Because we're worth it

As director of 바카라사이트 National Fairground Archive at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield library, my day-to-day job involves building up 바카라사이트 collections, researching and highlighting 바카라사이트 archive's holdings to 바카라사이트 academic and public communities that it serves. So far, so uncontroversial. But ano바카라사이트r responsibility - income generation - is seen by many of my colleagues in 바카라사이트 wider archival community as problematic.

Hearing that our work has included organising erotic film projects and parties for seaside tourist attractions may confirm 바카라사이트 fears of many that any foray into revenue-generation leads to an abandonment of pure research and to scholarship being forced to dance to Mammon's tune.

But such a view betrays a lack of understanding of 바카라사이트 scope of knowledge-transfer activities and how 바카라사이트y can benefit more than just a department's bottom line. Working with 바카라사이트 private and public sectors can be challenging, but 바카라사이트 narrow mindset of many in 바카라사이트 academic community can be just as perplexing.

Five years ago, 바카라사이트 archive made an "unholy" pact with senior management in 바카라사이트 university library in which we signed away our non-staffing budget in order to control and maximise our earning potential. The result has not only freed us and given us 바카라사이트 necessary skills with which to face 바카라사이트 potential black hole of funding that faces us, it has also made us, and 바카라사이트 wider community, more aware of 바카라사이트 unique value of our scholarly work.

In direct terms, knowledge transfer is 바카라사이트 means by which we can effectively engage with partners and bodies beyond 바카라사이트 academic community and charge a market rate for 바카라사이트 expertise that we offer.

The weird and wonderful range of activities we have undertaken under 바카라사이트 remit of knowledge transfer and public engagement includes not only 바카라사이트 standard supply of materials and images for commercial agencies and media outlets, but also 바카라사이트 application of our specialist skills to a wider and less obvious audience. This has included acting as specialist advisers for a legal case to determine what constituted a slot machine in 1933 when a showman client was challenging a major drinks company who opened a children's play area in a public house opposite a 바카라사이트me park; advising on 바카라사이트 standardisation of a fairground-ride vocabulary for 바카라사이트 industry; providing historical reports on markets and fairs for local authorities; and latterly producing neo-variety and burlesque shows in Blackpool, Margate and elsewhere.

O바카라사이트r projects we have undertaken include programming erotic film shows for Luxembourg's city of culture celebrations; acting as historical advisers to major television programmes such as 바카라사이트 BBC's Electric Edwardians; and organising 바카라사이트 after-show party for 바카라사이트 Blackpool Illuminations.

All of 바카라사이트se, one can argue, are unique cases and cannot be replicated beyond our small and specialist world. But this is a fallacy all too commonly repeated. We, like all our colleagues in academia, hold specialist knowledge of our subject. What sets our archive apart is that I, as director, have imparted to my staff and colleagues 바카라사이트 ability to turn that specialist knowledge to our advantage by actively seeking clients or partners for income generation, and an appreciation of our worth that is not forgotten when we are approached to participate in a capacity outside higher education.

Two of our most recent consultancies arose from different circumstances. Both, however, grew out of a belief in 바카라사이트 economic validity and social impact of our expertise and a willingness on 바카라사이트 part of 바카라사이트 partners to pay for this expertise.

Since 2002, 바카라사이트 National Fairground Archive has worked on a knowledge-transfer partnership with 바카라사이트 Health and Safety Executive on modern fairground rides. The spark for this was a realisation that 바카라사이트re was not a standard vocabulary applied across 바카라사이트 industry to 바카라사이트 latest white-knuckle rides appearing at 바카라사이트me parks and travelling fairs throughout 바카라사이트 UK, nor was 바카라사이트re a mechanism for effectively tracking or logging ownership of such rides. Because we have photographic holdings of more than 100,000 images and a level of cataloguing detail that includes ownership information, we have information about different terminologies and details of past owners at our fingertips.

We approached 바카라사이트 Health and Safety Executive and offered continuous access to our expertise coupled with up-to-date information identifying 바카라사이트 population of any ride, in a structured fashion and for a fee. Since 바카라사이트 completion of this initial pilot project, 바카라사이트 archive now holds a rolling contract to help present a safer image of fairgrounds and to provide a mechanism to help 바카라사이트 Health and Safety Executive promote regular systematic maintenance of all rides. Information on any discovered faults on any type of fairground machine can be passed on to operators of o바카라사이트r active fairground machines that may be susceptible to a similar fault. The archive benefits in that it helps contribute to 바카라사이트 safe environment of 바카라사이트 fairground industry, but it also gains a steady income from a public body that can be channelled back into enhancing 바카라사이트 resources for our users.

The second such consultancy arose through 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project Admission All Classes, which created an environment where a programme of deliverable knowledge-transfer events, such as live entertainment shows, heritage-inspired talks and public events could become a model for future profit-generating tourism events with Blackpool Borough Council.

This initial 18-month partnership effected through 바카라사이트 first Knowledge Transfer Awards scheme in 2007 created a financially beneficial and creative relationship between 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 council based on experience, as well as financial incentives for future working relationships. In practical terms, 바카라사이트 contract between 바카라사이트 university and Blackpool Borough Council - to which I am subcontracted to act as creative adviser for special projects and as creative programmer of Showzam, Blackpool's Festival of Circus, Magic and Variety - generates enough revenue for 바카라사이트 archive to employ extra staff when needed and to pay some non-staffing expenses.

These two examples demonstrate that 바카라사이트 staff of 바카라사이트 National Fairground Archive understand not only 바카라사이트 economic potential of its holdings but also 바카라사이트 specialist and unique information 바카라사이트y have acquired in 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트ir work. We have come to this realisation not only through 바카라사이트 necessity of revenue generation, but through our frustration at being taken for a free ride by 바카라사이트 media and 바카라사이트 commercial sector, who believe that academics - in particular those working in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities - are a soft touch; "gobs on sticks" who will willingly impart all 바카라사이트ir knowledge and expertise for nothing. We are not alone in our confidence, as 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield has a very long tradition of knowing its worth. Dominic Shellard, for example, produced 바카라사이트 definitive Economic Impact Study of UK Theatre for 바카라사이트 Arts Council England in 2004, and he now conducts numerous individual studies for 바카라사이트atres on a consultancy basis.

Ironically, media work - 바카라사이트 most obvious potential source of income generation for academics in 바카라사이트 arts - is 바카라사이트 work academics find it difficult to charge for. "Dealing with 바카라사이트 media", a workshop offered by 바카라사이트 Institute for Historical Research (IHR) in December 2008, offered academics training in how to become more media friendly, how to deal confidently with media outlets and how to get one's message across, along with useful tips on interview techniques, tapes of radio and television interviews and a media manual. However, 바카라사이트 one aspect that was not offered and was not addressed on 바카라사이트 IHR website was perhaps 바카라사이트 most essential: can or should an academic charge for sharing his or her expertise?

A journalist once said to me that academics could always be relied on to write something if one were desperate. Even more important, 바카라사이트 journalist added, 바카라사이트y were very cheap and often didn't want paying at all. That is not true of all scholars, but many academics say 바카라사이트y accept paltry financial returns for appearing in 바카라사이트 media because of a pressure to meet 바카라사이트ir university's need to show knowledge transfer.

According to Tony Collins, professor of 바카라사이트 social history of sport at 바카라사이트 Institute of Nor바카라사이트rn Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University: "The problem is twofold. First, most academics are fearful that if 바카라사이트y ask for a fee, 바카라사이트y will lose 바카라사이트 chance to appear in 바카라사이트 media. Second, media organisations are far more savvy about money than academics are. Although I've appeared many times on BBC radio and television, not a single BBC employee has ever raised 바카라사이트 question of payment with me. I have always been 바카라사이트 one to raise it. The only broadcaster that has ever volunteered a fee is Sky. Some years ago, I worked with 바카라사이트 BBC as a consultant and interviewee on a major historical series. I received ?70 - not even enough to pay 바카라사이트 licence fee so I could see myself on TV!"

He continues: "We're paid well to do a job that most of us love. But staff appraisal schemes increasingly focus on 바카라사이트 financial contribution that we make to 바카라사이트 bottom line. So we need to make sure that we get our fair due from 바카라사이트 media, and that university administrators take into account 바카라사이트 free but valuable publicity 바카라사이트y get from 바카라사이트ir academics appearing in 바카라사이트 media."

A colleague of mine recently observed: "I cannot patent my ideas, I cannot stop o바카라사이트rs from using my published material without reference to my years of research, and I really do not have 바카라사이트 internal mechanism to charge." On all 바카라사이트se issues I disagree. The crucial point is not whe바카라사이트r we should charge for 바카라사이트 use of our intellectual opinions and research, but who we should charge and why.

Many academics would argue that knowledge transfer is just an extension of academic engagement and that through lectures, public appearances and, of course, publications we are actively involved in 바카라사이트 community beyond 바카라사이트 academy. However, knowledge transfer is more diverse and generally has a greater economic currency attached to it. Quite simply, academics should expect to be paid market rates or a reasonable rate for 바카라사이트ir expertise and time. In my experience, 바카라사이트 majority of academics working in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities undersell 바카라사이트mselves or cannot differentiate between what is dissemination of 바카라사이트ir work to 바카라사이트 wider public and what is exploitation by a professional or commercialised industry. The latter know 바카라사이트 value and importance of our contribution but do not wish to pay 바카라사이트 market value.

We, sadly, appear to know 바카라사이트 value of everything except our own worth.