news

From the President

Colleagues,

On behalf of CARBICA I attended the seminar on Electronic Records Management in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov. 19-27, 2002. This was a good opportunity to strengthen the collaboration between the branches. At the XXXVIth CITRA in Marseille, November 12—16, 2002, the paper on “Public Demand in Caribbean Archival Institutions” was presented, which gave an overview on how our Caribbean Society perceive Archives. Thanks to all CARBICA members for their input. This paper was published in Comma, 2003. 2-3.
A meeting with Caribbean participants was organized in Marseille where they were informed about the latest developments in CARBICA and our plans for the near future.
In the general Assembly of ICA in Marseille it was agreed that Holland and the Netherlands Antilles will join forces to organize CITRA 2005 in Curaçao. The proposed theme is “Shared memory”. CARBICA can benefit form this CITRA as we can combine CITRA with CARBICA VIII. We have to start early with preparations.
Involvement of all members is important. We appreciate any contribution; it is valuable and needed. Please send your proposals to: na@nationalarchives.an.

Nolda Römer Kenepa

Archives Week in St. Vincent & the Grenadines

CARBICA Executive Committee members participated at the National Archives Week (NAW) of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, October 29-November 1, 2002 which was a great success. The central theme was “Technology Enhanced Services”. CARBICA issued a statement on its role in shaping the developments of archival institutions in the region. This statement was presented at the opening ceremony and was broadcasted.
“CARBICA is networking between Caribbean Archival institutions. CARBICA was founded in 1976 especially to strengthen co-operation between archives and archivists in the Caribbean region. In our island-region it is very helpful to form a network of institutions and professionals dedicated to the advancement of archives. For the exchange of expertise, for the introduction of standards, for the fast lines of communication between our islands, CARBICA can play an important role.
Every island may have its own background, originated from different cultures or past history. CARBICA tries to unite its members in workshops, seminars and conferences to exchange ideas, views and improve their expertise. Foremost the idea of “best practice” can be adopted as standard within the networking countries. Especially with the help of “new technologies” these ideas, views and standards can be spread more rapidly and enhance service to the public. Archives, as the memory of an organization or country, can be made a useful tool for administration and public.”

Forum Johannesburg by IRMT

12 English speaking Caribbean members of CARBICA attended a Forum in Johannesburg organized by IRMT on electronic records management last October. This was followed up by two videoconferences in the respective countries in March 2003 on 4 areas of discussion: public sector, financial record keeping, legal records and information technology. Its aim was to sensitize government officials on the impact of the use of information technology on record keeping.

Next Executive Committee Meeting
May 5-8, 2003
Grenada

36th CITRA , Marseille 13-15 November 2002

The work of the 36th International Conference of the Round Table on Archives (known by its French acronym as CITRA), which met in Marseille at the invitation of France between 13 and 15 November 2002, focused particularly on the general theme of ‘How Does Society Perceive Archives?’ CITRA brings together directors of national archives and presidents of professional archive associations once a year to discuss subjects of professional interest. The CITRA in Marseille gathered 237 national archivists, presidents of national associations, and experts, from 83 countries. The resolutions adopted at the end of the conference asked countries which were moving towards democracy to press on with the process of opening up their archives, and to ensure the safekeeping and accessibility of the police archives of former dictatorships in Latin America, in order to meet the demands of victims.

The 36th CITRA was held at Marseille , France. November 13-16, 2002

Actions, Studies & Projects

-Updating of CARBICA’s membership directory is ongoing for better communication with members. CARBICA members are requested to send changes in the composition of the staff to the President.
-Archival laws and bylaws of the region are being collected for exchange. For information contact Charles Gibson;
-List of supplies of archival material is being compiled. For distributions among members: contact Victoria O’ Flaherty or Dominique Taffin;
-List of resource persons in a particular area with email addresses in the Caribbean region: contact Sharon Alexander-Gooding;
-List of possible courses and training facilities for the region is also available: contact Sharon Alexander-Gooding.

Grenada Seminar, May 5, 2003

Grenada will organize a seminar on May, 5, 2003.
The theme will be the relation between Records Management and Decision-making.
This seminar will take place during the Executive Committee meeting in Grenada, May 5-8. Executive committee members will serve as facilitators.

Preservation of Archives in Tropical Climates 2, November 17-21 2003, Curaçao

The 2nd International Conference on Preservation of Archives in Tropical Climates (PATC) is scheduled to take place on the tropical island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. This conference will be organized by ICA and the National Archives of the Netherlands and the Netherlands
Antilles with participation of the regional branches CARBICA and ALA. The first PATC took place in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2001 with participation of the National Archives of Indonesia. Experts meetings about the developments and research on preservation will be combined with practical workshops. As Tropical archives run accelerated risks of decay, all the state-of-the-art-knowledge on preservation must be mobilized to safeguard a valued part of our World Memory. Preservation of these archives is increasingly recognized as a distinct specialization. We hope this conference will attribute to a increased professionalism, especially in our region.