Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação

What Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação does

BAD (Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação) is a Portuguese non-profit professional association founded in 1973 and headquartered in Lisbon. Designated a "Pessoa Coletiva de Utilidade Pública" since 1988, it serves as the principal representative body for librarians, archivists, and information and documentation professionals in Portugal, with individual and collective (institutional) members including libraries, archives, municipalities, and documentation centers. The association delivers its mission through a network of 7 regional delegations, 8 specialized working groups, a mentorship program, a job board, a peer-reviewed journal (Cadernos BAD), eBooks, and an annual national congress. It also runs advocacy and award programs (Prémio Raul Proença, Prémio BAD Maria José Moura, Prémio Futuro e Inovação em Arquivos).

BAD's core products and services are organized around a continuous professional development offering: the annual Plano de Formação, the e-Learning BAD asynchronous platform, seminars, workshops, webinars, and introductory certification courses in archival and documentary techniques. It is DGERT-certified as a training entity in education area 322 (Library Science, Archives and Documentation), giving its certifications formal recognition in the Portuguese labor market. The association does not develop proprietary technology products; its digital footprint is a set of functional platforms (elearning.bad.pt, noticia.bad.pt, publicacoes.bad.pt, diretorio.bad.pt) that distribute content and services rather than act as standalone software.

The business model is membership- and fee-based. Revenue is generated through recurring individual and collective membership dues, training and certification fees (with member and non-member pricing tiers), and congress/event participation fees. Distribution is direct via the Lisbon headquarters, regional delegations, and online channels, targeting SMB/individual buyers. BAD holds strategic partnerships with international bodies (UNESCO, IFLA, ICA, EBLIDA) and Portuguese institutional partners (Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Secretaria-Geral da Presidência da República, municipal councils, regional education directorates), and pursues cross-border collaboration with ANABAD Galiza.

Name

Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação

Legal name

Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação

Website

https://bad.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BAD is a Portuguese non-profit professional association, founded in 1973, that represents librarians, archivists, and information and documentation professionals in Portugal. It delivers DGERT-certified training, a peer-reviewed journal, an annual congress, mentorship, and advocacy through 7 regional delegations and 8 working groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Information and Documentation Professionals

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAFAAAE

Skills, Competency & Capability Management (Skills Frameworks, Badging within LMS)

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Learning Experience Platforms (LXP)

SECONDARYEDAGANAH

Operations, Quality & Process Improvement (Lean/Six Sigma)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional Development & Training Materials

Keywords

• Professional library association
• Information science training
• Archival certification programs
• Documentation professional development
• DGERT certified training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: BAD generates revenue through annual membership fees from individual and collective members. Members pay regular subscriptions which fund the association's activities, training programs, publications, and advocacy work.
2. Training and certification fees: The association offers certified training programs, courses, seminars, and webinars for professional development. Fees vary for members versus non-members, with certified courses and e-learning programs generating revenue.
3. Congress and event participation: Revenue is generated through national congress participation fees, including the BAD National Congress which offers free participation to members who recruit new associates under the campaign program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BAD is a non-profit professional association that delivers DGERT-certified training, professional certification, and career development services for librarians, archivists, and information and documentation professionals in Portugal. Its core offerings include an annual Plano de Formação training plan, e-learning courses, seminars, workshops, webinars, peer-reviewed publications (Cadernos BAD, eBooks BAD), the annual Congresso Nacional BAD congress, and the Programa de Mentoria BAD mentorship program.

Product overview

BAD (Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação) operates as a professional association rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include a comprehensive Training Plan (Plano de Formação) with e-Learning courses, seminars, workshops, and webinars covering documentary management, information organization, and archival sciences. The association publishes Cadernos BAD journals and eBooks BAD, organizes the annual Congresso Nacional BAD congress, and runs a Programa de Mentoria for professional guidance. Additional services include the Bolsa de Emprego job board, Notícia BAD news portal, and the Prémio Raul Proença, Prémio BAD Maria José Moura, and Prémio Futuro e Inovação em Arquivos awards. The association maintains regional delegations across Portugal and thematic working groups covering archives, libraries, and digital heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plano de Formação BAD (Annual Training Plan) Annual catalog of DGERT-certified training courses covering library science, archival science, and documentation, available as e-learning, live training, and in-person workshops. Designed for information and documentation professionals seeking continuous education and certification in Portugal.
• e-Learning BAD Distance-learning platform providing asynchronous training courses for information and documentation professionals with flexible participation models and reduced costs versus in-person training.
• Seminars BAD (Ciclos de Seminários) Professional development seminars for theoretical and practical reflection on information science, targeting library, documentation, and archive professionals.
• Workshops BAD (Oficinas) Hands-on workshops led by specialists for in-depth practical exploration of specific themes with case study presentations and technique demonstrations.
• Webinars BAD Online technical and scientific events for information and documentation professionals covering various areas of information science action.
• Cadernos BAD (Peer-Reviewed Journal) Peer-reviewed journal publishing scientific articles in the field of information science, documentation, and archives.
• eBooks BAD Digital book publications covering topics related to libraries, archives, and information science.
• Congresso Nacional BAD (Annual National Congress) Annual national congress bringing together information and documentation professionals for knowledge sharing, networking, and professional development.
• Programa de Mentoria BAD Mentorship program pairing experienced professionals with newer members of the association for career guidance and professional development.
• Bolsa de Emprego BAD (Job Board) Job board connecting employers with information and documentation professionals seeking employment opportunities.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ICA (International Council on Archives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with the global organization representing archives and archivists. BAD collaborates on international archival standards and practices.
• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with the leading global library association. BAD participates in international library initiatives and standards development.
• EBLIDA (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partnership representing library, information and documentation associations. BAD engages in European-level policy and advocacy work.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. BAD participates in UNESCO initiatives related to information access and cultural heritage.
• British CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural and educational partnership providing international opportunities for Portuguese information professionals.
• Goethe-InstitutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman cultural institution partnership offering educational and professional exchange opportunities.
• Instituto CervantesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish cultural institution partnership supporting multilingual and intercultural professional development.
• Institut Français du PortugalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench cultural institute partnership for professional and cultural exchange.
• Istituto Italiano di CulturaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerItalian cultural institute partnership supporting Italian language and culture professional development.
• Fundação Calouste GulbenkiancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Gulbenkian Foundation for training programs and professional development services for information professionals.
• Secretaria-Geral da Presidência da RepúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic for specialized training services.
• Câmara Municipal de CascaisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cascais Municipal Council for municipal library training and development programs.
• Câmara Municipal de LisboaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lisbon Municipal Council for training programs targeting municipal information services.
• Direção Regional de Educação do Centro (Coimbra)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional education authority partnership for training services in the Central region.
• Direção Regional da Educação e Formação e Direção Regional do Emprego e Qualificação Profissional – CEFAPA (Açores)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership in the Azores for education, training, and professional qualification services.
• ANABAD GalizaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border collaboration with the Galician Association of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists for professional exchange between Portugal and Spain.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SLA (Special Libraries Association): International association for information professionals in corporate, government, and specialized settings. Comparable in providing competency frameworks, training, and certification for specialized information roles.
• ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association): Australia's national professional association for the library and information sector. Closely comparable in offering professional certification, training, advocacy, and continuing professional development to members.
• ABF (Association des Bibliothécaires de France): France's national association for librarians. Directly comparable mission of professional advocacy, training, and publishing for the library profession, with similar member-based governance.
• ICA (International Council on Archives): Global body representing archivists and archive professionals. BAD is an institutional partner of ICA; both organizations set professional standards and deliver capacity-building programs for archival work.
• EBLIDA (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations): European umbrella body representing library, information and documentation associations. BAD is an active member, and EBLIDA plays a comparable role to BAD at the European policy level.
• CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals): UK chartered body for library and information professionals. Closely mirrors BAD's combination of professional certification, training, advocacy, and publishing in a single national professional association.
• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions): Global umbrella federation for library associations, of which BAD is a member. Highly comparable mission: professional standards, advocacy, training, and international representation for librarians and information professionals.
• ANABAD (Asociación Nacional de Archiveros, Bibliotecarios, Archiveros, Documentalistas y Museólogos): Spain's national professional association for archivists, librarians, documentalists and museologists — BAD's Iberian counterpart. BAD already partners with ANABAD Galiza for cross-border professional exchange.
• ALA (American Library Association): The largest US professional association for librarians. Comparable scope in training, accreditation, advocacy, publishing, conferences, and standards-setting for the library profession.

Others

• DGERT (Direção-Geral do Emprego e das Relações de Trabalho): Portuguese government body that certifies training entities. BAD is itself a DGERT-certified training provider; DGERT shapes the regulatory framework within which BAD's training programs operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/BadPortugal
• Facebookfacebook.com/badpt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/badpt
• Instagraminstagram.com/bad_associacao_pt

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas, Profissionais da Informação e Documentação