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This article first appeared in Conservation News 76. Furniture or wood, that 's the QuestionnaireYour fledgling committee took its first tentative steps, or should it be flaps, on Monday 23rd April, at an inaugural meeting held at UKIC Head Office. It became clear that we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the former committee who set in place some major projects. The Section Handbook is a project with a body of work already established, we hope to bring it to publication within the year. The Section Questionnaire was a brilliant piece of work and we now have the onerous but important task of interpreting the information received. Analysis of feedback is something that any author of a questionnaire should have uppermost in their mind when creating such a document; the fact that these two functions have fallen to two different individuals, has unquestionably had an effect. It is appropriate to give thanks to Butterworth's for generously providing the book prize, which proved an incentive to some, and a reward to Richard Higgins, whose name came out of the hat. The questionnaire was conceived as a vehicle for canvassing membership opinion, and for the 41% who returned their forms it did just that. The information received is being used to guide the section committee in providing the activities requested, and where relevant, make representations to Council. Perhaps the most interesting was the revealed diversity in areas of specialism within the section. It justifies the committee's view that the name change proposal, in an attempt to find a more inclusive appellation for the section, was important. The section name was changed from Furniture Section to Furniture & Wood Section as a direct effect of the responses. This resulted in a motion being put forward at the section AGM, and was finally confirmed in a resolution passed at the UKIC AGM in July. To underline the change, plate LXXV from the Universal System of Household Furniture by Chippendale's rivals Ince and Mayhew * has been chosen as our new section logo. May it remind us that furniture is not all wood, and wood is not all furniture. CommunicationThe first question concerned contact details. Several addresses needed to be updated and this may account for some non-returns. Members can phone UKIC Head Office on 020 7721 8721 at any time to change their details. The number of members with email was encouraging, as communicating electronically is one of the most effective ways to conserving funds to leave more for financing events. The possibility and desirability of section mailing lists to fine-tune the UKIC mailings is currently being looked into. EventsThe favourite frequency of activities is quarterly. Priority was given to study days and conferences with technical information and with a keen eye on CPD points. Thanks go out to those members expressing a willingness to host events, this should ensure a varied programme for years ahead. The most acceptable distance and cost seemed to be up to 100 miles and �50 to �100 per event. Many respondents suggested the formation of regional subgroups. Social events scored very low and yet whenever I meet people at an event the social aspect seems important to them. Whenever possible, a social aspect will be included in event programmes, as with the UKIC AGM this year. PublicationsSupport for the Handbook idea was strong, in particular the suggested contents to include a suppliers list, conservation bibliography and technical legislation. Keeping the handbook up-to-date was a concern but should be feasible with a ring-binder format. The periodical publications programme received some good support, although a suggestion made by many was to combine Conservation News and Grapevine, taking the best from both, thus reducing costs and leaving it to The Conservator to provide the really highbrow material annually. This idea will help the Council who is currently reconsidering the matter. InternetIf you consider the common requirements from the majority of the returned questionnaires i.e. easier communication with fellow conservators and access to technical information, then the web is the most effective way of providing these services. Of course, the conventional channels for those without email will not be neglected, but the suggestions regarding our website were many and the ideas of a more useful and exciting site are given the greatest attention. However, many uses such as online ordering of publications and reserving tickets for events can only be implemented when the site is moved to a secure server (a computer with encrypting technology). There are countless websites dealing with furniture, wood and conservation, but their standards of professionalism vary considerably. With your interactive help we hope to add some value, both publicly and in the members area, exploring the edges of what our status as a charity allows. ExpectationsThe opportunity to say what it is that members want from UKIC and their specific section was revealing and produced perhaps the most important feedback of all. The expectation that the organisation should promote the professional standing of its members is understandable as is the suggestion that it should be involved in influencing training standards. The contradictory message is that so few members have applied for accreditation which would be the most effective way of demonstrating and promoting professionalism for the individual member, the section and UKIC as a whole. The questionnaire exercise has been very worthwhile and I believe will hasten change and improvement in the way the Furniture & Wood Section serves its members. We must however remember that the circumstances that gave birth to the idea were far from productive, that being a demoralised committee who felt as if they were operating in a vacuum with little or no response from the membership. I look forward to more lively responses to this and future initiatives.
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