On Thursday 1st October 2009 the Association of Local Environmental Records Centres (ALERC) formally launched. After several years of planning, the Association, which is constituted as a Community Interest Company, is now open to members from the Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC) community.
ALERC has been established to represent, support and provide advice to LERCs in the UK. It exists to:
1. Promote and encourage the completion of a UK wide network of LERCs.
2. Promote and develop good standards of practice in the collation, validation, management, dissemination and analysis of biodiversity, geodiversity and related data.
3. Promote and represent LERCs at all appropriate geographical, administrative and organisational levels.
4. Develop accreditation and professional training for Local Environmental Records Centres and their staff.
5. Encourage and facilitate cooperation within the LERC community.
Membership of ALERC will be open to all LERCs in the UK including those at a developmental stage. Individual membership is also available to those who have previously worked within an LERC and continue to have a positive interest in their development, and to volunteers who are actively working within a LERC. Membership will not be open to other partner organisations although the ALERC website will be open to all, with a private members’ section providing services to members only.
ALERC’s Chairman, Adam Rowe, welcomed the formal opening of ALERC to members, saying “for me the most important function of the Association will be to provide a voice to represent the LERC sector, as we develop alongside other important players in the environmental information field. Another important role for ALERC will be the development and implementation of a simple and workable system of LERC accreditation, which aims to strengthen the profile and reputation of the whole LERC network. I am pleased to report that one of ALERC’s first activities will be a lead player in a partnership project which is being established with the Country Agencies to develop such an accreditation scheme”.
It is hoped that ALERC will achieve widespread support from the LERC community. With this support and resourcing in place, ALERC will be in a position to tackle a range of issues affecting LERCs, whilst allowing key LERC staff to concentrate on their local roles, safe in the knowledge that the interests of their LERC are being professionally represented at all appropriate levels.
For further information on ALERC and its planned activities, or to obtain an application pack, please contact Adam Rowe on 029 2064 1110 or via adam.rowe@sewbrec.org.uk.