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Re: Archival Consultant fees-She does not have a great deal of archival training



March 20, 2001

Dear Heather and List,
    I bet that she doesn't have any archival training.  I just have to
respond to this because I'm so frustrated to read yet another request for
help for an inexperienced novice when the answer is to hire a qualified and
experienced archivist with actual training and credentials.

 We truly are "stuck in a rut" on this discussion.  Our years (decades) of
discussions and  programs about graduate education and what training is
necessary are still completely relevant to this innocent question of pricing
archival consultant work.  How can we consider our field of work a profession
if quick tips and suggestions online can serve as background for carrying out
the archival work?

You know, usually I just sigh, and keep going when I speed through most of
the similar listwerv messages about salary, status, what we call
ourselves--the archivist vs. curator discussion kind of amplifies our
professional concerns--whether we need to be certified or not, "slash"
responsibilities, i.e. archivist/records manager or archivist/librarian, etc.
 Aren't we coming to consensus on the necessary requirements for qualified
archival assistance?  Graduate academic archives and information studies
training, good internships,  continuing education workshops, etc.   are
essential to be able to make good appraisal and processing judgements.  So--
tell your colleague(s) to hire a trained archivist--because you really do get
what you pay for.  (Hey, if librarians have been promoting themselves for
years now, how about a good national marketing campaign to promote our field
and our jobs?)

I have a favorite "bad photocopy" on my wall at work which I copied from
Wagner Labor Archives at NYU years and years ago--  You get the idea?

                        RATE SCHEDULE

                        Answers.....................................$1.00
                        Answers Which Require Thought...$2.00
                        Correct Answers..........................$4.00
                        Dumb Looks Are Still Free...................



    Lucinda Manning
    UFT Archives & Records Center
    United Federation of Teachers
    260 Park Avenue South
    NY, NY  10010
    212-598-9213

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