Unpaid positions

This is a response to Victoria Bunting's comments on the request for
free labor.  I agree with Victoria, and distributed an article at
the San Diego AIC meeting summarizing some of the threats to the
conservation profession which "hiring"volunteers for conservation
positions has and can have in the future. The AIC Newsletter refused
to publish it as it had references to the Carol Christensen
controversy which some Board members were eager to get beyond.  I
have felt increasingly uncomfortable, however, as the debate on
certification has been reinvigorated recently in the face of a flood
of volunteers into public labs, many in "permanent" positions.  This
and the continued expansion of public labs into the private sector
seem contradictory to a sustained future for careers in
conservation.

Niccolo Caldararo
Director and Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:50
                 Distributed: Tuesday, December 8, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-50-005
                                  ***