My initial reaction to this debate was to see it as one that each
generation of archivists has to resolve for itself and not to become
involved but since someone even older than I am has joined in...
As Len has suggested this is not a new issue, though now archives, in
the public sector at least, has become increasingly, for want of a
better word, 'heritageised', it has acquired a sharper edge. Having
only worked in the private sector in the UK (though as a consultant much
of my work has been with public bodies), I've been struck by how, as a
profession, we tend to define ourselves by where we work rather than by
what we do. Most of the Society of Archivists special interest groups
are related to the sectors in which members work. The exceptions are
the Records Management Group and the Conservation and Preservation Group
which, rather than being SIGs, are core elements of the Society's
claimed area of competence: they represent areas of core professional
activity, irrespective of the sector in which they are practised.
We stress the things that divide us rather than those which unite, which
is why I opposed the establishment of the Business Records Group as yet
another example of this fissile tendency. As a small and, if what
contributors have said is true, threatened group, the 'recordkeeping'
profession should focus on our common education, knowledge and technical
skills (and I don't mean the ability to translate and read old
documents) as the things which define and distinguish us, while
recognising that we may apply those common understandings in different
environments, each of which has equal professional value, and which, in
turn may mean facing different challenges and imperatives, and
justifying our existence in different ways. Ann Pederson's research, to
which Katie Norgrove drew attention, recognises that not all of us will
feel comfortable in every environment - though there is an element of
stereotypical professional self-perpetuation, where we tend to recruit
'people like us'.
It ought also to be possible to move comfortably between sectors - the
route from the public to the private sector is certainly well
established - and only an assumption that sector experience is more
important than professional and managerial competence will prevent it
from happening. This is particularly so at more senior levels where, as
Jenny Moran has suggested, strategic thinking and the ability to manage
resources and people, allied to professional awareness, ought to be the
determining factors. Often a different kind of experience may be
precisely what is needed to generate new ideas and approaches.
The key message, then, is that there are too few 'proper records people'
to spend time emphasising differences rather than promoting
commonalities. It's good to see Liverpool recognising this in the way
that they have re-developed their courses. [I presented a paper at the
Business Archives Council's Annual Conference in 1988 suggesting that
this was the direction that archival education should take, though I'm
not claiming any credit for the change!)
Peter Emmerson
Director
Emmerson Consulting Limited
Poplar House
5 School Street
Witton-Le-Wear
County Durham DL14 0AS
Office 01388 488865
Mobile 07740 942682
This e-mail message is confidential and intended solely for the use of
the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient any disclosure,
copying, distribution or use of it is prohibited and may be unlawful.
If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete it from your system.
Emmerson Consulting Limited is registered in England No. 3607347.
Registered Office: 140 Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, Co Durham, DL3 7RT
|