The CDSDS and the School of Information have a long-term cooperative agreement with the United States Park Service Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC) through a series of grants for archiving and conservation work which fund University of Arizona staff working at WACC. The WACC cooperative agreement allows some of our graduating students to be hired by the university and get up to two years of professional experience under the supervision of a professional archivist.
This post-graduation experience is essential, because to become a Certified Archivist a person needs to complete a Master’s degree plus three additional courses in archival studies such as those offered at the University of Arizona. They must then complete one or two years of on-the-job professional training and then pass a certification examination. The UArizona staff work as a cohort to prepare for the Academy of Certified Archivists certification examination. After the two years of employment, the UArizona archivists move on, creating space for the next graduates to get professional experience.
WACC is dedicated to the preservation and study of museum collections within the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. The Museum Services Program at WACC provides expertise in professional conservation, museum, archival, and library management assistance to park staff and partners. Staff at WACC curates 14.5 million objects and archives on behalf of over 70 parks, preserving this valuable part of America's heritage and making it accessible for research.
