Fld Archaeol 24

Reports on the results of a questionnaire on conditions of employment distributed amongst delegates at two major conferences (TAG 1994 and ABC '95). Seventy responses were received, comprising ten percent of those canvassed, and the responses are used to assess the prevalence of various types of contract, the range of job specifications and salary levels, career structures, flexibility of working, and overall perceptions of lifestyle. It is concluded that pay is too low, job titles are confusing, working conditions are inflexible, and chances for career advancement are limited.

Argues that it is as essential to take steps to curate archaeological literature as it is to curate the actual remains of past activity. While libraries ensure the physical survival of books, there is still a need for information services that assist researchers to locate relevant material. The history of archaeological bibliography in Britain and Ireland is outlined, and it is reported that the British Archaeological Bibliography has recently completed a project to computerise the major bibliographic collections.

Explains the disadvantages of CD-ROM as perceived by publishers. These include technical limitations, such as poor quality image reproduction compared with print, and consumer resistance coupled with high expectations fostered by the sophisticated user interfaces of more commercial products. To be most useful for archaeologists, CD-ROM publications require a great deal of painstaking work to create links that guide the user through the data, and it is thought that there is not yet sufficient demand to make this a commercially viable proposition. See also 96/774.

Reports the adoption of the register of IFA approved organisations and the establishment of a committee to administer the scheme. See also 96/799.