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Colleagues,
Regretfully we received official notification of resignation of
Yulu Griffith. At the same time I’m happy to inform that Victoria
O’Flaherty from St. Kitts accepted to function as secretary. In
the upcoming general assembly in Curaçao we will fill in the
vacancy in the Board.
The preparation for the Conference “Preservation of Archives in
Tropical Climates 2” is in full swing. Hopefully all members can
participate. ICCROM and CARBICA joined efforts to organize the
first Caribbean Course for the Preservation of Photographic
Material in Archival Holdings. The Executive Committee is right on
track with the schedule of activities. We had a fruitful meeting
in Grenada. I hope that the seminar on Records Management
organized at the occasion of this meeting contributed to improving
awareness on proper archives and records management in Grenada. I
hereby thank Grenada board member Cheryl Sylvester for hosting the
meeting.
Nolda Römer Kenepa
Seminar Grenada, May 5, 2003
The Dept. of Libraries of Grenada, a member of CARBICA, organized
in partnership with CARBICA a seminar entitled Records Management
– The Key to Informed Decision Making. Can we afford not to Have
It? This successful seminar focused on the relationship between
good governance and record management that is crucial to protect
the rights of citizens and for democratic accountability. It’s aim
was to raise awareness of records and archives in the Grenada
Civil Service. Participants were drawn from 26 Ministeries and
Departments from the Grenada Civil Service. The seminar took place
in conjunction with the annual week-long meeting of the Executive
Committee of CARBICA.
At the opening, words of welcome were given by the host, Cheryl
Sylvester, Librarian of St. George University. Remarks were given
by Mr. Crispin Frederick, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Education and Mr. Henry Sylvester, Representative of the Grenada
Library Services. Nolda Römer-Kenepa, as the CARBICA president
stated (a.o. )
“CARBICA warmly supports the initiative of Grenada. It is one of
the aims of CARBICA to support all organizations and individual
members dedicated to manage information to increase awareness on
the importance of an adequate recordkeeping, fast access to
relevant information and to open the archives for public viewing.
To make records and archives an useful and supportive tool in our
daily processes and a public source for science and culture, it
needs awareness and training. CARBICA supports the institutions in
the region in the development of this professionalism. CARBICA is
networking between the organizations in the region; it is bound to
an international organization, the ICA (International Council on
Archives). It therefore can help to adopt the idea of “best
practice” as standard within the networking countries. Especially
with the help of “new technologies” these ideas, views and
standards can be spread more rapidly. I therefore hope this
Grenada initiative will contribute to an increased professionalism
in other countries in our region as well. An adequate record
management determines the accuracy of our national memory, source
for process support, decision making, democratic accountability
and justice in the treatment of citizens. Access and openness can
help prevent corruption and arbitrariness. Rapid access to the
right and relevant information will increasingly determine our
chances of development. Economic growth is often based on the
access to this relevant information. In the modern world of
technology an adequate record management is imperative for the
swift exchange of (relevant) information”.
Executive members of CARBICA and archival professionals of the
region facilitated the seminar.
Next Executive Committee Meeting
November, 2003-Curaçao
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CARBICA—ICCROM Collaboration
CARBICA and ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of
Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), will join
efforts to organize the first Caribbean course on preservation of
photographic material. The idea for this course came about after a
meeting attended by the CARBICA president last June in Rome. At
this meeting an agreement was drafted for collaboration between
ICCROM, ICA and IFLA for the preservation of the World Heritage.
One of the first activities as a result of this agreement will be
a training course for the Caribbean. The plan is to combine and
enrich the Preservation Conference (PATC II) with this first
Caribbean course on Preservation of Photographic materials. The
course is to be held prior to the conference, November 3-15, 2003.
The PATC II Conference is to be held 17-21 November 2003.
Participation of the 2nd International Conference on Preservation
of Archives in Tropical Climates will be part of the course
program. The course will take place at the National Archives of
the Netherlands Antilles in Curaçao. This international three-week
course aims at upgrading the professional skills on preservation
and conservation of photographic and image collections in
archives, libraries and museums holdings. The course will offer a
holistic approach to conservation, covering both technical and
managerial issues through theoretical and practical sessions,
preparing the participants to assume increasingly complex
responsibilities in their working environment. The course is an
intensive program combining theory and practice, in both
laboratory and workshop settings. Dialogue between lectures and
participants will be actively encouraged throughout the course.
The program consist of the following themes:
º Introduction to preservation management principles;
º Institutional context of image & photographic collections
(archives libraries / museum / cultural centers );
º Materials of image collections, identification of techniques;
º Control of causes of deterioration. Climate and pests.
Enclosures and housing;
º Use of collections maintenance procedures. Reformatting and
duplication;
º Design of comprehensive preservation programs.
ICCROM will provide partial scholarships to participants. A
maximum of 16 participants will be selected. CARBICA members are
invited to fill in and send an application form which is available
on the ICCROM website
http://www.iccrom.org
Preservation of Archives in Tropical Climates II
The Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao will host the second
international conference on “Preservation of Archives in Tropical
Climates” (PATC) II from November 17 – 21, 2003. The conference is
being organized by the National Archives of the Netherlands (NANL)
in partnership with the National Archives of the Netherlands
Antilles (NANA) in a joint venture with the International Council
on Archives (ICA), The Caribbean Regional Branch of the
International Council on Archives (CARBICA) and the Latin American
Archives Association (ALA). The first PATC was held in Jakarta in
the year 2001 and was an initiative of the NANL and the National
Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) in cooperation with
the ICA. Due to the success of this conference the decision was
taken to make this a bi-annual event. The aim of the second
conference is to implement the resolutions of the first conference
and envision new goals for the near future. The goal is to
contribute to an increase of professionalism in preservation
techniques and –standards, especially in the tropics.
Presentations will incorporate discussions during the general
sessions and practical workshops covering a wide range of topics
such as; special archive box for tropical climates, integrated
pest management, disaster preparedness and recovery, preventive
conservation, design of cultural institutions, passive climate
control, practical experience in African countries, mass
deacidification, preservation training, preservation management
including buildings, handling and storage, salvage of photographs,
fungus awareness kit and integrated pest fungus, handling and
storage, salvage of photographs, fungus awareness kit and
integrated pest fungus. The conference sessions are open to those
involved in archive management or the conservation of archives and
library materials and those who share the same concern of the
difficult circumstances under which the cultural heritage in
tropical countries are kept, cultural institutions, archivists,
architects and keepers of collections that were formed in tropical
climates. The conference will be the ideal forum for professionals
in this field to network and share their ideas and experience,
with colleagues from all over the world specifically those in
tropical climates. Information on Costs and Registration can be
found at the website:
http://www.nationalarchives.an
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