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<h1 class="gmail-headline gmail-semi-loud">Big stooshie over interview process for new Scriever</h1>
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Andrew Learmonth
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/@andrewlearmonth" target="_blank" class="gmail-twitter-button">
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<span class="gmail-job-title">Journalist</span>
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<img src="http://www.thenational.scot/resources/images/7974803.jpg?display=1&htype=0&type=responsive-gallery" alt="For the past two years the position has been held by Hamish MacDonald">
<p class="gmail-hero-caption"><span class="gmail-x-small">For the past two years the position has been held by Hamish MacDonald</span></p>
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THE hunt for an official new Scottish scriever has resulted in a
bourach, a rammy and a stooshie, with the National Library of <a href="http://www.thenational.scot/search/?search=Scotland&topic_id=9026" target="_self">Scotland</a> (NLS) and Creative Scotland accused of changing the criteria after applications had closed.
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One prominent Scots writer said the process “reeked”.
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Both NLS and Creative Scotland say they’re confident the job has gone to the best candidate.
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Emails seen by The National show that two weel-kent Scots writers were
not interviewed for the job because they lacked sufficient “digital
skills”.
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Stuart Paterson (above), until recently the BBC Scotland Poet in
Residence, asked for feedback when NLS knocked back his application.
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He was told that failure to give due emphasis to digital media in his application resulted in his overall score being lowered.
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He was told the panel had assessed him and all candidates by looking
at the “quality and artistic merit of work”, the “quality of vision for
the residency”, his “experience of working collaboratively with a range
of different audiences”, his “familiarity with and use of digital
media”, and the “expected impact of the residency on the applicant’s
creative development”.
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The original advert lists all of those criteria apart from the use of digital media.
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Instead it said candidates would be judged on their track record in Scots.
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National columnist Rab Wilson was also not interviewed for the post.
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The National understands NLS and Creative Scotland will be announcing the name of new Scots Scriever later this week.
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But Paterson says the process was “unfair and inequitable” and has
asked NLS for an apology and a reversal of their decision not to
interview him.
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For the past two years the position has been held by Hamish MacDonald
(bottom). The role is a two-year residency based at the NLS, supported
with funding from Creative Scotland.
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The purpose of the role is to produce original creative work in Scots
and to raise awareness, appreciation and use of Scots across the country
and amongst all parts of the population.
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Paterson said: “Hoo are we meant tae ken whit it is they’re luikin for
when whit they say they want in public’s ane thing, an whit they’re
really luikin at in private’s anither? Ah pit it tae them three times
that the selection process wis wrang an heard nocht back aboot it, jist
hoo Ah’d scored laigh in a criteria that wisnae a criteria ava when the
advert came oot.
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“An no been scored ava in a criteria they’d taen aff the list. Hoo can
they gan aboot appyntin tae sic a muckle national role when they dinnae
select on the criteria o ‘proven track record in Scots?’”
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“The hail process reeks,” Paterson added.
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A library spokeswoman said: “We received a very strong field of
applicants for the Scriever position, and all were assessed on the same
criteria.
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“We are confident that we selected the best person for the role and will be in a position to announce them shortly.”
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Creative Scotland published its first Scots Language Policy in June 2015, in which the role of Scots Scriever was identified.
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A Creative Scotland spokeswoman said: “The quality and strength of
applications received for the Scriever position were extremely high. All
shortlisted candidates had an extensive track record in Scots and
presented exciting plans to progress and develop the language.
Candidates were reviewed in terms of suitability for the role and all
applications were assessed and scored against criteria as outlined in
the job spec. We realise that unsuccessful applicants will be
disappointed but are confident that we have selected the strongest
candidate for the role and look forward to announcing them shortly.”
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<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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