Certification

I think that this has been one of the most substantive discussions
on OSG-L; it has been educational to see so many different points of
view expressed.

No matter what the opinions expressed are, what is universal in all
of this is our collective passion for our profession.

It occurs to me that the certification issue is like a mirror--that
everyone "sees" and "reads" something very different in the
reflection.

So that is why this discussion has revealed more about ourselves and
where our perceptions about the profession and its direction lie
than anything else.

It would perhaps be very useful to hear from those involved directly
in the certification effort exactly how the AIC intends to use it:
Is it an instrument to foster professional development? Is it a
"gateway" or "threshold" into the profession? Is it an instrument to
be used by the consumers of conservation to make distinctions?

I think that the more "benefits" that are espoused for certification
the murkier the waters become for us out here in thinking through
the issue.

There is also some measure of concern about the effects of
certification, intended or unintended, and how that will affect us.

I think that George Wheeler's concern about "innovation" in the
field is an excellent example of this.

I, for one, am in favor of keeping the aspirations for certification
very modest.

David Harvey
Artifacts
2930 South Birch Street
Denver CO 80222
303-300-5257


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:37
                Distributed: Wednesday, December 4, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-37-005
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