Accreditation

As I have stipulated before (in this venue) I am not an academically
trained conservator.

I am an old English major who learned that he could translate what
he read into the movement of tools at the bench.

In 1962 I was a member of a building trades union.  I personally
witnessed elections where the lords of the lay in their sharkskin
suits and pointed suits were in attendance.

I understand something about the bad side of unions and
apprenticeship programs.

When I sold shoes in a non-union shop and complained about some of
the working conditions, my manager came to me one afternoon to tell
me that my accounts were $5.00 short from the day before and that I
was no longer an employee of that firm.

That experience taught me something about capitalism.  (I did not
steal $5.00/my manager did.)

Barry Byers mentions the Canadian programme, and I have not
commented thereon, because it is an national programme with no
effort to become international.  The UK programme is different in
this respect, and it requires comment.

Ylva Playerdahnsjo, from Dundee, makes the comment:

>You  certainly need to be generally competent before you specialise, as
>I am sure the specialist friends that Jack Thompson refers to all are.

That statement reveals a lack of understanding.  Specialists who are
not members of a national/international organization neither need
nor wish to be 'generally competent.'

>What is he accusing JAG
>of lying about? Maybe he confuses the reference to "legal
>requirements" with the debate about whether the profession should
>strive for legal recognition in Europe. That is another issue
>altogether.

No, it is not.  England, whatever she may wish, is part of the
European Union, and as such comes under the purview of the European
Union.

Or, will the UK renege, and retain the pound sterling?

And there is a difference between semantics and dictionaries.

>   " Accredited conservator status cannot be conferred for
>    competence across only a limited range of functions"
>
>Surely this just means that an accredited conservator needs to have
>all the necessary training, understanding, experience and ability in
>conservation to be able to practice in a full professional capacity,
>( making independent decisions about treatment etc etc )....

Your comment in opposition to my assertion has made my point.

>As I see it, the accreditation document and system are an attempt to
>specifically address the UK situation, at least in the first
>instance.

In this we concur.  I only stipulate that before any person judges
my work, that they pass my examination.

I am willing to submit to the judgement of my peers, but none other.

Jack C. Thompson
Thompson Conservation Laboratory
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, OR  97217
503-735-3942  (voice/fax)

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:87
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 13, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-87-015
                                  ***