From time to time members of the PHAQ Management Committee get contacted, not about contract bids, but about informal enquiries on various projects. We are then usually asked for members we know that are specialists in particular history fields.

When formal job or contract opportunities are on the table the PHAQ ensures that there is an equality of opportunity for all members, and in such cases, there is no separate liaison between members. Notifications for jobs or contracts are sent out as soon as possible by general email to members. However, where there are enquires that relate to identifying a specialist the Management Committee believes that there is a role in liaison which could be formalised in a PHAQ members’ research area register. Although the PHAQ has a consultants’ register, there is a need for a larger register to cover (at least) most members and a wider range of fields.

Members of the PHAQ themselves would benefit by having a better appreciation of their colleagues’ specialist research areas, and it means that opportunities are not lost when informal enquiries are made.  Most members have already identified some specialist areas on their membership application form, but the Management Committee believes that the time has come to provide a systemic and update list. Members’ specialist areas may have changed since joining the PHAQ, and there is need to use a consistent list of specialist areas.

In order to this we will create a PHAQ members’ research area register on the PHAQ website which will have a drop-down menu of sub-fields of history research (with the option to add new ones). We invite members to email or post (as in Facebook) the editor with their suggested list of specialist areas (e.g. Queensland Maritime History) which would be help to have in the mix. Work on the register should begin next month.