Glad to see that suddenly lots of people have decided that it is OK to
discuss the Society's business on the listserv. It's a pity that this
independence of spirit did not manifest itself sooner.
Some points:
1. Judging by the posts so far seen that part of my original posting which
stated "This is not a personal attack on Aideen" and then explained my
position using the analogy of the SAA must have been written in invisible
ink - or is it too much to expect archivists actually to see a core issue
when it arises? Obviously not - which is why stark and apparently harsh
language is sometimes needed to throw the issue into relief.
2. The SoA is meant to be undertaking a strategic review, which, according
to the literature I received in my Newsletter, is prompted by the
structural and constitutional changes taking place in the UKwhich affect
the world in which (some) archivists work in the UK. These issues are
irrelevant to a citizen of any overseas country WHO IS NOT WORKING IN THE
UK (fair dinkum Colin?) It is not offensive or impertinent to raise the
question as to the locus standi of a person in an official capacity when
that person is dealing with issues which arise solely out of the UK's
current (and admittedly rather half-baked) attempts to come to terms with a
new constitutional settlement.
3. Surely a *strategic* review should include a consideration of any
assumptions which still persist about the SoA's organisation and
geographical coverage as a professional body. We are not (meant to be) a
social club for archivists. We are meant to be a *professional body* i.e.
an organisation which presumes to monitor and govern its members conduct
through regulation, licensing and a code of ethics. Such a body cannot
operate outside a framework of commonly-accepted law. Until recently we
archivists have largely been below the horizon of government and so, in our
grand tradition, have been able to fudge issues such as these post-colonial
assumptions. This is no longer tenable if we are to review the Society in
such a way that it can see its way forward into the forseeable future.
Either we become an EU SoA, or we orientate ourselves around the
subsidiarity principle - or is there a third way?
I apologise wholeheartedly to Aideen on a personal level for making her the
individual focus of this issue, but it would not be right to ignore the
fundamental issue solely on that basis. I would also respectfully suggest
that the "gagging order" (OK, emotive language, but it made the point,
non?) was an incorrect decision.
Regards
The evil archivist of York
====================================================
Richard Taylor
Curator, Archive Collections
National Railway Museum
Leeman Road
YORK YO26 4XJ
ENGLAND
Tel +44 (0)1904 686 289
Fax +44 (0)1904 611 112
Email [log in to unmask]
Website http://www.nrm.org.uk
The National Railway Museum is the European Museum of the Year 2001
=====================================================
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