news

Forword

As president of CARBICA, 2001-2005, I hereby extend my best wishes for this year. For your family and relatives I really hope 2004 will be prosperous. We can look back into a fruitful 2003 with the organization of the Conference on Preservation of Archives in Tropical Climates (PATC) II and the first course organized by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in the Caribbean. Both activities were considered a great success. Thanks to all who gave a contribution. This year we are looking forward to meet each other in Vienna, where we will celebrate the 15th International ICA Congress on Archives. I am very grateful that Martinique is taking care of the publication of the newsletter. To all of you who have given your contribution to the publishing of this newsletter I express my heartfelt thanks. I am still convinced that with this newsletter we all can be kept abreast of the developments in our field. So I would like to encourage you to participate in an active way by sending in your contributions. Let us work for the enhancement of our organization and for the safe-keeping of our national heritages.

Yours Sincerely,

Nolda Römer-Kenepa
The President of CARBICA, 2002-2005

Arrival of Cuba

Welcome to Cuba ! Our colleagues from the National Archives have joined CARBICA in November 2003. We are all confident this news opens new perspectives to all of us, whether Spanish, French or English.

Conference on Preservation of Archives in Tropical Countries (PATC) II

CARBICA joined efforts with ICA and ALA to organize the «Second International Conference on Preservation of Archives in Tropical Climates (PATC II)» that took place from November 17 - 21 in the World Trade Center in Curacao. It was a follow up of the first conference held in Jakarta. 138 participants representing 26 countries of which 38 participants from CARBICA have taken part in this activity. The topics were of great interest. The following resolutions were taken: Curacao, November 18-21 2003 The Second International Conference on the Preservation of Archival Material in Tropical Climates has noted the implementation of some of the resolutions
identified at the First International Conference held in Jakarta, Indonesia in November 2001, namely :

*	The development of agreed appropriate preservation standards in the design of archival buildings with the publication of the Guidelines for Archival Buildings published by ALA
*	The development of an holistic preservation approach with the development of disaster planning in the Caribbean and integral pest management planning in Gran Cayman
*	The development of conservation research on problems in tropical climates in particular the effect of climate on iron-gall ink and the use of storage containers for cheap short-term storage In addition it identifies the following priority areas for further development which it brings to the attention of Unesco, NGO’s as well as archives, libraries and museums to ensure that the corporate memory of cultures, nations and organizations which we enjoy today is still accessible for future generations, namely
*	The development of research on and promotion of special storage for tropical climates at low cost, using locally available materials in keeping with local buildings standards
*	The developments of local networks for advice on preservation issues and support for colleagues in tropical climates by developing the CARBICA website. This should form the basis for developing post-Curacao conference discussion until the next international conference
*	The development of further preservation workshops in conjunction with ICCROM and another willing partners including museums, with particular emphasis on the problems caused to archives by tropical climates
*	The development of disaster control plans for all national archives in tropical countries in response to, and as appropriate in conjunction with the resolutions passed at the IFLA Conference in 2002
*	The development of sessions on preservation in tropical climates to contribute to the ICA Congress in Vienna in 2004 and to ensure that urgent attention is given to the problems created by tropical climates in the work programmes of relevant ICA committees 2004-2008
*	The development of plans for a further international conference on preservation problems in tropical climates in response to the Cape Town Declaration on Archives in Africa (2003) in which the African Union (through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD) authorized the establishment of a steering committee to promote co-operation in building archive preservation and archive preservation training programmes. Extra Ordinary General Assembly At the end of the PATC II an Extra Ordinary General Assembly of CARBICA was organized with the participation of 30 CARBICA members. It was a very fruitful meeting and members showed much enthusiasm for collaboration in the future.

ICA News

ICA Congress in Vienna (Austria), 23-28 August.
The Congress theme is Archives, memory and knowledge.
CARBICA will organize a session «Shared Memory». Eight presenters
agreed to give a short presentation. For more information please see
www.wien2004.ica.org

Shared memory

CARBICA organizes a session, during the International Congress of Archives, entitled : «Networking for shared memory».
The purpose of this session is to deal with the need of diverse societies in Europe and the past colonies to dispose of historical sources to study and promote common history. Through projects and implementations done in several parts of the world, this session will give concrete examples of what the world of the archives can offer to populations in order to build this « shared memory » beyond « national histories ». Actually, comparing the available sources in the home countries with those of the ex-colonies, exchanging historical sources between countries from the colonization, a new historiography, with new views and new discussions, will arise. The archives must be considered as a whole for a « World Memory List ». A secondary effect of cooperation projects for the sharing of these sources should be the development of the archives in the Third World ; it would permit also to throw light on the society problems in the Western World formed by the modern migration.
This session will comprise eight interventions :

-	The needs of modern diversed societies, by Nolda Römer-Kenepa, Director
-	What is « shared memory » Some examples, by Erwin Gibbes, National
-	Sharing historical sources for shared memory : perspectives for a Caribbean
-	Findings of the London Mayor’s Commission on African and Asian Heriof the National Archives of Curaçao Archives of Curaçao project, by Dominique Taffin, Director of the Archives of Martinique tage to address cultural diversity and further advance Britain’s multi-layered shared heritage, by Makeda Coaston, Greater London Authority - Sociological consequences for the east Indian Immigration in Trinidad. The east Indians are the descendants of the immigrants imported from India between 1838 (in Guyana) 1845 to 1917 as indentured Labourers, by Helena Leonce, Director of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago - Christmas sports, an integral part of Carnival in St Kitts, by Victoria Borg O’Flaherty, Director of the National Archives of St Kitts
-	Sources for the study of the University College of the West Indies, University of the West Indies, 1947-1962 by Elizabeth Williams, University Archivist of the Records Management Centre, West Indies University
-	Historical and archaeological societies in the eastern Caribbean and their contribution to shared memory, by Margot Thomas, Director of Saint Lucia National Archives

News from the members of CARBICA

Archival Development in Dominica
For quite a number of years, perhaps as far back as 1968, there has been recognition of the importance and the necessity of preserving archives and making them accessible. A number of surveys were carried out, but little else was done, until 1994, when Dr. Gail Saunders of the Bahamas was contracted to review the situation and to make recommendations. She submitted that before any credible start could be made, it was necessary to identify a suitable place for accommodating the archives. But it was not until 2000 that a building was identified. It was a rented room, not the ideal location, but it permitted placing the historical records in a location where persons would be able to work. The move also provided the opportunity to seek funding to commence work on establishing a functional archives in Dominica. From then on, progress has been satisfactory. In 2001, the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a project request and provided funds for an archivist from the region to assist with setting up the archives, to purchase supplies and to provide some basic training. Again, Dr. Saunders was contracted. She, along with Elaine Toote, undertook the consultancy work between 23 July and 26 October, 2001. Among other things, they directed the strategy for handling existing archival material; offered recommendations on the purchase and acquisition of equipment, materials and supplies; gave technical assistance; prepared a procedures manual; and provided some basic training. Work has continued on preliminary conservation measures and listing of the deposit. In 2002, another OAS project was approved to allow for the purchase of conservation equipment and for the provision of training attachments for staff.
The documents have now been cleaned, sorted, and wrapped in acid free paper, and preliminary listing is completed. Not all the documents can be open to access in their present state. Therefore, only limited access can be given to some of the documents which are in stable condition. But it is expected that by mid 2005, some sections of the collection will be accessible to the general public. It is expected that the collection which includes wills, deeds, slave registers, manumission registers, minutes of the Legislative Council, blue books, governor’s dispatches, estimates and newspapers, some dating back to the late 1700s, will be moved to more permanent quarters about mid 2004. Much remains to be done to have a really functional archives. Training is required, and a staff structure put in place. However, the first steps have been taken and progress is being made in building upon the foundation which has been laid.

New archive building for St. Kitts

The National Archives of St. Kitts is about to get a new home. For the last forty years the National Archives has been located in two vaults on the ground floor of Government Headquarters. Office space is limited and there are no facilities for readers. All this is about to change as work on a purposely built archive gets underway. The new building will be located at Lime Kiln just outside Basseterre and funding for its construction is being provided by the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Reports
CAVIC 2003

Caribbean Audio Visual Conference (CAVIC) 2003, sponsored by UNESCO, the University of the West Indies, the Jamaica National Library, among other sponsors, held its inaugural meeting in Jamaica Novembre 4th to 9th, 2003. It brought together archivists and librarians from the entire Caribbean region. The majority of participants were from television and radio archives and library along with national archivists and librarians. The aim was to ascertain how audiovisual records were managed in the Caribbean with a view towards the establishment of a committee to draw up guidelines for the protection of these vital records. The presenters came from the Caribbean, Europe, USA and Australia and included representatives from the International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT) and the International Association of Sound and Audio Visual Archives (IASA). There were presentations from CANA and the Jamaica National Library. A wide rangers of topics were discussed including :
• Managing a Broadcast Archives
• Cataloguing Sound and Moving Image collections
• The Dublin Core (Metadata)
• Disaster Preparedness
• Managing a Photograph Archives
• Developing and Implementing a Digitization Programme
• Preserving Audiovisual Materials in Tropical Countries
• FIAT Guidelines

There were workshops which stressed the need to :
• Migrate records to current format early
• Train staff in the management of Audiovisul records
• Develop a disaster plan
• Implement the international standards guidelines relating to the preservation and conservation of Audiovisual records.

CAVIC 2003 showed that very little had been done in the management of audiovisual records. The lack of finance and the necessary technology had resulted in the loss of vital historical records stored on these media. A committee, which included Charles Gibson, Belize, was established to examine the problems and propose solutions for proper management of audiovisual records in the Caribbean.

Written memories / oral memories (seminar in French Guyana)

The symposium entitled : Written memories / Oral memories of the Guyanas…. Preserving and developping the administrative, scientific and sound archives of the whole region (Cayenne, 11th - 13th of June 2003) The purpose of the symposium was to gather the political, social and cultural actors (organizations of the cultural communities of French Guyana, professionals of Culture, writers and artists), to think about the future of the oral and written memories. The opening of the forum was dedicated to the political and cultural stakes of the preservation of the memories of the Amazonian region (French Guyana, Surinam, Brazil and Guyana). Then, the discussions and the talks dealt with the issue of collecting and preservation of all types of archives of French Guyana and its neighbours, and dealt also with the cultural, scientific and even economic customs of the different archives. A special attention was awarded to the enterprises of oral memory gathering (cultural traditions, historical and life stories, tales…) that often occur in French Guyana, on the initiative of ethnocultural organizations (Bushinengee, Amerindians). In spite of their great interest, those gathering campaigns may have a lack of standardization as far as the method is concerned, and although the governmental cultural actors increase public awareness on long-lasting preservation of the records, this problem is still not solved in French Guyana. Those present were the Brazilian and French Guianese researchers and archivists. They exchanged views on relations between the countries of the Amazonian zone. Unfortunately, for practical reasons, the Surinamians and the Guianese were missing. Dominique Taffin spoke about the part CARBICA can play in the present and the future situation of regional cooperation in the archives , in order to promote cultural development.

ICCROM course for the Caribbean

In November 2003 CARBICA joined forces with ICCROM to organize a workshop» Preservation of Photographic Collections in Archival Holdings». This was a workshop especially for colleagues working in archives, museums and libraries in the Caribbean, held from 3-21 November. It was a very intensive training for two weeks during which special attention was drawn to the conditions for preserving and restoration techniques of photographic collections under the leadership of international teachers. The participants called themselves the «Hantskun di Katuna Group» which means «the Cotton Gloves Group», inspired by the use of gloves when dealing with photographic material. The follow-up will be a presentation by the participants of the results via a session on education at the upcoming congress in Vienna.

Participants of the ICCROM course, national Archives of Curaçao

Conference « African Diaspora: The Making of the Atlantic World »

In 2003 the inhabitants of the 6 islands (Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, Statia and St. Martin) commemorated the abolition of slavery 140 years ago on these islands. The National Archives of the Netherlands Antilles, in cooperation with the National Commission for Unesco of the Netherlands Antilles and Unesco, Paris organized the conference «African Diaspora: The Making of the Atlantic World, an International Conference on the History of the Caribbean» from June 28 - July 1st. The number of participants was 208, representing 10 countries.

The PIAF project

As part of the development of countries and governments sharing French as a language, the international association of French-speaking archives (AIAF), with the ICA, the archives of France (DAF) and the national archives of Quebec (ANQ) as partners, has decided to create a French-speaking web portal dedicated to archives (PIAF). The PIAF project goal is to provide the French-speaking archival community with a common place of discussion and training in the respect of identities, cultures and administrative traditions of the states and countries that share French as a language. To do so, all the resources intended for training and improving of archivists, supporting teaching and archival research and promoting exchanges between French-speaking archivists, will be gathered on a unique website. For the first part, a set of archival training modules, documented with texts, will be created, and also methodologic tools and bibliogaphies, all these being links to existing resources..

The PIAF project is compounded of 3 sections :

-	Professional training, which will be a way, for the archivists of developing countries, to feel less isolated
-	Teaching and research to make accessible French-speaking resources for international archival community and to develop archival research in the French-speaking world.
-	A forum of exchanges that will spur on exchanges and cooperation between French-speaking archivists and will allow archivists to keep up with new knowledge and practice. Website to visit : http://www.aiaf.org/portail.htm

Coming events:

New books

The association of French archivists have just published a short guide to archival science « Abrégé d’archivistique «. This publication deals with archival notions in a concrete way, leaning on practical examples. It is especially intended for students and for beginners in this fiels.

Content:

I	Archives and archivists in their own environment
II.	Current and intermediary archives
III.	Gathering of definitive archives
IV.	Sorting and wrapping
V.	Analysis and indexation
VI.	Research tools : the principles
VII.	Research tools : implementation of new technologies
VIII.	Preservation of archives
IX.	Access of archives
X.	Improvement of the image of archives

Appendixes : glossary, bibliography, index
Layout 16x24 cm, 276 pages.
Published by the association of French archivists, Paris, 2004.