Watching the Curator

[BAJR]

It does look like the Fife question is an old one.

So it does seem that the rumours of curators Carrying out their own work is just that. a rumour.

Which means I now have all I need to report back.

[monty]

The Welsh Archaeological Trusts' Curators' Code of Practice ... ensure that there is a clear separation between their advisory (curatorial) and contracting roles. So the same person is not advising, performing the work and then regulating the final product.

....maybe not the same person but definitely same persons...... mind you this was a few years ago but have heard it has happened again more recently ?

[Martin Locock]

Not quite sure what you are getting at: yes, the Welsh Archaeological Trusts still perform both curatorial and contractual/project work, there are separate staff dealing with the roles 9so that sometimes the curatorial side is monitoring the work of the contracting side on behalf of the planning authority). Curators do not do work they set briefs for, and contractors don't set briefs for work they do.

[monty]

. Curators do not do work they set briefs for, and contractors don't set briefs for work they do.

...don't be too sure of that ........

[BAJR]

Careful of making comment... if you have record of this, could you email me to discuss.

[Manuport]

Now as I was saying - This is just to see if this is widespread. --- often it would be a great idea to have an inhouse archaeology unit able to do works.

For Fife, it should be noted that other companies do indeed work there. so it is not closed. --- I am hearing of another possible in Essex. but will find out more.

Unfortunately I did not see this thread earlier as I have been out of the office a lot, so to clear a lot of confusion up:

Fife has two archaeologists on staff (Douglas Speirs and Steve Liscoe) who do a huge amount of work in supporting archaeology in Fife (not just in the sphere of planning). They do not have the equipment, stores or other resources to undertake substantive pieces of intrusive fieldwork and I can categorically say they do not undertake commercial work. However, where the council themselves commission work (from an external company) they do often take a keen interest and have on occasion become the media face of the project - an approach that promotes the archaeologists on the council staff and the role they have in safeguarding Fife's Historic Environment.

How, my detractors may say, can I prove this - well the quoted excavations in the public library were conducted by our company under contract to Fife Council and indeed they have been fully published: [FONT=&quot]Rees, T, Gordon, D and Matthews, A 2008 ?Excavations within the graveyard of the Holy Trinity, St Andrews, Fife?, Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal 2008 vol 14[/FONT]

I think the problem in this hunt for atypical behaviour from our council archaeologists is the separation of media presentation from contractual reality - the real clue in whether a council is undertaking what may otherwise be commercial work is not press releases but how many field archaeologists they employ (ie how many seats are in that organisation rather than independent provider).

[BAJR]

Thanks Munu... as said up higher -- this was cleared up and confusions sorted. thanks for coming up with that as well. Agreed.. Fife Council do not carry out commercial work.

[Martin Locock]

Monty: I am a trustee of GGAT if you believe that there has been a breach of of the WAT's curatorial code of conduct please let me know by email mlocock@gmail.com so that I can take action.

[serpentine]

Curators undertaking contract work? I would be surprised to find this was ever the case, most curators don?t have time to do commercial work even if they were so inclined.

At the Welsh Archaeological Trusts, monty are you sure it is commercial (planning/development-led) work? The Trusts sometimes do research projects which straddle the commercial and curatorial sections.