CAL budget

Dear Bert van Zelst:

Thank you for your kind message to the list on the CAL budget and
the answers it contained to my questions (at least in part).  I can
certainly understand your amazement at the evolution of my question
about the possibility of CAL taking on a research initiative on
microwaves in conservation transforming into a debate on the CAL
budget.  A simple answer to my question as to whether this would be
possible or not would have sufficed. Since I knew from my lobbying
for more money for conservation that the CAL budget had been
increasing, I simply noted that, in the context of "isn't this
great, we've had some success".  Unfortunately Don seemed to take
this as a criticism.  I still can't understand why.  Nevertheless, I
does not matter to me whether the CAL "discretionary funds" (and how
this money in a budget is defined varies by government and
accounting procedures) amount to $800,000 (as I was told) or from
625k to 579K as Bert argues, what is important is what comes out of
it.

As Bert notes those of us who are U.S. citizens will be paying our
taxes by April 15th and certainly the conservators in private
practice may be interested in what the CAL is doing and somewhat
curious by the somewhat defensive attitude that might be interpreted
as coming from Don and Bert's remarks here.  What might be a better
response, I think, is to inform us of what the CAL is doing, and
what research plans the CAL has for the next 5 years.  Certainly
this would help explain why the CAL could not take up a microwave
study and also it would be helpful and informative to know what kind
of research initiatives the CAL is willing to take on from the
conservation community.  We have become accustomed to the CAL being
a valuable information source as a producer of basic research in
conservation.  Will this continue and how can we be involved?  What
is the conservation community's role with the CAL and how can we
help lobby for more funds for CAL research, outreach, publications
and training?

At the San Diego AIC meeting this June I sat around with Eleanor
McMillan reminiscing about the old CAL, how wonderful it was and all
the great things that came out of it.  I'm no critic of the Lab, but
rather a great supporter.  But to do that job, I and others in the
conservation community need to know what is going on and how to
help.  So, Bert, perhaps you can profile the CAL's work in a post
here and outline future projects and give us a little information on
how to be boosters?

Niccolo Caldararo
Director and Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:58
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 7, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-58-009
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