Accreditation

Jane Henderson <hendersonj [at] cardiff__ac__uk> writes

>Also there is no restriction by specialism in conservation but that
>any conservator regardless of their specialism must be able to
>practice across the range of functions involved in conservation

I must say that this is the point that most worries me. What is the
definition being placed upon the term "function" here?

I am an archives conservator, I am also a bookbinder, work on
watercolours and electronic information systems. I am not an oils
conservator, and when oil paintings require conservation work here,
I obtain the services of a conservator with the necessary skills.

Treatment of oils is "part of the range of functions involved in
conservation", am I, as an "accredited conservator" required to have
knowledge and skills of this field in addition to my own? and if so,
where do we stop?

I wouldn't want a brain surgeon to transplant my heart as I wouldn't
want a heart surgeon to mess around in my brain. I feel this
statement tends towards too much generalisation, and needs to be
addressed.

That's my pennyworth, otherwise I feel that accreditation can only be
a benefit to the profession in the UK.

Jonathan S Farley
Senior Conservator
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE
England
+44 181-332-5419
Fax: +44 181-332-5430

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:86
                   Distributed: Monday, May 10, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-86-013
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