27th April 2011, 04:46 PM
The Southport proposals are more coherent than at first appears:
at present, pretty much anybody can call themselves archaeologists and do planning work; this means that curators have to specify, monitor, approve each project to ensure standards are maintained
the proposal is that archaeology becomes chartered (either growing of IfA or not), and because the chartered bodies will have to maintain standards to maintain their chartered status, curators can be much more light touch
(to reply to Kevin Woolridge's point about archaeologists that choose not be come chartered - they would be choosing not be practicing archaeologists in any field over which chartering had control)
the public participation element is needed to ensure that under this new chartered model the principle that archaeology is done for the public, and as far as possible with their involvement, is preserved in a context where otherwise they would be routinely excluded. Kate Geary has clarified that the prohibition of volunteers being used to substitute for paid workers will remain in place.
at present, pretty much anybody can call themselves archaeologists and do planning work; this means that curators have to specify, monitor, approve each project to ensure standards are maintained
the proposal is that archaeology becomes chartered (either growing of IfA or not), and because the chartered bodies will have to maintain standards to maintain their chartered status, curators can be much more light touch
(to reply to Kevin Woolridge's point about archaeologists that choose not be come chartered - they would be choosing not be practicing archaeologists in any field over which chartering had control)
the public participation element is needed to ensure that under this new chartered model the principle that archaeology is done for the public, and as far as possible with their involvement, is preserved in a context where otherwise they would be routinely excluded. Kate Geary has clarified that the prohibition of volunteers being used to substitute for paid workers will remain in place.