PAS alert!

[BAJR Host]

On November 22nd

Roy Clare the head of the MLA said

quote:

The work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is of great national importance and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is delighted to see the benefit it has delivered for finders, museums and the public this year. We are committed to seeing the scheme evolve with even greater impact in protecting the country’s heritage and drawing the public and the museum world into a shared understanding of our past.

today in British Archaeology p7 we have this

quote:"In the week that it emerged the government was soon to announce that the £150m Stonehenge roads and visitor project was to be scrapped, the museums, Libraries and Archives Council said it planned to shed the Portable Antiquities Scheme's central unit, effectively initiating the scheme's end.

Angie Bolton, FLO for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, told British Archaeology that they could not do their job without the central unit. "We need the expertise of the finds advisor's", she said, "we need the database". Asked if the scheme would fall without the central unit, she replied, "Definite, yes. It will fold"."

This means people like Roger Bland, Michael Lewis, Dan Pett and others ...Mr Clare wishes to have any remaining FLO's (the ones that don't leave the scheme) sent out to 'Hub Museum's in the regions, which means that you will find it very difficult to record anything unless your near one of these museums?

Like it or not... are we going to see an outreach organisation collapse! Find out more .. please come back with any info you can... this is peoples jobs... this is ten years of work! Ten years! Wasted? decades of getting to the point where the PAS existed... Do we want to see a return to the 70s? I certainly don't... My respect for the PAS has increased over the past few years.. I for one will not stand by and watch this happen... under the guise of reorganisation or rationalisation... what next?

I am reminded of the poem... I stood and watched them take the teachers.. and did nothing... then they came for me.

Heritage counts?

Get back to me with anything.. is this for real.. or a scare? [:0]


"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[BAJR Host]

The most useful thing is for people to write to their MPs, as that has most effect, rather than their writing direct to the DCMS. This is because the Minister personally has to respond to MPs' letters. If they write to the Minister themselves, then he never sees them, as officials respond.

This message has been provided by Roger Bland , Head of Dept. of Portable Antiquities and Treasure, British Museum




I would also like to create a petition (to No. 10) that can be signed up to by archaeologists, detectorists and the public..

the wording is as follows

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to...

Secure the Future of the Portable Antiquities Scheme

The funding for PAS comes from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) whose budget is being cut by 25% over the next three years. Although the ministers at the DCMS have been supportive of the PAS and the work they carry out they failed to ring fence the funding for the future of the PAS.

At a meeting of the Scheme's Advisory Group on Wednesday the Chief Executive of MLA, Roy Clare, announced that PAS funding for next year would be frozen at this year's level (£1.3 million), even though at the press conference for our Annual Report he and the Minister announced that the funding for PAS's current levels of activity would be preserved next year.

The PAS as an organisation of 50 staff needs £1.49 million to keep going at the same level of activity in 2008.

Freezing the PAS budget will mean losing 5 posts out of 50.

The MLA also wants to review PAS's funding for 2009/11 and integrate them into the programme called Renaissance in the Regions which it is funding 42 hub museums. If that happens the work of the (FLOs) will be diluted and the national side of PAS will be weakened. This will result in 9 different regional PASs, all with their own priorities.

This uncertainty is incredibly damaging to the morale of hard-working FLOs who at the moment don't know if they have a job after March. The DCMS, from whom funding is provided, needs to become involved immediatly. If necessary the DCMS should reassign the PAS from MLA to an organisation that is committed to the work of PAS. At a time where Heritage and recognition of the public interest in our shared heritage, to act in such a manner is contrary to the principal of providing support to the public and providing a secure and sustainable future for the PAS.



Get on it now!


"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[gumbo]

Edited because of drunken out of orderness. Yes, sorry anyone who had to read that drivel. I was competely out of order.

[BAJR Host]

Thats the idea Gumbo... so lets wipe the smug look of the faces... lets stand by and watch them go down with the ship... that'll teach them.... but don't expect help when its your turn...

If you go to the PAS pages.. you will see that there is a lot of interpretation going on... the more data.. the more research... for example... my humble efforts at Water Newton have spawned a research into the coin evidence and fed into a wider project...

Here are some of the smaller ones

David Hinton
Research for his book: Gold and Gilt, Pots and Pins. In medieval Britain people wore jewellery made of gold if they were rich, of base metal if they were poor; they might hoard their property, or give it away to guarantee that they would have friends when needed; and many of them paid tax on their possessions. In Gold and Gilt, Pots and Pins , David Hinton reviews the significance of artefacts in this period. From elaborate gold jewellery to clay pots, he looks at what possessions meant to people at every level of society. His emphasis is on their reasons for acquiring, keeping, displaying, and disposing of the things that they wore and had in their houses.
Helen Beveridge (York University)
Undergraduate student at the University of York conducting a dissertation on Early Medieval weapons records on the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Martin Biddle (Oxford University)
Early Medieval Southampton area. Preparation for an article by Birthe Kjolbye-Biddle and himself, ‘Winchester: from Venta to Wintancaestir’ for the festschrift for Martin Henig, now in preparation for publication in March 2007.
Alice Blackwell (PHD student at the Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow)
Studying Anglo-Saxon Northumbria.
Keith Coppin (University of Reading)
MA student in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading. Working on an MA Dissertation on medieval pilgrim badges. I’m trying to compare the badges found in the Low Countries, Germany, France and England.
Will Anderson (Australian university - forgotten which one!)
A study of medieval ampullae for research degree.
James Gerrard (Professional Archaeologist)
Study into distribution of fourth-century siliqua with that of fourth-century hoards.
Gabor Thomas Research into Late Anglo-Saxon strapends.
Chris Ferguson (Oxford University)
DPhil on Early Medieval England. Title not confirmed.
Alex Grassam (Oxford University)
MSt Archaeology. Database analysis
Adam Partington (Oxford University)
MSt Professional Archaeology - Thames Foreshore analysis project
Bruce Eagles - Research into Roman Gloucestershire
Suzie Thomas (Newcastle University) - I am looking at the relationships between archaeologists and metal detector users in England and Wales for my PhD research at Newcastle University.
The Development, Distribution and Significance of ( Hallstatt D - La Tène I,II) Brooches in Britain
My PhD research will be investigating the distribution, development, social and ritual significance of the Iron Age brooch (Hallstatt D - La Tène I, II ) across different sites and regions. Patterns of variation or correlation will be established using brooch attributes such as: type, style, size, modification, re-use, as well as depositional and distributional data, possibly resulting in the identification of region specific types and preferences. Gary Saunders ( Leicester University , PhD Research)
Prof. Seiichi Suzuki - Anglo-Saxon Button Brooches
Kate Andersen - Prehistoric weapons of northern Britain.
Nisha Doshi (Cambridge Uni) - Bronze Age data held by the PAS/SMR/HER for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk to address the research dividends of public participation in archaeology.
Nick Boldrini - PAS/HER data comparison
Bruce Eagles - Roman landscapes
Jane Kershaw (D.Phil Oxford) - Researching all known finds of Scandinavian and Anglo-Scandinavian brooches from the Danelaw. These include a growing corpus of artefacts decorated in the Borre style, incluing trefoil , disc and oval brooches, and several items with Jelling and later Scandinavian art styles. This considers the distribution of these artefacts within the Danelaw and the application of particular styles to certain types of object. This material has enormous potential to enhance our understanding of the Scandinavian settlement in England.

Now... how many projects has your work spawned?

This is not about standing by and saying I told you so... its about working together... PAS are finds specialists (in the main) add in the Field Archaeologist element ... throw in a sprinkling of academics... get more people reporting and understanding the importance of past objects ... now thats something worth working to keep.


"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[BAJR Host]

email from MLA (from another persons letter)

Thank you for writing to me to express your concerns about the future of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). The lead partners (the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the British Museum (BM)) recognise that PAS is an important national scheme in England and Wales. PAS has strong professional and scholarly relevance to the work of museums and to the study of archaeology. The primary aim of the scheme - to record archaeological objects found by the public - is complemented by outreach activities that extend the benefits to wider audiences in the context of work by museums. Backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (from where the funding originates), the MLA is currently evaluating its own operations and the entire span of its programmes to ensure that every area is delivered effectively and efficiently and in a way that gains the best value for public money. As part of the overall process we have indicated our intention to take stock of PAS and in particular to consider whether there is scope to strengthen its day to day relationship with regional museums and further develop its outreach potential. Details will be announced shortly, but in principle the review of regional impact will be led jointly by the MLA and BM and will include members of the Portable Antiquities Advisory Group. Consultation will be planned with local authorities, regional museums and partners in the posts funded by the PAS. A report would be expected by the summer of 2008. A key assumption of the review is that the BM would continue to manage the PAS and retain scholarly leadership of it, setting the professional standards that assure its authority. Pending the outcome of the review the MLA has already stated publicly that funding will be maintained at 2007/8 levels for the financial year 2008/9. Beyond that, funding has been earmarked for two further years and would be confirmed in light of the findings of the review. I hope that this information is helpful to you in setting straight recent erroneous reports and placing the issue in a more constructive context. Roy Clare Chief Executive - Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[garybrun]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L/message/2825



Website for responsible Metal Detecting
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording Our Heritage For Future Generations.

[BAJR Host]

I think the PAS will also have to take on board several major criticisms, to understand why (in part) this crisis has arisen. Streamlining the reporting procedure for example..an over complicated database that takes so much time to produce a single record working with the UKDFD is another - considering the UKDFD online system of reporting (I can never work out whether its report or record ! )

News about the way the Celtic Coin Index was basically 'taken over' from the originator also has to be a lesson that a certain arrogance had crept in.... now they need help... and I am happy to offer what little I can... I hope a positive result come out of this... and changes... BIG changes.

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Corinne Mills]

Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Funding Crisis
Lobbying Your MP: what you should ask their MP to do…

MPs will respond best to individually-written letters from their constituents. Anything that looks mass produced might be rejected as unimportant.

Please ask your MP to do the following two things:

1. ‘sign the following Early Day Motion (EDM)’:

EDM 566: PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME

That this House recognises the great contribution of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) to transforming the archaeological map of Britain by proactively recording archaeological finds made by the public; celebrates the fact that in 10 years the scheme has recorded on its public database more than 300,000 archaeological finds, which would not have otherwise been reported, for the benefit of all; expresses concern at the likely impact of funding cuts proposed for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), following the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, on the PAS; and urges the Government to ensure that the scheme is at least able to maintain its current levels of activity and to consider urgently whether MLA offers the best home for the PAS or whether another body, such as the British Museum, would not be better placed to provide PAS with a long-term sustainable future.

2. ‘write to James Purnell (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport), expressing concern that if funding for the Portable Antiquities Scheme is not sustained then its activities will be reduced’: £1.49M is needed for PAS in 2008/9.

Other messages you might wish to add:

• Why is the PAS important to you?
• How you think metal-detecting contributes to archaeology.
• Currently MLA intends to freeze funding for PAS at £1.3M for 2008/9. This means that 5 posts within the Scheme will be lost.
• In the long-term MLA wants to integrate PAS with its flagship project funding local museums call Renaissance. Finders will want guarantees that PAS continues to have a Central Unit that controls local partner grants, so that all FLOs provide a similar level of service and have the same training and expertise and there is a similar service provided to all.
• The current uncertainties over funding may mean that some FLOs become demoralised and leave PAS.

[BAJR Host]

I take it (given the West Lothian Question) that SCottish MPs would not be involved...?? or should we write to MPs in our non-PAS side of the border...?

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Corinne Mills]

Ask the Scottish Executive to establish FLOs in Scotland, as the Norman Report of 2003 recommended?