Membership of ICA gives you the opportunity of joining a network of over 1,169 archival institutions and 211 individual members from more than 190 countries (category A, National Archives : 224 members; category B, Professional Associations : 66 members; category C, Institutional Members : 879 members; category D, Individual members : 211 members). You will benefit from a strong and committed archival community, with its membership reaching across disciplinary and national boundaries.

Joining ICA will make your professional work more interesting and effective by giving you opportunities to discuss and develop archival practice and ideas with colleagues with similar interests from different horizons.

Other benefits of membership of ICA include:

• keeping you INFORMED of the most recent professional knowledge: the ICA Website, www.ica.org [1], carries a range of resources containing the results of professional reflection and debate, as well as information about ICA and its activities in more than 20 languages; the Website of the International Congress on Archives, http://www.wien2004.ica.org [2], carries several hundred papers from the 2004 Congress; an Email distribution list, ICA-L [2], allows you to distribute and receive information on archival issues and news, and to communicate with colleagues;
• giving you access to different complementary NETWORKS: ICA’s 13 regional branches [2]bringing together archival institutions and individuals in particular regions; 13 sections [2]linking ICA members with shared professional interests; and ICA Projects [2], which may be proposed and carried out by any group of members;
• giving you access to ICA’s PARTNERS internationally: UNESCO [3], ICCROM [4], ICBS [5]and others;
• FREE ICA PUBLICATIONS: Comma [5], the International Journal on Archives which carries professional information with international scope (three issues per year), and the newsletter Flash [5];
• the opportunity to attend REGULAR MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES. A leading event in the professional calendar is the quadrennial International Congress on Archives [6], which enables archivists from different countries to network, share ideas and learn about one another’s systems and practices. ICA branches, sections and project groups organise conferences and seminars [6]in different parts of the world every year. An International Conference (CITRA [6]) is also organised, to examine closely the major issues confronting the profession.

As a member of ICA, your expertise and ideas will be welcomed and fostered.

To apply for membership of ICA, please fill in the attached preliminary membership form [6]and send it to the ICA Secretariat.

For any queries, contact the ICA secretariat. [6]