About

The Association of Israeli Archivists (AIA) was established in 1950 following an invitation to attend the first meeting of the ICA - International Council on Archives - and it began its work in 1956. The AIA is a non-profit organization with a membership of about 400 archivists and records managers from archives in a variety of settings: government ministries, municipalities, small towns and villages, universities, colleges, research institutions, health institutions, the private sector, and of course other cultural heritage organizations.  The AIA includes members of all religions: Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze.

The AIA is run by a board consisting of 11 elected members and by various Working Committees: The Committee for Professional Training and Development, The Archival Ethics Committee, the Committee for Equipment, Buildings, Conservation and Restoration of Archival Material, The Committee for Computerizing Archives, The Membership Committee, The International Relations Committee, and Finance Committee.

In addition, there are ad-hoc committees, such as the committee working on changes to the Israeli Archives Law, and the committee working on a dictionary of archival terminology. The AIA has a secretary, treasurer and auditor.

The AIA does not employ paid workers and all activity is voluntary.

The AIA's budget includes membership fees and financial support given by the Ministry of Culture for professional training.

AIA members are encouraged to improve their professional knowledge by attending seminars, conferences, courses and workshops. The association holds six seminars a year and an annual three day conference. It also runs courses on  the legal aspects of archival work, specific archival computer applications, and developing archival management skills. Once a year, the AIA commemorates its founder, George Herlitz, and gives prizes to outstanding archivists or to those who have contributed in an exceptional way to the world of archives during that year. The AIA promotes post-graduate academic studies at Bar-Ilan University, and certified diploma studies at academic colleges.  

The association publishes an annual periodical called "Archion", which includes articles on professional issues, translated abstracts of articles published in other languages in the world press, and from time to time translations of complete articles.

The AIA works in cooperation with the State Archives, and is active in the ICA. Some of its representatives participate in international committees (Professional Training Committee, the Committee of Municipal Association, the General Assembly of the Professional Associations, the Committee of Religious Institutions and the Committee of the Universities).

There are two other archives associations in Israel: "The Association of Archives Managers in Local Authorities", and "The Organization of Archivists in Small Communities".