Martin Taylor wrote:
>> Surely the whole point of the Society of Archivists registration scheme
is
to offer to employers a guarantee of professional competence and adherence
to a recognised set of standards. We shouldn't necessarily equate length of
time in the profession with competence, and the revised registration scheme
provides a means by which archivists can demonstrate to their employers,
their colleagues and themselves that they are good at their job. One can
therefore reasonably expect employers wanting a good and experienced
archivist, conservator, records manager etc for any sort of senior postition
to specify they want an RMSA.
Strictly speaking, wouldn't employers have to specify that they want an RMSA
who originally qualified in or after June 1996 if they wanted more than
evidence of length of time in the profession?
Of course, to do so would discriminate unfairly against pre-1996 qualifiers.
I personally think that, in light of the facts that (a) the registration
scheme has not always had as sharp a CPD focus as it has now, and (b)
Society of Archivists members are not monopoly providers of recordkeeping
services, it is better for prospective employers to state something like
"SoA registered members preferred", rather than to make registration a
requirement. This would affirm the CPD focus of the Society's revised
registration scheme while leaving the door open to those who have not been
through it (for whatever reason) but who can demonstrate their professional
competence in other ways.
Best wishes,
Colin S. Gale
Archives & Museum
Bethlem Royal Hospital
Monks Orchard Road
Beckenham, Kent BR3 3BX
Tel: 020 8776 4053
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.00pm (Archives by appointment only). The
Museum contains a remarkable collection of pictures by artists who have
suffered from mental disorder, including Richard Dadd and Louis Wain.
The Archives document the history of Bethlem Hospital and the Maudsley
Hospital.
Visit http://www.slam.nhs.uk for information about the trust
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