archivists possess broad, deep knowledge about records and are involved in many, if not all, phases of the records life cycle. Their extensive research and analysis skills help in serving records to the public” (What’s an Archivist?, 2017). No matter how different the definitions, there are many duties and responsibilities for the archivist that must be fulfilled. 3 The duties of archivist Archivist has responsibility to perform certain duties in order to ensure that the archival holding in her/his care are preserved and managed as authentic and reliable documentary evidence for the resear- cher and students and will be as a historical reference to the country. Laura A. Millar (2010) summarized these core duties in five categories as below: 1. The archivist adheres to a formal archival management framework, including identifying and respecting relevant legislation, policies, standards and procedures and establishing the organi- zational financial infrastructure to ensure archival holding are managed effectively and appro- priately. 2. The archivist maintains a stable physical environment for the receipt, storage and handling of the archival holding in the institution’s custody, regardless of the form and medium of the 143 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 materials, in order to preserve the materials themselves, or the information and evidence the contain, for as long as possible. 3. The archivist acquire appropriate archival material, either by receiving sponsor archives or col- lecting non-spencer archival materials, in keeping with the institution’s archival mandate, vi- sion and mission, and secure those acquisition legally, physically and administratively so that the archives are protected for long term. 4. The archivist gains intellectual control over archival holding, in order to understand and com- municate the nature, scope, contents and context of the materials and make those materials available for use by creators or donors of the records and by researchers and wider public. 5. The archivist support and fosters access to and use of the holding and service of the institution, in keeping with mandate and vision of its sponsor agency and with respect for the right of both the donors and creators of archives, in order to share archival resources as widely as possible (Millar, 2010). 4 Types of training In today’s world of instant communication and globalization, it is much easier for archivist from different parts of the word to exchange information and opinions and share knowledge about archival theories and practice. Many universities and colleges and specialized institutions offer archival training courses with different methods of training, depending on the work requirements. There are many types of training that archives and universities use to train archivist. 4.1 On job training On job training is one of the earliest forms of training and sometimes it is called direct instruction. It teaches the skills, knowledge, tools, machines, documents and equipment. In such a training archivist can acquire a lot of knowledge and skills in order to implement this in their job, such as knowledge about the classification of the documents, use of international or local stan- dards, history background. National Records and Archives Authority in Oman trained many employees from government agency. The table below shows the number of staff from government agencies in job training. Ye a r T otal of training courses Number of attended employees T arget group 2012 16 220 Teams in the Ministries of education, manpower, high education, commerce and industry, communication and transportation and other. Employees from Ministry of Municipalities and W ater Resource, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ministry of Civil Service and Ministry of Heritage and Culture. 2013 27 679 2014 40 1141 2015 38 1128 2016 31 316 T otal 152 3754 Source: Follow-up and Technical support Department (NRAA) ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 144 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 4.2 Fundamentals training This type of training is designed for archivist who are new in archives and record management. In this course archivists will learn the best strategies for interring the records and documents and classify the documentation in order to transfer it to the repositories for keeping them within retention schedule. However, course covers the fundamentals principles and practices of records management, and it provi- des participants with the basic understanding of the activities in managing both paper and digital records. 145 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 By the end of this course the participant should learn and be able to understand the process of creation and capture, to know the list of tools and technology used in record management, best practice for repo- sitories and its requirements, and understand the concept of appraisal and disposal under the Law. 4.3 Advanced training The advance course extends the range of professional archivist. In this course, the archivist will le- arn the strategy on archive, strategy and design of records managements tools, the responsibilities for in- formation governance in their organizations and records management responsibilities for being able to convers at strategy level regarding the current important topics and information management. 4.4 Training in National Archives The cooperation between National Archives around the world has great importance in exchange of experience and improving employee knowledge and skills. This type of training gave the archivist a chan- ce to see the different types of procedures used in the national archive institutions and to exchange expe- rience, acquire skills and knowledge in the same time. NRAA gives big attention in this type of training, they sign many Memorandum of Understanding with many archives in order to exchange the training of employees between each other. We receive trai- nees from National Archives of Tanzania, National Archive of Kenya, and National Archive of Palestine. In addition, we sent our employees for training to National Archives of Japan, National Archives of Australia, National Archives of United Kingdom. 4.5 Online training Many archives used online training for Records Management, in specific institutions. This type of training provides innovative cost – effective records management. Usually, courses in this training inclu- de specific area and knowledge that is relevant to employees responsible for managing records and who are applying to be in this field for both electronic or physical records. This type of training is usually over- seen and supervised by archival organization or union or associations in archival management. 4.6 Webinar training Webinar is alive training that takes place over the web; it can be in the form of a meeting or presen- tation, an exams, discussion, demonstration or instruction. National Records and archives Authority in Oman used this particular form of training from 2016, and it is a successful way to provide the informa- tion to clients, the government’s agency employees and NRAA employees themselves. Professionals use webinars to give educational training presentations related to their business and contact with their au- diences in a much closer way. It could be one person or group that gives a lecture to teach a particular subject in archive. Webinars are also helpful tools to know the participants knowledge. It is a best way these days to expand archivist knowledge by learning directly from the trainers or experts. 4.6.1 Advantage and disadvantage of using webinar Scheduling: Its gives archives managers a lot of flexibility when scheduling training course. Lower costs: Cuts down on travel costs for the agency required to attending training course, such as airfare, hotels, daily allowances and accommodations. Network capabilities: A disadvantage to webinar training is the requirement for fast networking, in order to communicate with other archivist online. It requires error- free internet connection. Software problems: As with computer software, errors may occur that are simply unavoidable. Failing to load, or cutting out during use are some errors that affect the usefulness of webinar training (The Benefits of Using GoToWebinar, 2017). ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 146 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 5 IIAS training course The professional institute has decided to train the archivist, but at the beginning it was a limited by the region, but now it is working globally by attending of the participants from different archives and states around the world. IIAS was established in 1986 in archival sector, it provides quality training in archive sector and educates the students and employees in archival industry. Undoubtedly, the IIAS trai- ning course achieve success in training the archivist from around the world, in providing the latest know- ledge and information in the archival profession. Archivist can take advantage from the lecturers with long experience in the archival fields and the material included into the training course includes scientific refences. From my attending in some lectures that were IIAS organized during summer courses, it daw- ned on me, that this institute plays an important role to encourage the archival work and to disseminate the latest developments in this field. This institute arrange every year summer courses that are attended by archivist from different archives around the world where they changing experience, and knowledge. However, the lecturers have sufficient experience in the archival field and without a doubt they develop and encourage the participant’s knowledge and skills in archival work. In addition, the conferences orga- nized every year in October, bring a very high knowledge from the experts, IIAS members, where they present their papers and presentation Day by day the participants who attend the training course in IIAS are in significant rise. 6 IIAS publication ATLANTI Books are not less important than theories or practice in training courses. “IIAS in 1989 decided to issue a review dedicated to the problems of the field of archive, called “Atlanti” and in 1991 the official book has been issued, dedicated to the topics on archives” (International Institute, 2008-2010). The publication Atlanti and its content of information improve and exchange experience between member and nonmembers. This publication is related to the archival science and can be used as a referen- ce to archivist in their duties. It covers all subject in archival science both in electronic or physical, and it includes the researchers experience in the fields of archival profession. 7 Archives and International Organization publications Archivist often get their experience from studying in colleges and universities, but when they want to implement what they studies, they face some changes and differences in work place. However, to enable them to do their job they have to read on archives and international organizations publications, such as ICA’s. A Knowledge of archives work requires continuous follow-up of the publications of these institutions because of their extensive experience. 8 Why we do training in records management? It is a big question, and as I mentioned above, archives are the nation memory, and we must preser- ve the collections they keep. Archives do not collect only the collections of documents from agencies, ci- tizens and are not only the place were archives are stored. We have to be aware, that the term archives means the location as well as the materials. “Training records management can be very simple or complex, from certificated in files to custom electronic database, many ways to keep records, but some methods make it easier and use the data”. ANN Maine Records management operations such as creation, storage, retrieval, use and destructions or kee- ping as retention schedule are increasingly difficult challenges for business and government agencies. In spite of information technology revolution the mounting of paper work does not reduce the records management work. “In records management, the terms ‘records’ carries far heavier weight. The International Organi- zation for standardization (ISO) define a records as ‘ information created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the tran- saction of business”(ISO 15489) 147 ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 To implement that sense archivist must have a good knowledge in records management to be able to treat the records and not change any information. A record is something we can take into court of law, so the authenticity, reliability, integrity and usability must prove the record is complete and unaltered, that fully and accurately represents the facts to which it attests, and that it can be retrieved and presented. The training of archivist in records management is one of the main concern in archive business, because it entails keeping the history of the nation, citizens and society for the next generations And if the trai- ning is not within the international standards and the latest methods in archives operations, we will lose an important part of information in our history, and that will change events and knowledge about reality. 9 Return of training It is not enough to depend alone on education to create distinguished employees, especially in ar- chives sector, because, although education is important, it is not enough to accomplish the various tasks, so the training is therefore an essential element in the employees success. Returns of archivist training reflect the ability of the archives to manage their records in easy and correct way. Measuring of training success is not an easy process, as some believe. To measure the returns of training especially in the archival sector require the use of the latest methods and methods including sa- tisfaction, education, skills, investment. Here are briefly addressed some approaches. Satisfaction: we measure the satisfaction with the training program by asking important question if they were satisfied with program and the training materials used, as well as the trainer and the place of training. If all these indicators are negative that means the training course was not successful and must be reorganized. Education: did the trainees know the training materials and did they understand ideas, standards and objectives of training program, and did they acquire a new skills or ability applicable in the field of work and did they actually apply during the training program? Skill: has the skill learned by trainee been applied in the field of work, and has competence of the trainee or employee increased since then and has he/she achieved the desired goal? The result did the employee become better then, and did the performance indicators in this department or sections raise in general. Investment: is there a return on training, for example did the employees productivity increased, did the negative indicator decreased, and do the employees feel the increase in loyalty to the archives? Conclusion Training is one of the educational tools, and one of the elements of creativity of development of knowledge’s, skills and information. The fundamentals of training vary with the advancement of modern science, but it remains a key factor in raising skills and competencies in archival institutions by imple- menting the archives tools and management. As life, communication and information are more complex, of course, the archivist cannot hope to know everything about everything, but by training they would reach to a heights of information and knowledge. Archivist in the 21 st century are addressing a new exci- ting workplace reality. We live in an era of globalization and rapid life, quick changes and technologies counting to transform how we communicate, exchange information and share knowledge. Training methods and tools vary one from another depending on the subject and from of institution. Training in archival institution is an important factor for archivist, however the training has taken many modules in the digital era, and the training methods have changed within evolution in this field. Archivist should not sits in his/hers institution waiting for historical paper to arrive, and then begin to start his work, but they must search by themselves on what is the new in archival science and improve his or her skills, knowledge to deal with archival paper. We believe that the continuing on archivist training will reach to archives mission and vision and its clients from researcher and scholars. Continuing training of archivist does not stop on a certain point. The meeting between archival institutions and attending the ICA meetings and workshops, however, is one of the main instrument to increase archivist knowledge, while in the same time the brochures and leaflets published by archives are one of the training methods. IIAS, however, has ATLANTI • 27 • 2017 • n. 2 148 Abdulmohsin Said AL HINAI: Training of Archivist in the 21 st Century, 139-148 great role in improving the capabilities of the archivist knowledge’s through the training course and pu- blication ATLANTI which is a great reference for the archivist where the several topics related to archi- val profession are discussed. References International Institute for Archival Science (2008-2010). Available at http://www.iias-trieste-maribor.eu/index. php?id=72&L=1 Who is an archivist (2017). Available at http://www.ica.org/en/discover-archives-and-our-profession (accessed on 25.3.2017). What’s an Archivist? (2017). Available at https://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archivist.html (ac- cessed on 28.3.2017). Millar, Laura A. (2010). Archives Principles and Practice, Facet publishing. London. The Benefits of Using GoToWebinar (2017). Available at https://www.techvalidate.com/portals/the-benefi- ts-of-using-gotowebinar?collection=cost-benefit-value (accessed on 1.4.2017). Go to Webinar (2017). Available at https://www.gotomeeting.com/en-ca/webinar/online-webinar-support (ac- cessed on 1.4.2017). ISO 15489-1:2016. Information and documentation -- Records management -- Part 1: Concepts and principles Typology: 1.04 Professional Article Submitting date: 21.05.2017 Acceptance date: 30.05.2017