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From the President

Colleagues,

I like to first thank all CARBICA members who completed and returned their survey, which helped me to prepare my paper on public demand. This paper will be presented during the XXXVIth CITRA in Marseille on November 12—16, 2003. I am certain that my fellow board members will agree with me that our choice of Martinique as the site to hold our executive committtee meeting that took place June 17—21, 2002 was a good one. We were able to join The Archives Departementales de la Martinique in the commemoration of the one hundred years eruption of the volcano of Mount Pelee. The the commemoration consisted of an exposition and we were also invited to attend a social cultural event on the occasion of the announcement of the winners of an essay contest about the history of St. Pierre among schoolchildren.
The board managed to develop a detailed action plan where the responsibilities of each board member, the president, the secretary and the treasurer were outlined. Activities for our members were also placed in perspective. To guarantee that our members receive the necessary attention they deserve, each member of the executive committee has been assigned member countries for which they will be responsible to inform the institutions and individuals in these countries on activities of CARBICA and encourage them to participate. We hope and count on each member to take good notice of these activities and to actively participate with us. We look forward to a five year term that is filled with educational activities that will help each of us to reach a high level of professionalism in our respective fields.

Nolda Römer Kenepa

Executive Committee Members to form a stronger allegiance with CARBICA Members

During the executive committee meeting that took place June 17—21, 2002 in Martinique, the tasks for the president, secretary, treasurer and the executive committee members were clearly outlined.
The President will be responsible to represent CARBICA at meetings and to report to ICA. She will also send updates of information about CARBICA and ICA to the Executive Committee and members. Furthermore, she will co-ordinate the distribution of all correspondence with the membership (except financial) and the ICA.
The secretary will make draft of the minutes and collect info from members to be send to the President for distribution. She will keep the present CARBICA files and records and prepare the agenda and documents for Executive meetings and the General Assembly. The Treasurer will be in responsible to collect the membership fees and to draft the annual budget and produce an annual financial report.
The Caribbean was divided among the members of the Executive Committee. Each executive committee will be responsible to maintain contact with members for the duration of the 2001—2005 term. Their task will be to; Collect information on members activities; Exchange information among members; Accept new applications and to take note of resignations; Promote CARBICA and encourage also institutions such as universities, professional organizations and individuals to become member of CARBICA; promote the use of e-mail and to react on e-mail messages.
The division is as follows:

• Victoria Borg O’Flaherty: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis.
• Margot Thomas: Antigua, Guyana. St. Lucia.
• Charles Gibson: Bermuda, Cayman, Belize
• Nolda Römer Kenepa: Aruba, Puerto Rico, Surinam, Netherlands Antilles.
• Dominique Taffin: French Guyana, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique
• Sheryl Sylvester: Grenada, Montserrat.
• Sharon Alexander Gooding: Dominica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica
• Yulu Griffith: St. Vincent
• Elaine Toote: Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos.

Next Executive Committee Meeting
April, 2003 - Grenada

Belize Launches Manual on Records Management

The launching of a manual on records management by Belize past March should be considered a significant contribution by one of CARBICA members in this field.
The launching of the manual took place during the Records and Information Seminar held from March 21—22, 2002 in Belize. This manual will not only benefit Belize but also other Caribbean countries who can use it as an example.
A proper management of public records will ensure high quality archives and result in the preservation of our national heritage. The manual also outlines the opportunities and challenges for Record Managers. In addition, it provides a trail of evidence for accountability, transparency and good governance. Symptoms of poor records management are lack of administrative control which can lead to:
• No proper control of records
• Questions of security of information
• Storage and retrieval problems
• Space problems
• Destruction of records without authority
• Fraud and corruption
• Financial loss to government.

The end result of poor management will be an irrevocable loss of our history. To obtain copy of this manual please contact Mr. Charles Gibson, Chief Archivist of Belize.

Mr. Charles Gibson, Director, Belize Archives
Department (far right) during the seminar
that took place March 21 – 22, 2002.

A view of Record Management at the
Belize Archives Department.

Several Activities Planned for 2001 – 2005 Term

The executive committee members developed at their meeting past June in Martinique, a long list of activities that they plan to carry out during the 2001—2005 term .
The activities reflect the goals set at the inaugural meeting in St. Lucia which is to get members more involved and informed as possible.
Activities were outlined as follows:
• Update annually the membership list
• Produce an annual report of the activities of CARBICA and the archival developments in the region to inform both the membership of CARBICA as well as ICA (in accordance with the new ICA constitution)
• Produce an annual budget and financial report .
• Maintain the website, starting afresh out of Curaçao
• Publish a newsletter twice a year
• Prepare a brief survey of needs among the membership, to be collected now at the beginning and at the end of the Executive terms’ office
• Make a list of resource persons in a particular area with their e-mail addresses for the Caribbean region.
• Make a list of possible courses and training/facilities for the region.
• Compile a list of suppliers of archival material, for distribution among members
• Collect and distribute Archival Laws/Bylaws of Caribbean countries.
• Publish the proceedings of CARBICA VII
• Publish a journal with professional articles
• Start with a project for publication of a book on Government Houses in the Caribbean
• Research the legal implications and amend the constitution accordingly in order to register CARBICA and determine the headquarters
• Organize training/workshops and conferences.