Guidance Papers

[monitor lizard]

Hi all

After a lovely 6 month sabbatical from the curating lark ([8D]), I'm back in the fold and have been tasked with revisiting our Guidance Papers.

Things have obviously changed since they were written in 1998, as have our requirements - particularly with new technologies and digital formats.

My question is: do any of you out there have guidance notes in a digital form that I can look at? I'm interested to see what other services are considering as standards at the moment. Other than the IFA ones, of course, which is what a lot of counties base theirs around, if they have any. I'll get someone to put the same query on the ALGAO forum, but as there are a fair few curators on here, may as well try a two pronged attack.

Many thanks

ML

[Curator Kid]

Of course, if ALGAO didn't have such stupid membership rules, you could post your query there yourself. They also put out some draft guidance papers in 2005. These appear not to be on their website , but I will see if I can dig them out for you.

[monitor lizard]

Yes, I saw a print out once, but not being allowed into the ALGAO inner sanctum, had to eat the copy.

For those of you who don't know ALGAO (the association of local government archaeological officers) this happy group, which is now UK wide, is only open to heads of service, not us lowly DC officers or archaeological planning advisors who in large services (or those in counties without a county archaeologist) do all the front line work. In a profession that has so few people working as curators, to create a division within the ranks (we cannot vote on initiatives, particiate in the forum or web discussions, etc) is, IMHO, irritating and simply wrong!

Rant over - but still looking for guidance papers. And feel free to jump on the bandwagon!

ML

[vulpes]

Don't quote from it directly myself (wrong region) . But the ALGAO East of England is the most cogent set I've seen. Were the draft ALGAO one's national guidelines - because I think it's time we had some. Contractors just get annoyed by the random requirements and omissions in the highly variable plethora of local guidelines. As far as I can see the only stumbling block to agreed national ALGAO guidance is getting all the curators to agree on somtheing - not some massive variability in archaeological techniques or practice from one end of the country to the other.

[monitor lizard]

No - they were the East of the England ones. As far as I am aware, the only national guidance is still the IFA ones.

But I am very surprised that, having spent some time yesterday afternoon working my way through BAJRs curator list, that only 2 or 3 of the 120 services had guidance papers on their web sites - City of London, Cheshire and Lincolnshire. It's been a long while since I've left this area, so am used to seeing our papers quoted back to us in WSI's. Do others just refer to the IFA set? I can't remember but assume this is the case.

Of course they will never agree - maybe regional guidance is the best one can deliver. Especially if the White Paper comes in with a requirement for statutory SMRs - this could dovetail.

ML

[BAJR Host]

You will be happy to know that through guile and cunning I am a member of ALGAO... - even though I am jsut a DC archaeologist.. I also count as a 'county archaeologist' in all but name... so sneaked onto the books... will see what I can dig up as well...

ps... will add a link tonight to a full guidance paper on buildings archaeology...

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