21st October 2010, 11:11 AM
Public Value via Plublic Collections
-no they cant sell exhibits, and de-accsesioning takes tiema nd money.
-Collection = Storage, Pulbic=Council - yes these are the 'front end of store-rooms' (if you like....)
-Yes there may be some problems with staffing structures (e.g. collections curators are still - and often wrongly - treated as a white collar elite, whereas (frequently) more skilled and trained technical staff are still regarded (and paid) as somewhat working class...
council staff play a huge role in maintaining the public interest in heritage (and thus in archaeology) - this is of direct benefit to all 'Real Commercial' archaeologists.....rarely do commercial bodies perform this function (not even Educational-Charities-With-A-Name-Like-A-Famous-University)
BUT - we are looking at permanent loss of posts and service, not re-evaluation....how can any 'Real Commercial' archaeologist justify the profession if museums are closing and councils have moth-balled collections?
Who wants this stuff any way?
If the commercial sector does pick up (ha ha ha), and commercial archs do not acknowledge and resist what is being lost, then they are more blind and short sighted than supposed.
-no they cant sell exhibits, and de-accsesioning takes tiema nd money.
-Collection = Storage, Pulbic=Council - yes these are the 'front end of store-rooms' (if you like....)
-Yes there may be some problems with staffing structures (e.g. collections curators are still - and often wrongly - treated as a white collar elite, whereas (frequently) more skilled and trained technical staff are still regarded (and paid) as somewhat working class...
council staff play a huge role in maintaining the public interest in heritage (and thus in archaeology) - this is of direct benefit to all 'Real Commercial' archaeologists.....rarely do commercial bodies perform this function (not even Educational-Charities-With-A-Name-Like-A-Famous-University)
BUT - we are looking at permanent loss of posts and service, not re-evaluation....how can any 'Real Commercial' archaeologist justify the profession if museums are closing and councils have moth-balled collections?
Who wants this stuff any way?
If the commercial sector does pick up (ha ha ha), and commercial archs do not acknowledge and resist what is being lost, then they are more blind and short sighted than supposed.