to raise our profile in our professional context, but also more widely in the society. We all were once irritated by confused and incoherent job descriptions classing our profession as those that we used to call "professions sisters" (documentation, libraries) or associating a lowly status or position in the hierarchy to responsibilities out of proportion. The competency models of our organizations are often not adapted and we are penalized in a number of situations: seeking a new job corresponding to our diploma, managing our career, or evaluating our team, if we are in the position of a manager. Without dwelling at length on the causes of this situation, I would like to stress those reasons which were taken into account by the working group. In the first place comes the lack of appreciation of the professionals and of archival principles by the common run of people, which could be a paradox for a profession endowed with such an awareness of its specificity. The diversity of working environments is another element of explanation. Hans made a difference between what he called "the industrial professional", who is characterized by his knowledge, and the professional in the information society, characterized by his behaviour and skills: he is communicative, flexible, and able to work in a team. The evolution of the organizations management and administration and therefore of the process of records creation leads to the development of heterogeneous services. This disparity is first of all that of the employers: the public function, representing most certainly a majority, is by itself multiple and complex, as the private sector from associations to multinational companies. The disparity is also about how the employers consider the position of archives: even in structures which can be compared from a legal point of view, they may be keener on such-and-such aspect of the profession (cultural, legal, financial, logistical, managerial, informational, etc.), preference which is materialized by the position of archives in the organization structure. That is the situation: we can hardly establish a dialogue with our partners from human resources or training institutions. But who else than we, the professionals, are able to design the right and precise job profile for an archivist? The competency model is a tool for communication and a concrete mean of promoting the profession. It will help the employers - and a larger public -, to better understand who we are. How should these competencies be categorised? What methodology should be developed? How should a reference model be used? An ad hoc working group would set out a guide to the development of these processes along with relevant models. At the same moment, the training center of the French Association, whose manager I was, launched a major project aiming to develop a competency model for French professionals. The first step had been achieved in the form of a case study, which was a model developed by the section of business records and archives.4 Initiatives in this field were being developed in other parts of the world. It was time to develop a global reflection bringing together existing experiences and best practices. CHRISTINE MARTINEZ WHEN CHRISTINE MEETS HANS OR AM I A COMPETENT ARCHIVIST? 4 Available on the website of the French association, at www.archivistes.org. 103

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Jaarboeken Stichting Archiefpublicaties | 2010 | | pagina 105