Archives & Records Association

What Archives & Records Association does

The Archives & Records Association (ARA) is a UK & Ireland professional membership body for the archives, records management, and archive conservation sectors. Registered as a charity in England and Wales (1041063) and Scotland (SC041671) and as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (2969472), ARA operates from its headquarters at The Keep, Creech Castle, Taunton, with 11-50 employees serving members across regional branches and specialist sections.

ARA's core service portfolio centres on a multi-tiered Professional Development Programme delivering three government-recognised registration grades (Foundation, Registered, Fellow), national competency frameworks for Archivists, Records Managers, and Archive Conservators, and an ARA-accredited university programme pathway. Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions across Student, Individual, Affiliate, Institutional Affiliate, Supporter, Nonprofit Corporate, and International categories; paid training courses and webinars (free to £1,100 per attendee, via Eventbrite); and publications including ARC Magazine, the peer-reviewed Archives & Records Journal, and ARC Recruitment job listings.

The commercial/technology stack is modest: a Squarespace-hosted website with an integrated membership portal (membership.archives.org.uk) and Eventbrite for event registration. Strategic go-to-market is sales-led, with direct membership acquisition online complemented by local engagement through eight Nations & Regions branches, eleven specialist sections, an annual ARA Conference, and a Discord-based 'ARA Together' community. Notable partnerships include a mutual membership recognition agreement with ARMA International and a venue partnership with West Dean College for the Archive Conservation Training Scheme.

Name

Archives & Records Association

Website

https://archives.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Archives & Records Association (UK & Ireland) is a registered charity and professional membership body serving archivists, records managers, and conservators through tiered membership subscriptions, accredited professional registration, competency frameworks, publications, and paid training events across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Governance, Records Management & eDiscovery Compliance (EDABADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Records management standards
• Archive conservation training
• Professional registration services
• Continuing professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Taunton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from Individual, Student, Affiliate, Institutional Affiliate, Supporter, and Nonprofit Corporate members across the UK and Ireland record-keeping sector.
2. Training and Events: Revenue generated from paid training courses, webinars, workshops, and conference attendance fees. Fee structures vary by membership status (members receive discounted rates) and event type.
3. Publications: Revenue from ARC Magazine subscription and Archives & Records Journal, plus ARC Recruitment advertising and job listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Archives & Records Association (ARA) is the leading professional membership body for the record-keeping sector in the UK and Ireland. It sells annual memberships across multiple tiers (Student, Individual, Affiliate, Institutional Affiliate, Supporter, Nonprofit Corporate, International), a Professional Development Programme that awards Foundation, Registered, and Fellow registration grades, and a calendar of paid CPD training courses, webinars, and workshops. It also publishes ARC Magazine, the Archives & Records Journal, and ARC Recruitment, and runs the annual ARA Conference.

Product overview

The Archives & Records Association is a professional membership organisation offering a portfolio of services for the archive and records management sector. The core offerings include publications (ARC Magazine, Archives & Records Journal, ARC Recruitment), a Professional Development Programme with three-tier professional registration (Foundation, Registered, Fellow), and competency frameworks for Archivists, Records Managers, and Archive Conservators. The Association also provides a comprehensive Training & Events programme featuring CPD courses, webinars, and workshops, alongside the annual ARA Conference. Membership is available in multiple categories (Student, Individual, Affiliate, Institutional Affiliate, Supporter, Nonprofit Corporate, International) with access to publications, professional development resources, and networking opportunities including the online ARA Together community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARA Membership Programme A multi-tiered annual membership programme for the record-keeping sector offering Student, Individual, Affiliate, Institutional Affiliate, Supporter, Nonprofit Corporate, and International categories, providing access to publications, member-discounted CPD training, the ARA Together online community, and professional registration pathways.
• Professional Development Programme A structured professional registration programme awarding three grades of credentials — Foundation, Registered, and Fellow — to archivists, records managers, and archive conservators, supported by assessment and ongoing career development resources.
• Competency Frameworks National competency standards for the record-keeping sector covering Archivists, Records Managers, and Archive Conservators, designed to support professional development and serve as benchmarks for employers.
• Training & Events

Quantifiable outcome

• Professional registration assessment completed within three months
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARMA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual membership recognition agreement allowing ARA members to obtain ARMA International professional membership at reduced rates, and ARMA International members to join ARA. Cross-promotion of professional standards and career development opportunities between the two leading records management professional bodies.
• West Dean CollegeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVenue partner for ARA Archive Conservation Training Scheme's Chemistry for Conservators residential course. Provides facilities including accommodation, meals, and laboratory spaces for the intensive four-day training programme.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Council on Archives (ICA): Global professional body for archivists and records professionals, working with national associations including ARA. ICA competes at the international standards and policy level and is comparable on mission but operates at a multilateral rather than national membership scale.
• Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP): UK chartered body for library and information professionals, with overlapping membership among archivists and information governance specialists. CILIP competes for CPD spend and individual memberships, but at a broader information professional remit rather than ARA's records/archives specialism.
• Society of American Archivists (SAA): Largest US-based professional association for archivists, offering similar credentials, publications, and conference programming. SAA is comparable in scope but operates transatlatically, serving as the principal North American analog to ARA's UK & Ireland remit.
• AIIM International: Global association for information management professionals focused on ECM, intelligent information management, and information governance. AIIM competes with ARA for corporate training and certification budgets, particularly in enterprise information governance, though it is more industry-agnostic.

Direct peers

• Institute of Conservation (Icon): UK professional body for conservators, including archive conservators who are a named ARA segment. Icon overlaps directly with ARA's Archive Conservation Training Scheme and competes for the same conservator CPD and accreditation spend in the UK.
• ARMA International: The leading US-based professional association for records and information management. ARA has a mutual membership recognition agreement with ARMA, making it the closest international counterpart and the most direct peer in mission, membership structure, and credentialing.
• Archives and Records (formerly Society of Archivists): Listed because ARA itself emerged from the merger of the Society of Archivists and the Records Management Society; historical Society of Archivists membership structures and accreditation pathways remain foundational to ARA's current offering, making this the most direct lineage peer within the UK.
• Records Management Society (RMS): UK-based membership body specifically for records managers rather than archivists. RMS competes for overlapping individual members and corporate training budgets within the UK records management niche that ARA also serves through its Records Management section.

Emerging players

• Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC): UK-headquartered coalition supporting digital preservation across the archives, library, and records sectors. DPC intersects with ARA's Archives and Technology and Preservation and Conservation sections and competes for institutional training and member attention in the digital records niche.

Regional players

• The National Archives (UK): UK government body that operates as both regulator and a major provider of free guidance, training, and accreditation (Archive Service Accreditation). The National Archives is a sector stakeholder and at times a quasi-competitor for CPD and standard-setting in the same UK market ARA serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ARAUK_IE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Archives & Records Association