5. Staffing

The archivist should be paid on the same scale as the senior production staff he serves. The number of staff he employs will depend on his ability to persuade the organisation that he needs them, and the level of their remuneration will also be his responsibility. The following are the functions of staff required in an archive of sound recordings serving broadcasting:

management (archivist and secretary);

selection;

cataloguing;

enquiries and issue of material;

returns and chasing overdue items;

technical services (e.g. copying or repairing material).

Some of these functions may be combined, depending on the size of the library. The selection and cataloguing functions can be combined into one operation. Similarly enquiries can be linked with returns thereby centralising the service element to the archive's users. Above all the archivist must be aware that the appointment of staff is the most important matter he decides.