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Re: Consultant Fee



Ron wonders why archival consultants are undervalued compared to other
professionals. The big picture, I think, has to do with perceptions of
those who pay the bills thinking of this work as "cultural" (history,
literature, art, museums, libraries) and therefore less important than
programs which generate revenue or reduce costs, improve productivity, and
related management values.  What they do not value, they will not pay
(much) for.

Scenario:

A local group wants to start an archives and historical mss. program in the
community. They go to their county commission (or whatever it's called) and
ask for money, let's say $100,000 (space, salary, supplies, shelving, other
equipment, brochures, etc.).

"And what do we get in return for this money?"

"Well, you get a wonderful cultural program that saves and makes available
the historical records [5% of total volume] of the community."

"Next!"

----------------------------------

Alternate Scenario:  Same group, same pitch.

"What do we get for this money?"

"You get a records management program that addresses 100% of the
records-related needs of local government, saves $500,000 per year in
direct costs and avoidances, protects vital records against disaster,
increases productivity at the courthouse, introduces
application-appropriate technology, etc. etc.  AND you get a wonderful
cultural program that saves and makes available the historical records of
the community."

"Where do we sign?"

----------------------------------------

Which approach will most likely get the funding for consultants--one that
saves money or one that spends it?  Which type of consultant will be more
valued?  Records management or archives management?  The ends are really
the same.

Just a different way of looking at the problem.

Mike Pemberton


At 08:39 AM 5/1/01 -0400, Ron Lieberman wrote:
>I think that you should expect to pay a consultant between $250 and
>$500 per day plus expenses (transportation, meals, and housing if an
>overnight stay is required) depending in part upon the complexity of
what you
>expect...

I'm curious about this.  Many of you will pay an attorney this much for
an hour or two of work.  While there are a million attorneys out there.
Qualified consultants  in the fields of archives and special collections

are indeed rare.  Why are their services so undervalued?  Could it be
that some type of anachronistic economics are at work?  Indeed, this is
what skilled and sophisticated consultants charged ten or twenty years
ago.  In my specialties of appraisal, preservation, and security
consultants routinely charge $ 500.00-$ 1000.00 per day.

Any comments?

Ron

--
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