[A letter was recently sent out on this subject from the Information &
Library Services Lead Body addressed to Heads of Services in archives
services. I am sending this summary on behalf of the Society of Archivists
Education & Training Panel (ETP), who were concerned that archives and
archivists were not sufficiently aware of this issue].
The Information & Library Services Lead Body is seeking to create an NTO
(National Training Organisation) for Information Services, including
archives, libraries and records management offices. NTOs are currently
being set up to work for education and training in various occupational
sectors, including identifying skills and training requirements, advising
and influencing educational provision and training arrangements, and
developing and promoting occupational standards and vocational
qualifications.
To quote from the Lead Body mailing, ''an NTO is an essential pre-requisite
to Government funding (particularly from DfEE) for employment and training
related project work... it seems highly probable that Government money to
support employment projects of all sorts will increasingly be channelled
through NTOs, and occupational sectors without an NTO are liable to lose
out." Other occupational sectors, including that of museums and galleries,
have already established NTOs.
The Government wishes NTOs to be 'employer led', hence the Lead Body's
appeal to 'Heads of Services' to pledge support. However since archives are
frequently subsumed in other services, this information may not have
filtered down to many archives, and the SoA ETP feels that it is important
that there be an archive presence in discussions.
For more information on the ISNTO, please contact the Information and
Library Services Lead Body, c/o the Library Association, 7 Ridgmount Street,
London WC1E 7AE, tel: 0171 242 2244, email: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Alternatively, regional discussion meetings have been arranged to answer
questions and to promote discussion on the ISNTO project,. The meetings are
open to all, and being held in the next few weeks. Contact John Pluse, 14
Aireville Avenue, Bradford, BD9 4ET, phone 01274 594685, email
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> and give
your name, your organisation and which meeting you are attending, at least 2
days before the meeting.
The meetings are:
4/11/98 - Ceredigion Council Offices, Aberystwyth, 1130-1400
5/11/98 - PRO, Kew, London, 1015-1300
6/1198 - Central Library, York, 1000-1300
10/1198 - Central Library, Manchester, 1015-1315
11/11/98 - Central Library, Birmingham, 1400-1645
12/11/98 - Central Library, Newcastle, 1000-1300
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Mari Takayanagi
Secretary of the SoA Education & Training Panel
British Library of Political & Economic Science
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