From: "Maureen Pennock" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: Invisibility of Archivists/Discussion list
> I was struck by some of the comments Craig makes in his post below. I
> value this list as it draws attention to pertinent topics without
> clogging up my mailbox, but see where he's coming from about this being
> an information-exchange rather than a discussion list.
>
> Perhaps one of the reasons this is because people often receive
> replies 'off-list', limiting opportunities for discussion.
> The SoA established a forum earlier this year -
> http://www.archives.org.uk/forum/index.php - but it is rarely used. Is
> this because we don't want to discuss things? Or are we just too busy
> with our day-to-day tasks? Or is the technology too new for many of us,
> perhaps? Answers on an postcard - no, e-mail please!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Emmerson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 3:11 PM
Subject: Re: Invisibility of Archivists/Discussion list
>Anyone who subscribes to lists hosted in other jurisdictions will know
>that there is frequently very lively discussion on individual topics, as
>well as direct information exchange about events and the provision of
>valuable assistance about high level or new developments ...
>That said it really does depend on the availability of time and an
>awareness of the existence of, for example, the SoA forum. In the end
>though there probably is no substitute for getting a group of people in
>a room as part of a facilitated discussion group.
++++
I have expressed broadly similar views on this list in previous years, e.g.
(Nov 2002 & May 2005): "Many valuable contributions are very probably being
largely lost through not being posted directly to the whole membership ...
It didn't used to be like this, and it's easy enough to skip topics where
they have no obvious personal relevance ... Wouldn't some extra controversy
be more stimulating, and be a healthy trait within any profession? Or is
life in most other repositories absolutely idyllically perfect - in which
case, would anyone care to account for their remarkable success?"
One or two people subsequently suggested to me that they had been
discouraged from further posting after receiving unsympathetic replies
off-list - sometimes from complete strangers. A need to develop a thicker
skin, perhaps? Another suggestion was that the unwelcome intrusion of
external political issues in the past had tried the patience of a number
of former members.
Having an SoA forum is all very well (for those comparatively few people who
are aware of its existence). However, it seems to me a pity if non-SoA
members wishing to contribute were then to be prevented from explaining
their particular perspectives. Furthermore, some individuals simply prefer
the written medium to "getting a group of people in a room as part of a
facilitated discussion group". It needs to be recognised that each medium
has both its advantages and its disadvantages.
For those who dislike receiving a lot of postings at work, I would suggest:
(a) If possible, use your mailing software to set up a separate folder into
which Archives-NRA messages are automatically filtered, or
(b) Use the delete key ruthlessly to quickly remove all messages you are
not 100% sure that you want to read. If you subsequently change your mind
about a particular message or topic, you will still be able to read it all
via http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/archives-nra.html.
However, I suspect I'm probably flogging a mainly dead horse (or whatever
the appropriate metaphor is).
Aidan Jones,
Cumbria Record Office & Local Studies Library, Barrow.
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