A*CENSUS, the first truly comprehensive nationwide survey of the archives profession, was fielded in early May 2004. Provided below are links to the final report (published in the Fall/Winter 2006 issue of The American Archivist and enhanced with links to additional tabular material) as well as background information on the survey and preliminary reports. Please contact the SAA office if you have questions about A*CENSUS.

A*CENSUS Results (PDF; 3.08 MB)

In addition to a general analysis prepared by Principal Research Consultant Vicki Walch, the final report features special reports in five key areas:

• Graduate Education (prepared by Elizabeth Yakel and Jeannette Bastian)
• Continuing Education (prepared by Nancy Zimmelman Lenoil)
• Diversity (prepared by Brenda Banks)
• Leadership (prepared by Susan Davis)
• Certification (prepared by Anne Diffendal)

A*CENSUS: A Closer Look (PDF; 670k)

This report is an expanded version of the highlights of the general data analysis prepared by Principal Research Consultant Victoria Irons Walch.

Background for Interpreting A*CENSUS Results

• A*CENSUS Survey Questions is provided as a reference for users of the data.
• A*CENSUS Background and Technical Notes provides information that is important to understanding the survey process and interpreting the data. It describes who participated in the process, the project timetable, development of the mailing list, the response rate, and details on how results are being calculated for specific questions.
• Methodology Report was prepared by MSI Research, the survey research firm that developed and delivered both the online and the paper survey instruments.
• Responses from Archival Association Members provides, for most of the archival associations in the United States, the number of members on the mailing lists supplied to the A*CENSUS project, the number of individuals who indicated that they were members of the associations, and a response rate calculated from these figures.
• Accessing the A*CENSUS Public Use Data File
  Jared Lyle, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), Ann Arbor, MI

A*CENSUS Data Tabulated by State

• Mean Age & Salary by State
• Questions Included in A*Census Tables for Data from Each State (contains links to PDFs of following Excel files)
• Excel files
  • Set 1: Employment
  • Set 2: Education
  • Set 3: Career Path

Presentations from "A Sense of A*CENSUS" Session
SAA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, August 19, 2005

• General Data Analysis and Overview
  Vicki Walch, A*CENSUS Principal Research Consultant
• Special Report: Graduate Education
  Elizabeth Yakel, Associate Professor, School of Information, University of
  Michigan
  Jeannette Bastian, Associate Professor, Simmons College
• Special Report: Continuing Education
  Nancy Zimmelman Lenoil, Administrator, Western Archives Institute, and Archivist,
  California State Archives
• Special Report: Diversity
  Brenda Banks, Deputy State Archivist, The Georgia Archives
• Special Report: Certification
  Anne Diffendal, Consulting Historian/Archivist, Lincoln NE
• Special Report: Leadership
  Susan Davis, Assistant Professor, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland

Preliminary Reports

• A First Look at A*CENSUS Results
  (Preliminary Report #1, August 10, 2004)
• Salary Data from the A*CENSUS Survey
  (Preliminary Report #2, December 10, 2004)

Preparing for A*CENSUS

Participating Associations for A*CENSUS

For an overview of the A*CENSUS project, see
A*CENSUS Working Group Breaks New Ground

To read the A*CENSUS grant proposal that was funded by IMLS, see A*CENSUS Proposal (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions about A*CENSUS

A*CENSUS Working Group

Supported by     www.imls.gov

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