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30th December 2005, 03:23 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by deepdigger
The ones that I can't ignore are the part time army of volunteers!
They really do spoil all the good work done by the proffesionals!!
deep
Whilst I totally agree that unsupervised volunteers are very dangerous there are huge numbers of retired, work placements, people returning to work who are interested enough to volenteer their time to the profession. Often complete the tasks that none of us would want to do, like labelling photos, archiving, pot washing.... Any attempt to push these valuable individuals out would do the profession damage. Archaeology/history after all is a public resource!
What must however, be avoided at all costs is those 'professional organisations' whom use volenteers as replacements for professionals. In my experience this tends to be a crime committed by Husband and wife teams (but still RAO!!)
long live the volenteer!!
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3rd January 2006, 11:49 PM
yes, long live the volunteer, but only if they know what they are doing. washing finds may seem superficially easy, but if you don't know anything about the stuff you are washing before you dunk it in the water and scrub the life out of it...am constantly having to comment in burial catalogues that an individual may have had periosteal bone reactions but they have been scrubbed off during washing. same theory for that nice bit of prehistoric pot that has turned to gritty brown water...
there are a lot of very good, very keen and committed volunteers, but there are also the other kind as well and I often wonder what kinds of information we are losing because of ignorance of the needs of finds processing, things getting scrubbed to death, thrown away with the mud etc etc. Schemes of training would be fantastic, but for a lot of us there is simply not the time if we are going to get our own work done.
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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3rd January 2006, 11:54 PM
Not only finds Snipey-you and I both know of an incredibly sexy Iron Age site where the county mounty had ommitted to include a caveat for a watching brief and.....a certain volunteer is said to have carried one out voluntarily during subsequent works!!
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)
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4th January 2006, 12:03 AM
I have blocked that site from my mind in fear of waking up in a cold sweat thinking about it...just got a shiver down my spine...
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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5th January 2006, 05:24 PM
Back on to or nearer the topic. There are a minority of so-called archaeologists who are professionals and members of the IFA who run rough-shod over our good work and intentions. These individuals are a menace and a threat to our profession. When we discuss the less desirable units we often neglect the cases of these individuals too. Don't be shy. Grass 'em up to Hosty...[8D]
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5th January 2006, 05:40 PM
And certainly the IFA.
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20th January 2006, 10:38 PM
Knew a county archy whom upon finding unique set of statues - with residue - took them back home and scrubbed them over kitchen sink... Many volunteers i know would take a lot more care - they usually ask advice....
Quote:quote:Originally posted by sniper
yes, long live the volunteer, but only if they know what they are doing. washing finds may seem superficially easy, but if you don't know anything about the stuff you are washing before you dunk it in the water and scrub the life out of it...am constantly having to comment in burial catalogues that an individual may have had periosteal bone reactions but they have been scrubbed off during washing. same theory for that nice bit of prehistoric pot that has turned to gritty brown water...
there are a lot of very good, very keen and committed volunteers, but there are also the other kind as well and I often wonder what kinds of information we are losing because of ignorance of the needs of finds processing, things getting scrubbed to death, thrown away with the mud etc etc. Schemes of training would be fantastic, but for a lot of us there is simply not the time if we are going to get our own work done.
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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20th January 2006, 11:12 PM
have to say I was not suggesting that it was only volunteers who may be unaware of how to process finds...
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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22nd January 2006, 10:17 PM
At the risk of being a bit contraversial here-I did indeed pas my views onto Mr Hosty regarding a certain unit/individual and am still waiting for a response!
No offense mr Hosty-but as I value your views highly, I would like to know what you thought........
As it happens, I am beginning to come round to the views of 1man1desk (despite our fundamental differences of opinion) in that, I have some examples of appalling breaches of IFA standards and am sorely tempted to pass them on.I`m not willing to do so however if my efforts don`t prompt a response.The details I speak of relate to my time as a member of a consultancy and, my time on the circuit.If the concept of "effective self-regulation" means that the monkeys are expected to keep the organ grinders in line, you need to keep us in peanuts.
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)
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23rd January 2006, 12:35 PM
Quote:quote:At the risk of being a bit contraversial here-I did indeed pas my views onto Mr Hosty regarding a certain unit/individual and am still waiting for a response!
Have you mentioned it to the County Archaeologist?
