The new issue of “The Conservator, Vol. 31, 2008” has a very relevant article (Stan Lester, “Putting conservation’s professional qualification in context”) evaluating the United Kingdoms PACR accreditation process, since it has been in place for the last eight years. In the context of discussing the purpose behind the PACR, “There was a strong view that it needed to be assessed through means that were both valid for the kinds of work that conservators do (not, for instance, using a paper-based portfolio, a written examination or a contrived project) and robust enough to withstand external scrutiny” (p. 6)
It is interesting that Dr. Lester specifically rules out a written examination as being a valid and defendable measure of a conservators competence, since it is the only option AIC seems to be considering.
Jeff Peachey
certification for conservators 