Would anyone from the Library Association care to comment on their apparent
willingness to advertise archival posts instead of informing the proposed
advertiser that s/he should instead contact the SOA? (Apologies if that is
what they do already).  And what is the SOA doing about this? As we know,
it's happening all the time (I've already raised this point a few times on
mailbase and have recently been approached for help by yet another
non-archivist (with some library experience; found the job via the LA)
wanting advice on how to appraise and list a company's archives).  Not a lot
of point training umpteen archivists and insisting on continuing education
if there are no reasonably paid jobs and/or if what do exist are are going
to unqualified persons.

Clare Cowling

-----Original Message-----
From: Williams Gareth Haulfryn ADH/ECL
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 04 May 2000 17:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: National Maritime Museum


Have people seen the Nat. Maritime Museum vacancy in the Library
Assoc.Appointments Circular for a 'Manuscripts Manager' by which presumably
they mean archivist? Decent enough salary (£19000) until you read that they
list line management, responsibility for the care and preservation of the
manuscripts collection, and management of the online cataloguing
project...acquisition and management of current collections,  etc etc.

Qualifications: experience or a qualification in the field of manuscript or
archive resources.... Educated to at least A level.

Am I the only one to find this description of archive work coupled with a
complete lack of knowledge of the title and availability of the right
professional qualifications, let alone perception of the required level of
education, totally depressing coming from a national institution that ought
to know better?

Our noteworthy but much much smaller maritime records collection in Gwynedd
would never be entrusted to someone whose level of qualification was
sub-graduate and just with experience in 'archive resources'.

Gareth Haulfryn Williams

(personal communication to archives listserv).


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