20 C O N T E X T 1 3 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 should observe change in buildings as they age and contrast that with interventions necessary to achieve continuity of use’. At the end of the school his summary of proceedings ended with a sober observation that heritage protection measures had become ubiquitous, to the extent that it was becoming virtually impossible to do anything. Perhaps this latest conundrum explains current political negativity surrounding heritage protection and, among other things, the challenges we face. Perhaps Jokilehto believes we need a new age of enlightenment, a new creative challenge for the art of conservation. Trefor Thorpe, IHBC president Scoping and sampling: IHBC research notes for annual schools In one of the morning day school presentations, the scoping and sampling and IHBC Research Notes for the IHBC’s annual schools was introduced by Deborah Mays, the coordinator of this issue of Context. Her intention was to look beyond the traditional methods by which the institute has promoted and developed leaning opportunities, competences and professionalism. These were provided by the familiar but valuable vehicles of the annual school, the institute’s most important learning event; the regular publication of Context; the continuing expansion of branch activity; and CPD. But increasingly the IHBC was looking to its presence, connectivity and availability of its resources online. Mays highlighted the piloting exercise for developing new opportunities for enhanced resources in 2014, linking research themes across the IHBC’s schoolrelated publications and information. This is being done by developing and publishing research notes online, and enhancing the institute’s use of digital media and social networks. Web-based NewsBlogs and email alerts now comprise nearly 8,000 news items, while IHBC’s LinkedIn group has grown to over 3,800 members in four years, reaching well beyond the institute’s core constituency. Twitter and Facebook members number more than 7,000. It is anticipated that this will develop further with the recent appointment of Alison McCandlish (who led the annual school’s digital presence) as IHBC’s NewsBlog author.These initiatives are to some extent experimental, but they have great potential, for example in crowd-sourcing some of the information that members need. The concept of publishing the institute’s research, based on its own archival material and the experience, expertise and resources held by the membership, was first proposed in 2012. The intention is that research notes should engage with members by reflecting their needs and priorities, and be accessible and low-cost by being downloadable. They will be a way of generating IHBC policy independently of the IHBC’s existing advocacy role. The first research note to have been developed, Policy Regarding Value Added Tax (VAT) on Historic Buildings (timed to coincide with the recent national ‘Cut theVAT Campaign’), was included in the school’s delegate packs, as was a draft of a research note Art ‘in’ Conservation, which was directly related to the theme of the school itself. A research note to help members understand and manage their CPD requirements is based on recent practical experiences. Potential notes such as one aimed at the preparation of complex listed building enforcement notices reflect the difficult practical experience and lack of knowledge that can often be experienced. Mays also highlighted the potential to offer ideas through LinkedIn as a means of gathering professional opinion and data. Concluding with particular reference to the school’s theme, and the draft text of Art ‘in’ Conservation, delegates’ attention was drawn to the part played by intuition in professional judgment as a component of the ‘art’ of conservation, and the links to the new British Standard BS 7913. While this reflects a wider trend to standardise conservation practice, it also allows intuition in professional practice to play a role. Bob Kindred MBE, IHBC research consultant Art and conservation in architectural design Having benefited from the quiet wisdom and gentle encouragement of architect Neil Gillespie in my formative years at Edinburgh College of Art, I expected a thought-provoking and visually stimulating presentation at the annual school. As anticipated, Gillespie’s exploration of his personal approach to architecture and conservation, expressed through the work of his practice, wove together a wide range of influences and inspirations. He demonstrated with admirable clarity the way in which a thorough understanding of Deborah Mays outlining proposals for enhancing IHBC resources
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