Re: [AMIA-L] AMIA Code of Ethics

[Russ McMillen <Russ_McMillen@xxxxxx>]

Your wish is our command Andreas...  Actually Ray just formed the Advocacy task force for, among other things, looking at code of ethics.  I'm sure he will tell you all about it when the sun gets around to his side of the planet.  

My own "agenda" is to include the new members of the profession.  I'm thrilled that there are now courses for students to come out of, and among the things we should put into a code of ethics is that members actively promote, support, encourage the development of those new to the field.  Most members I know do that as a matter of course.  In fact I'm sure the general characteristics of the membership will make some fine additions to any code of ethics.

Sounds like we have a volunteer...

Russ M.


Russ McMillen
Preservation Unit Coordinator
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Opinions expressed are my own and do not represent those of the
CBC. 


>>> andreasbusche@xxxxxx 12/14/05 8:05 PM >>>
Hello all,

I want to follow up an the issue of ethics which was raised at the AMIA at 14 meeting in Austin last 
week. It started an interesting discussion which was unfortunately shot off due to the tight 
schedule. However, I * and certainly others out there * feel that the last word hasn't been said in 
that respect. Furthermore, I am very surprised that it hasn't come up on previous AMIA 
conferences. (Being a member for roughly one year, I am not so sure about that though) Why does 
an organisation such as AMIA not have a code of ethics? How do its members (and, in contrast to 
FIAF which already has a such a code, these members are individual archivists) define their 
profession, duties and responsibilities? What are we doing, for whom? And why?

I'm sure everyone of us has an opinion on that and there are certainly documents such as Ray's 
Philosophy which deal (more or less) extensively with that question. It is not exactly that we don't 
do know what we are doing. Still, as any respectable club, AMIA needs a reference for its 
members, and a goal * not written in stone but at least on paper. 

In 1984, the International Museum Council published a paper on the definition of the restorer-
conservator (that is, the individuum, not an institutional body). I think AMIA could, should provide 
an equivalent for moving image archivists/preservationists. In the past few months I've been 
researching on all kinds of ethical codifications in the museum field and every single conservation 
association/organization has one. Why not AMIA? Obviously, Ray has already done an astonishing 
job and I think, with all due respect, it would be no shame for AMIA, to draw on that. But 
furthermore, I believe it needs some clarification according to AMIA's specific mission statement.

I certainly see the problem of the prolification of codes and even more so the monitoring of them. 
Why do we need more than one and who the hell cares anyway? This is indeed a problem and not 
only in moving image preservation. Check out James Beck's great rampage "Art Restoration * The 
Culture, the Business and the Scandal"! But I personally cannot identify with the FIAF code (first of 
all, I'm no institution) and a lot has happened in the past ten years. It needs some serious refining. 
Ray's Philosopy on the other hand is rather a compendium (84 pages!) that is too complex to serve 
* standardwork that it is * as a professional code. 

I wouldn't go that far to call for an Ethical Commission (that sounds more like a trial to me) but I 
think that it is about time to think about an ethical framework for AMIA members. Howard Besser 
made a good point at the AMIA meeting: What shall he teach his students apart from the 
Philosophy? There isn't anything. And there are more and more students coming out of these 
courses. How can we shape their professional identity? Today, it is not even clear anymore what 
the "integrity of the moving image" exactly means. Ask ten archivists and you get ten different 
answers. So what do we preserve? I find the AMIA community incredibly proactive and open-
minded and I think there is a great potential for the development of such a code.

I really would like to push for a task force on this issue. And I am curious to hear other opinions. 

So let's get it started.


Andreas


Andreas Busche
MA Filmarchiving
University of East Anglia