Dear Matt (and listserv),

 

Your response to Ashley's query struck a defnitive cord with me. I am an archivist who as worked in the public and not-for-profit sector for years and I've just made the transition to corporate, client-based work where the line between records management and archives is a bit more blurred than I would like and where my clients' needs have to come first (unless they violate my professional ethics -- something that hasn't occurred yet).

 

My clients are -- for the most part -- alive and kicking and will more than likely be for awhile. My biggest challange thus far is getting the client to think in terms of longevity of their material (have you thought about what you want to happen with your material? Do you know where you would like it to end up if you're donating it, etc?) and getting them to destroy material that is non-essential from an historical or RM standpoint. Each client is so individual -- like the material that the bring with them. This job has come to me at a perfect time in my career because I am very interested in both Archives and Records Management and have been very lucky to work on a broad range.

 

I've noticed that in the UK more and more archivists are having to become contractors because of the nature of the work available. The  Heritage Lottery Fund has opened up a world of short-term/long-term contracts but is also introducing challanges to a profession that most people (I think) traditionally have gone for the job stability (as well as the passion for archiving, history, cultural preservation, etc.). And I wonder how prepared we are as a profession for this kind of a transition. How many of us are moving into the consultancy world without even realizing it? Is there going to be a need to unionize/guild at some point (I'm thinking along the lines of Actors Equity) for employment insurance, etc.? What about additional gap memberships for those years when your salary just doesn't make a graduated or full membership fee possible?

I look forward to reading your contributions to the thread.  I've taken the liberty of posting this on the UK listserv as well and am looking forward to seeing what comes of the two discussions.

 

Best wishes,
Rachel Howse

 

 

On 11/9/05, Matthew Snyder <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

In addition to my day job at NYPL, I've been doing a freelance archival job for close to two years, since shortly  before I got out of library school. It's for a notable person with an extensive collection documenting his own career, as well as the careers of many other important people. There's no insurance considerations, and I haven't incorporated as a "business"; the whole affair is quite informal, even though it's of enormous importance to my client, and to me as well, career-wise. The main challenge that I have is in terms of archival practice: do I handle things as an archivist would when dealing with a deceased person's collection, or do I simply go by what is best for the current needs of my client, even if that will make things more difficult for an archivist someday (and that archivist may, in fact, be me)? I decided! to go with what is best for my client's needs, most of the time. When I have the leeway to organize things that make sense in terms of archival organization AND help my client find what he needs, then I do it.  I've gotten inquiries from other people about freelancing, although none where the subject is still alive. I'd also appreciate hearing about the experience of other freelance archivists, because I see "archival consulting" (as I think of it)  becoming an important and interesting part of my career.

I'll be out of the country for 10 days starting tonight, so I won't be able to contribute to this thread again before the 21st.

Matt Snyder
Music Archivist
Wilson Processing Project
The New York Public Library