Foreword


Dear colleagues,

This special issue of CARBICA news being put together to assist you in preparing
for your attendance at CARBICA’s major events of this year. Every 4 years Caribbean archivists, conservators, records managers, assemble for a seminar, workshop and General Assembly during which the election of a new board takes place. As outgoing president, I am most honored to be able to host this gathering. This will be the eighth conference in the history of our organization. CARBICA members will finally have the opportunity to attend the so often postponed seminar on electronic records management. We are happy to have ARMA’s collaboration to organize this event. In the General Assembly we will discuss important issues, such as possibilities for training and preservation of records in our region, the updating of our constitution and also elect a new executive board for 2006-2010.
What makes this CARBICA VIII very special is the fact that it will be part of a greater inter¬national gathering. CARBICA VIII will take place in Curaçao in conjunction with CITRA. As CARBICA members you are also invited to attend and participate in the CITRA sessions that will follow the CARBICA program. The theme of this conference «Sharing memory through globalization» is most appealing for our region as it will also deal with issues such as the safe¬guarding and sharing of sources about our common past. You will have the unique opportunity to meet and network with delegates from the worldwide membership of ICA and interact with internationally recognized presenters.
Social and cultural program promises enjoyment and relaxation for participants, their spouses and children. You cannot miss this unique opportunity. Book the dates November 17-26, 2006.

The president of CARBICA Mrs. Nolda Römer-Kenepa

The Executive Committee. From left to right :
Cheryl Sylvester, Victoria Borg, Helena Leonce, Nolda Römer, Dominique Taffin ; Sharon Gooding-Alexander, Margot Thomas.

CARBICA registered as an association in Martinique
At the general assembly of Vienna, and after studying the matter, CARBICA had chosen the system of associations of the French law, a flexible one that would make easier exchanges with organizations of the European community and fund-raising. Thus, the association was registered on the 20th of April 2006 at the Prefecture of Martinique and is entitled CARBICA Caribbean Archives association.
This situation is the same as that of the International Council of Archives, in Paris.

Activities of the executive committee
The Executive Committee met in October 2005 in St Kitts, and then in April 2006 in Trinidad and worked hard on the organization of CARBICA VIII (see program below). The search for funding mobilized various members: we did succeed in obtaining some funding from the French fund for regional cooperation. The agenda dealt with during those meetings was:
-CARTAS project (disaster preparedness and emergency plan for the archives)
-Caribbean archives network project (Shared memory)
-Relations with ICA, ALA and ICCROM
-Training policy of CARBICA (« cotton gloves » group continuation)…
Those meetings were also the occasion to visit the National Archives of the two host countries we will speak about in the next issues.


Restoration department of the national archives of Trinidad

News from the Archives of the Caribbean

St Vincent and the Grenadines have a new archivist managing the National Archives; her name is Trisha Ann Job.
The National Archives of Cuba were recently reorganized and are now man¬aged by Martha Ferriol Marchena, an experienced archivist.

39th International Conference of the Round Table of Archives Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, Nov. 20th – 26th 2006

39th CITRA, Nov. 20-26 Curacao Sharing memory through globalization

As a multicultural and multiethnic society, the Netherlands Antilles, who will host next CITRA conference, are in a good position to deal with the theme that will be studied in 2006: Shared memory through globalization. Indeed, the great variety of cultural and archivist traditions of the Caribbean countries and their opening on the outside, make them naturally adapted to exchanges and experiences sharing.
Today, in our societies, discussions about memory and history are still ani¬mated and very often, it is still impossible to stand neutral in front of the pain¬ful periods of the past. This context is an opportunity for archivists to help their contemporaries to overcome the divisions of their memories and to consider their past in a more serene way. They have to make more widely known the content of the archives that will allow shared history and encourage greater ease of access to records, for historians and citizens. Archival disputes were the occasion of positive debates at the past CITRA conferences of Thessalonica in 1994 and Washington in 1995. People working in the archival field were they ready to stop the era of revendications and to share sources, which means strengthens ? This challenge we would like to face and overcome, forget¬ting our political differences and only considering a professional approach.
In order to document events such as political or economical migrations, slav¬ery, colonization or decolonization, many sorts of sources must be exchanged, national and international sources, public and private sources. Their preserva¬tion and access are often problematic. How can national archives collabo¬rate? What kind of common research tools could they elaborate in order to facilitate complementary resources sharing? Which solutions are possible today through technical information?
Since the conference is about sharing, the members of CITRA bureau suggest changing its format this year. After a first introducing plenary session, partici¬pants will gather around parallel round tables to discuss identified subjects linked to the main theme. Those discussions will be led by a chair and will alternate with plenary sessions while participants will work together and while reporters, chosen by each round table, will present the results of debates. The final session will be dedicated to a general discussion and resolutions.
This work division should facilitate the discussions between participants and should allow studying thoroughly the different angles of the theme.
According to the evaluations made at the end of each conference, it seems that meeting new colleagues and interacting with them is the main motivation of the CITRA participants. We hope they will appreciate this new formula.

CARBICA VIII: agenda
The 8th CARBICA conference will take place just before CITRA conference. The executive committee had decided to adopt the theme of CITRA and, during its meeting in Trinidad, suggested to organize workshops during CITRA (20th to 26th of November) allowing its members to develop their projects about « Shared memory » and to discuss with colleagues from other parts of the world. This proposal was submitted to the International Council of Archives.
The work of CARBICA VIII will take place before CITRA as:
-a training seminar
-a conference about archives with the ministers of the Caribbean
-a general assembly during which the executive committee will be renewed. The constitution and by-laws of our association will also be up-dated.

We do expect your participation!
Records and Information Management in an Electronic Environment: a pre-conference seminar November 17th – 18th, 2006
CARBICA, in collaboration with ARMA International, will present a two day-seminar, which focuses on records and information management in an electronic environment and standards that promote best practices for records in all media. The objective of the seminar is in keeping with CARBICA’s mandate to heighten awareness of records and information management issues which impact on the work and professional development of archivists. Consequently, this seminar should serve to strengthen and develop the requisite skills that will enable members and participants to better fulfill their respective mandates for their countries and organizations. Participants will be drawn from the membership of CARBICA and other persons with an interest in record keeping from the host country, Curacao.
The seminar will be concentrated on interactive discussions on historical versus contemporary approaches to record keeping; the international records management standard ISO 15489; the design of compliant systems for records in all media and the processes and controls that should be present in records management programs. Additionally, an expert on electronic records, sponsored by ARMA International, will speak on the issues, challenges and opportunities of managing records in an electronic environment. The seminar will conclude with a panel discussion that will summarize the way forward and propose a resolution to be presented at the meeting of the Ministers of Information for the region scheduled for November 20th.

DAY 1
RAISING THE BAR FOR RECORDS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Record Keeping – Historical & Contemporary
09.00 – 10.30 Overview
10.45 – 12.30 ISO 15489 – An Introduction
12.30 – 13.45 Lunch
14.00 – 15.15 Designing Compliant Systems
15.30 – 16.30 Record Keeping Processes and Control

DAY 2
THE E-RECORD - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Overview of Electronic Record Keeping
09.00 – 10.15 Managing E-mail – A Strategic Approach
10.45 – 12.30 Lunch
12.30 – 13.45 Selecting an Appropriate Electronic Solution
14.00 – 15.15 THE WAY FORWARD
15.30 – 16.30 Panel Discussion
16.30 – 17.00 Closing Exercises

Ministers’ meeting of the Caribbean
Objective: To sensitize ministers of the Caribbean responsible for Archives,
Records and Information about:
1. The purpose of archives.
2. The need for National Archives in the Caribbean territories to have trained staff.
3. The use which Governments can make of Archives in their endeavor to achieve accountability, transparency and good governance.
4. Challenges with which National Archives in the Caribbean are faced with

Duration of meeting – 1 day (20th November 2006)
Structure Morning Presentations by Archivists

Afternoon Workshop and discussion

Wrap-up and Commitment

Preliminary program:
Sunday November 19: Arrival of Ministers
Monday November 20:
-Opening; address of welcome: Host: Minister of Internal Affairs, Neth¬erlands Antilles
-Four presentations
1) 09:15 – 9:45 The place of the archives in the govern¬ment structure, and the role and function of the archivist
2) 09:50 – 10:30 Archives in the cultural development policy and education of the citizenry
10:30 – 10: 50 BREAK
3) 10:55 – 11:30 The role of the National Archives in the quest for good governance, accountability and transparency
4) 11:35 – 12:30 Legislation which affects records and archives
12:35 – 13:30 LUNCH
Afternoon – Three (3) sessions with time for discussion and interaction

1) Electronic records management, creating and preserving authentic electronic records 2) Disaster preparedness and recovery, preservation in general.
3) Collaboration in archival matters between governments in the region, for training and shared memory.
Wrap-up and resolutions
Evening – The formal opening of the Round Table of the International Council on Archives - CITRA.

CARBICA election procedures
Rationale
At an Executive Committee meeting which was held in St. Kitts in October 2005, a decision was taken that procedures be put in place for the orderly con¬duct of elections as required by the CARBICA constitution and procedures.

Preamble
CARBICA – The Caribbean Branch of the International Council on Archives also called the Caribbean Archives Association comprises institutional mem¬bers of the International Council on Archives (ICA), other associations and individuals associated with or interested in the archival profession. CARBI-CA’S activities are regulated by its Constitution, Procedures and By-laws. The administrative body of CARBICA is the CARBICA Executive. Members of the Executive are elected every four years at the CARBICA General Assembly. The members of this Executive comprise:
1) President
2) Vice President
3) Secretary
4) Treasurer
5) Immediate Past President
6) Four floor members Persons who agree to be elected to office, to serve on the Executive of CAR¬BICA must be aware of the following:
• The President of CARBICA according to the ICA Constitution voted and accepted in Vienna in 2004, is a member of the ICA Executive Council. This individual is expected to represent CARBICA whenever meetings of the ICA Executive are held.
• CARBICA does not have funds to facilitate attendance at these meetings. Therefore the President elect should be able to source funds from his/her Gov¬ernment or Institution.
• The Vice-President of CARBICA is the alternate to the President and in the event that the President is unable to attend ICA Executive Council meetings, the Vice-President is the individual who attends such meetings. Therefore, funding for such meetings, follow the same principle as that itemized for the President.
• The CARBICA Executive meets annually for at least one Executive Commit¬tee meeting. Members of the Executive Committee finance their attendance at the meeting(s) through funds solicited from their Governments or Institutions or through their individual resources.

Procedures
1. A person, who agrees to fill a particular post, must be nominated by a finan¬cial member of CARBICA and that nomination must be seconded by another financial member of CARBICA.
2. All nominations should be submitted by July 30th, 2006 to the Secretary, who shall act as the Returning
Officer.
3. A list of all nominations shall be circulated to CARBICA members through the Secretary.
4. Elections to the posts shall take place by secret ballot during the CARBICA General Assembly to be held in
Curaçao in November 2006.
5. If someone who has been nominated decides to decline or drops out of the elections for whatever reason, such a person should inform the Secretary as soon as possible.
6. Nominations to fill this post shall be sought from the CARBICA membership and a new person shall be duly elected as stated in item 4.

History of CARBICA
CARBICA, the Caribbean Branch of the International Council on Archives, also known as the Caribbean Archives Association, is one of thirteen branches which operate under the aegis of the International Council on Archives (ICA). These branches are formed along geographical lines – the Arab countries, the Caribbean, Central Africa, East Asia, Eastern and South¬ern Africa, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Pacific, South East Asia, South and West Asia, and West Africa.
Headquartered in Paris, France, ICA was formed in 1948, at a meeting which was convened by UNESCO and the first ICA Congress was held in Paris in 1950. A non-governmental organization, with international membership, the mission of the ICA is “the advancement of archives through international co¬operation, by:
• Encouraging the development of archives in all countries, in order to ensure the preservation of the archival heritage of mankind
• Promoting activities in the field of records and archives manage¬ment on the international level
• Developing relations between archivists of all countries and between all institutions that are concerned with the administration or preservation of records and archives, or the professional training of archivists; and
• Facilitating the use of archival documents by making their contents
more widely known and encouraging greater ease of access”. The membership of ICA includes national and regional archival institutions; national, regional and local professional associations, archival institutions of all types; individuals and honorary members and comprises approximately 1,700 members in 180 countries. The regional branches of the ICA assist ICA in fulfilling its mandate.
The ICA branches were not established at the same time but arose as the archivists within the particular region recognized the need to unite as a cohe¬sive force to promote the preservation, development and use of the archival heritage under their care and within their region.
CARBICA was the brainchild of the Caribbean Historians Association. It operates with a constitution and bye-laws, adopted by the second Caribbean Conference (1975). Since its inception, it has held seven quadrennial Con¬ferences and General Meetings: Jamaica in 1965, Guadeloupe/Martinique in 1975, Nassau in 1979, Barbados in 1989, Trinidad in 1993, Belize in 1997 and Saint Lucia in 2001. The next General Assembly is slated for November 2006 in Curacao. The past presidents have been Dr. Gail Saunders (Bahamas), Dr. Alexander Paula (Netherlands Antilles), Ms. Christine Matthews (Barba¬dos), Mrs. Edwina Peters (Trinidad and Tobago), Mr. Charles Gibson (Belize) and Mrs. Margot Thomas (Saint Lucia). The incumbent is Drs. Nolda Römer-Kenepa (Netherlands Antilles).
The countries which comprise CARBICA span the four language groups (Eng¬lish, French, Spanish and Dutch) and include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, French Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos. Dues are paid to ICA annually based on the country’s Per Capita Income as published in the World Bank’s Report. However, dues are paid to CARBICA based on established categories: Members in Category A - National Archives - pay $150 USD; Category B – Associations - pay $100 USD; Category C – Individuals - pay $50 USD.
Through the years CARBICA has sought to bring its members together through training seminars and workshops such as Restoration and Reprography (Cura¬cao, 1981), Records Management (Saint Lucia, 1999), Training in Records Management using the Distance Learning Format (Trinidad, 2000), Preserva¬tion in Tropical Countries (Curacao, 2003), publications, newsletters, and more recently its website. The larger, more established archives work col¬laboratively with the smaller archives and facilitate attachments and bilateral training. CARBICA’s logo was designed by Ms. Marie Weeks (deceased) of St. Kitts and Nevis.
CARBICA’s mission is in keeping with that of ICA and all of the other regional branches: endeavoring to protect the archival heritage and to make it acces¬sible for research.
In the Caribbean, the challenges which face CARBICA has much to do with the insularity of the countries, the high cost of travel and the paucity of funds allocated to archives. Some countries are more fortunate than others and have acquired purpose built archives while in other countries there is only an archi¬val collection and no National Archives or National Archivist.
CARBICA’s eighth General Conference strives to entice the Govern¬ments of the Caribbean countries to acknowledge the benefits of a well operating and adequately funded, well managed National Archives.

Grenada’s experience with hurricane Ivan and the Cartas project
On September 7, 2004, Grenada was hit by a Category 4 hurricane. Not only was over 90% of the housing stock destroyed but the country’s rich archival heritage located in various parts of the island experienced serious trauma.
For several weeks after the hurricane, some of Grenada’s scattered archives laid exposed to the elements, some sat over several inches of water while others sat soaking in broken-down buildings.
Through CARBICA’s intervention, arrangements were made for a complete assessment of the damages. The assessment was undertaken by Mrs. Yulu Klein during the period December 13-17, 2004, three months after the pas¬sage of Hurricane Ivan. Her report assessed the damage to the records and archives, made recommendations for their rehabilitation and proposals for improvements to mitigate such damaging effects in the future.
Annually, every island in the Caribbean region is threatened with or experi¬ences the devastating effects of a hurricane. The damage to Grenada’s scat¬tered archival collection underscores the need for vulnerable islands like ours to take decisive action to secure our collections as well as effect disaster pre¬paredness plans that would hasten the recovery of damaged archives.
It is easy, however, to recognize what needs to the done. More importantly though, is enforcing what have to be done and by whom. The necessary skills and structures to accomplish some are varied across the region. Being cogni¬zant of this fact, CARBICA through CARTAS, the Caribbean Archives Taskforce for Disaster Protection, proposes the development of a broad-based hazard mitigation and response strategy for the protection of records and archives, by providing technical assistance to all countries in the region. Every member island in the region is therefore urged to actively participate in this project when it comes on stream.

PHOS project: For the preservation of Caribbean photographic heritage
From the 23rd to the 26th of January 2006, a seminar dealing with the ap¬proach of the Caribbean photographic heritage, to the policies of preservation that should be applied to it and of what could be made to improve the preser¬vation of this heritage, was held in Pointe-à-Pitre. This seminar was organized on the initiative of the local administration and of the director of the local libraries.
The point was to study the implementation of a project of regional coopera¬tion especially dedicated to a media, photography.
This project, supported by the European community, appeared to be of great interest for the participants, among which many archivists could be found (Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Trinidad). As a matter of fact, the project is completely compliant, as far as its methodol¬ogy is concerned, with the Caribbean archives network program established by CARBICA.
At the end of the seminar, many resolutions were taken:
-implementation of a common standard format for description
-implementation of a work schedule
-implementation of a data base accessible on the internet that would inven¬tory and show pictures before 1920 that is preserved in all the participating countries
-organization of a road exhibition
At present, the Archives of Martinique have put up a standard descriptive format. It has to be validated.
The project, for its technical and financial parts, is being completed and up¬dated by the Library Department of Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe).
Information: btouzeau@wanadoo.fr