Dear members
Earlier today I attended a Society of Archivists (Irish region)-run
workshop on cataloguing & the possible creation of an Irish archives
portal. A number of the speakers mentioned in passing that they had
outsourced much of their bulk cataloguing work to companies who used
labour from countries such as Malaysia & India.
When pressed by a braver delegate than I, a speaker offered two defences
of this practice :
1. That unless large institutions used cheap labour the cataloguing work
simply wouldn't get done.
2. Everyone else is doing it.
I'm not sure how true this second point is, but is the first one - the
economic defence - really justified? Does the Society support such
practice? Its website states :
'The Society of Archivists is committed to promoting equality of
opportunity for all within the world of archives, records management and
archive conservation, regardless of race, colour, religious beliefs or
practices, ethnic or national origin, disabilities, gender, sexuality,
marital status and age.'
I personally can't see how paying certain people working in the world of
archives a lower wage than would be acceptable in Britain or Ireland
promotes equality of opportunity. Is 'getting the job done' really worth
such practice? Does anyone on the listserv have views on this?
darragh o'donoghue
[I work for RTE Written Archives, but am posting on my own behalf]
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