The 41st CITRA will take place between17 and 21 November 2009 in Malta andwill revolve around the theme“Imagining the 21st Century Archivist:New Strategies for Education andTraining”. As the keeper of accessible andauthentic records, the challenge fortoday’s archivist is how to acquire thenecessary skills and knowledge tomeet the demands of the 21stcenturyInformation Society. Through the use of the internet onestop shopping for information hasbecome characteristic of our century.The public demands an interdepen-dent linking of all sources of informa-tion in one place with the applicationof multimedia and interactive use ofinformation. This so-called “GoogleGeneration” completely separatesform from content and is less concer-ned with whether the informationoriginates from a book or a thousandyear old manuscript; all that they areinterested in is the information contai-ned within these two forms. In the end,not only will the uniqueness, value andrelevance of archival information goby unnoticed but people will alsoignore the value of specialized skills,essential for preservation and mana-ging of records, the main sources ofinformation. If we do not act soon,these developments will have negativeconsequences for the image of thearchivist in 21st century society. We donot want to run the risk that in thepublic view the archivist will becomesome sort of an assistant, a mereprovider of content to an e-technician

who is responsible forthe creation of electro-nic information.

The CITRA 2009, a combination ofplenary sessions and parallelsessions favouring debate, willpresent existing training programswithin organizations, universities andarchival institutions. The question ofwhat the present day employerexpects from the archivist will beanswered. Young archivists will tell ushow they envision their future career.They will be able to discuss the needfor new skills, knowledge and exper-tise. Attention will be paid to the needfor training in developing countriesand the relevance of archival educa-tion and training for indigenous andmarginalized communities. The issueof continuing professional develop-ment will also be tackled.In order to take full account of presentday developments in the archivalprofession, ICA has chosen to priori-tize education and professional trai-ning as one of the main areas of itsprogram in the upcoming years. Thegeneral theme for CITRA 2009 has adirect link with the activities of PCOMand the ICA section on ArchivalEducation (SAE); both are involved inthe preparation of the 2009 CITRAprogram. The outcome will be impor-tant to enable PCOM to respond tothe needs of ICA members by stimu-lating and encouraging them to deve-lop professional standards, educatio-nal programs, training packages anddistance education. The conclusions of the upcomingCITRA will help us to define the chal-lenges that we must face togetherand to find the opportunities that theInformation Society offers us all toupgrade and keep upgrading ourprofession.

International Archives Day

Archives and Human Rights:Confronting the Demons of the Past

Staff changes at the ICA Secretariat

Executive Board inTamanrasset, Algeria

PARBICA

Recordkeeping Toolkit CreatingStrategic Allies

Towards a conceptual model forarchival description

News on the Programme

News from SARBICA

Architecture et environnement

ICA Emergency management: meeting the Blue Shield volunteers

Reactivation of SLA

18July 2009

ISSN 1728-533X

icaNolda Römer-KenepaICA Vice-President CITRAnrom@cura.net

Flashnews from ica

Modernizing the profession : a question of survival

international council on archives

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Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica2

PeopleNew national Archivists have been appointed:

Canada➜ Mr Daniel J. CARON

CONGO (R. OF)➜ Mr Basile NGOLI

Andorra: An Archivist Nominated MinisterThe 9th June, International Archives Day, was marked in avery particular way in Andorra: Susana Vela, NationalArchivist, was nominated as Minister for Education andCulture for her country on this day. ICA warmly congratulatesSusana, who we have no doubt will continue in her role asMinister to support and promote the archives for which shehas worked for over 20 years. Susana thus joins the ranks ofour colleagues who, as distinguished archivists, have beenpromoted to positions of even higher responsibility.

FlashEditor: International Councilon Archives (ICA)

Publication Director: David A. Leitch

The International Council onArchives (ICA) is dedicated to theadvancement of archives throughinternational co-operation.Archives, by providing evidence ofhuman activities and transactions,underlie the rights of individualsand states, and are fundamental todemocracy and good governance.In pursuing the advancement ofarchives, ICA works for the protec-tion and enhancement of thememory of the world.

Flash communicates news on ICAactivities and highlights currentissues in archives. It is thecomplement to the in-depthprofessional reflection, reportsand debate in Comma.

Flash is published three times ayear as a membership benefit byICA. Contents may be reproducedand translated in part or in whole,provided that credit is given.Information in this issue of Flashwas current at the closing datefor production, 6 July 2009.

Translation is assured by volun-teers alone: please think of offe-ring your help for just a fewhours every four months!

ICA60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois75003 Paris, FranceT : +33 14027 6306F : +33 14272 2065E : ica@ica.orgI : www.ica.org

Graphic design: Raphaël Meyssanraphael@meyssan.netT : +33 6 20 49 12 15

Impression: DEJA-GLMC

Garges-lès-Gonesse, France

Photos copyright: National Archivesof Algeria, National Archives of theDemocratic Republic of Congo,National Archives of Japan,National Archives of Senegal, ICASecretariat, PARBICA, RobertKretzschmar, SARBICA, SAR, SLA,CBPS, HRG, Blue Shield, IRMT.

ISSN : 1728-533X.

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica 3

Staff changes at the ICA Secretariat On 30 April Perrine Canavaggiostepped down as Deputy General ofICA, after many years of distinguis-hed service to the organisation.

Perrine acted as CITRA Secretaryfor two consecutive cycles, fromReykjavik (2001) to Quebec (2007).

In that capacity she played a major rolein producing six stimulating program-mes and many influential resolutions.She has provided superb leadership inadvancing the Archives and HumanRights agenda after the CapetownCITRA in 2003. She has also displayedconsiderable commitment to deepeningICA’s engagement with UNESCO. Soon after we said good-bye to Perrine,we welcomed Christophe Jacobs as thelatest recruit to the Secretariat on 4 May.Christophe will be working part-time inthe Secretariat until at least the end ofDecember 2009, while continuing hisresearch into French Archive Policybetween 1852 and 1945. In the light of therecent disasters in Cologne and Aquila,he has been asked to take the lead in

developing an Emergency ResponseManagement Programme for ICA. As amember of the Committee of theAssociation of National Blue ShieldCommittees (ANCBS) and of the FrenchNational Blue Shield Committee, he isadmirably qualified for this task.Finally, when the ICA Executive Boardmet in Tamanrasset on 28 May, it unani-mously approved the appointment ofChristine Martinez as Deputy SecretaryGeneral. Christine had joined theSecretariat on 1 February 2009 asExecutive Director for the Programme,and she will continue to have the leadresponsibility in this crucial area.

Christine possesses a powerful combi-nation of wide-ranging professionalknowledge, an ability to work in threelanguages, and excellent inter-personalskills. She is particularly effective inmotivating younger colleagues tobecome more involved in ICA and theorganization is very fortunate indeed tohave secured her services. After theExecutive Board had made its decision,Christine said that she was very pleasedthat her work for ICA had been recogni-zed in this way. Her distinguished prede-cessor Perrine Canavaggio had set avery high standard of performance,which she will do her best to match.

The Secretariat is pleased toannounce that, following negotia-tions, it has signed a contract withTincan Ltd. Tincan will work withICA to take forward the develop-ment of a new and effective ICAwebsite.

Following the interviews, theSecretariat decided to open finalnegotiations with UK-based

Tincan Ltd as the first choice of provider.Tincan gave an excellent proposal andpresentation offering a high-qualityservice and solution. With more than 10years’ successful experience in buildinginformation-rich, membership-basedsites for international and multilingualaudiences they are well-qualified to deli-ver a new website to ICA’s international

user base. In addition, they demonstra-ted a keen understanding of internatio-nal-level advocacy, communications andcommunity-building and applied thisexperience relevantly to ICA’s websitedevelopment project. ICA will becomepart of a valued community of Tincanclients that comprises primarily of chari-ties, NGOs and Not-for-profits. Tincanalso has strong and convincing projectmanagement, team structure andcommunications skills. They respondedvery well to some tricky questions fromthe interview panel and posed somethoughtful questions to the panel in turn,demonstrating a real interest in the acti-vity and operation of ICA.Tincan has already finished the initial‘Discovery’ phase of the project, theaims of which were to establish our

members’ requirements, to draw up ahighly detailed project specification andto finalize the project plan. They haveinterviewed several ICA members face-to-face and by telephone. An internetsurvey was also released on the currentwebsite and on the ICA listserv. The ICASecretariat thanks all of you who respon-ded so quickly to this survey. Followingthe ‘Discovery’ phase, the ‘Design andTechnical Build’ phases are beingcarried out, eventually bringing togetherthe finished product, set to launchbefore the CITRA in November 2009.

Naomi SetchellICA Project officer(webmaster)setchell@ica.org

ICA Website: Update

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Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica4

9 June was celebrated in a variety of ways around the world. Local institutions, as well as national archives,and associations, marked international archives day in their own way. Whether it was the National Archives ofSenegal or the municipal archives of Lloret de Mar (Catalonia), archivists organized events intended topromote archives to decision-makers and to the general public. If you have also contributed to celebrating this event in your country, please let us know the results (contact :secretariat@ica.org).

International Archives Day

Senegal The Directorate of the Archives ofSenegal celebrated InternationalArchives Day for the third time, on thetheme of ‘Administrative informationand the protection of information aboutpersonnel’.Apart from Dakar with the NationalArchives and the deposits of public andprivate archives, this celebrationconcerned the regions of the countrywith regional archives.The celebration, organized by theNational Archives in the large confe-rence room of the Chamber ofcommerce and industry in Dakar, wasmarked by three major activities: apresentation ceremony of the ‘Honorarydiploma of the Archives of Senegal’, apanel on the theme and the taking of theoath by archivists and employees of thepublic archives services (ministries andpublic establishments, conforming tothe law of the 19th to the 30th June 2006,regarding archives and administrativedocuments). The public and private media (newspa-per, television, radio) covered these acti-vities. Interviews and reports were doneat the National Archives but also at theAudiovisual Archives of Senegalese tele-vision and radio (la RadiodiffusionTélévision Sénégalaise).In his speech, Mr. Babacar Ndiaye,Director of the Archives of Senegal,welcomed the participants and the invi-ted parties. The theme ‘Administrativeinformation and the protection of infor-mation about personnel’, he said wastruly current in the context of the newcitizenship born in the wake of democra-tic progress in our country in the lastdecades. In addition to introducing thesubject, he spoke of the innovation ofthis year’s celebration in the presenta-tion of the ‘Honorary diploma of theArchives of Senegal’ for services rende-

red to the Archives of Senegal. It wasgiven to Mr Seydou Madani Sy, archivist-paleographer, former Rector, formerminister, Amadou Alassane Bousso, firstDirector of the School of Librarians(Ecole de Bibliothécaires), Archivists etDocumentalists (EBAD/UCAD) ofDakar, Oumar Ba, former archivist andSaliou Mbaye, former Director of theArchives of Senegal. It was a moving andinspiring ceremony. After the official opening ceremony by Mr Papa Ousmane Gueye, SecretaryGeneral of the Government, who assuredthe audience of the interest that thePresident of the Republic shows towardsarchives in personally investing himself intheir modernization, but also to giveSenegal an archival establishmentworthy of our country, a conference onthe theme was led by a panel composedof experts in the management of adminis-trative information but also in the protec-tion of information on personnel. Mr Seydou Madani Sy, Archivist-paleo-grapher, Professor, former Rector, formerMinister, former President of hte StateCouncil, former Mediator of the Republic,President of the National Commission onAccess to Administrative informationand the Protection of Information onPersonnel, Honorary Rector, chaired theconference.In his turn, Mr Ahmeth Ndiaye,Professor at EBAD, Mr Abdou LatifCoulibaly, journalist-writer, Director ofthe Institute for Information Science andCommunication, Mr Amadou Diallo,

Magistrate, lawyer, Delegate of theSupreme Court, and Dr Mouhamadou Lo,ICT lawyer, legal consultant to the StateInformation Agency, presented theirpoints of view on the question. This wasa true cross-section of expert opinionsevolving in their different sectors.These proceedings evoked rich debate.Finally, because of the abundant sittingsof the Regional Tribunal of Dakar on the9th of June, the ceremony of the taking ofthe oath by archivists and employees ofthe public archives services at theRegional Tribunal of Dakar took place onTuesday the 16th June 2009 at 10 am.

Babacar NdiayeWARBICA President, Director of the Archives of Senegalpmarchi@primature.sn

Congo (R. D. of)Under the gracious patronage of thePresident of the Democratic Republic ofCongo, the National Archives of Congocelebrated, for the first time,International Archives Day on Tuesday 9June 2009, in the presence of the ministerresponsible, His Excellence Mr EsdrasKambale, and other invited guests. From now on, this day will no longer passwithout being marked; the media hasincreased public awareness of it. Theprogramme of events included: amessage to the nation from the Ministerof Culture and Arts, and Mr Antoine

Mr Babacar Ndiaye, Director of the National Archives of Senegal, Mr Papa Ousmane Gueye, GovernmentSecretary General, Mr Seydou Madani Sy, Archivist Paleographer, Honorary Rector, Former Minister.

5Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica

AlgeriaAn exhibition on archives, and the workof the National Archives of Algeria, envi-saged for International Archives Day,was organized in Tamanrasset on 28 May2009, as soon as the ICA ExecutiveBoard meeting had finished.Wanting to take advantage of thepresence of the President and theSecretary General of ICA, as well as themajority of members of the ExecutiveBoard, the National Archives of Algeriabrought forward some of the events,which had been planned for the celebra-tion of archives on 9 June. According toMr. Chikhi, Director General of theNational Archives of Algeria, ‘archivesdeserve to be celebrated every day ofthe year’.The Wali (Provincial Governor)of Tamanrasset was the special guest atthis exhibi-tion. After aguided visitin thecompany ofthe ICAP r e s i d e n tand theD i r e c t o rGeneral ofthe NationalArchives ofAlgeria, hepresided over a convivial ceremony,which marked the conclusion of theExecutive Board’s work, with anexchange of gifts between himself andthe ICA President. All members of the Executive Boardpresent were impressed by the timely andwell planned exhibition, which will help toraise the profile of archives in Algeria.

Lumenganeso Kiobe, Keeper and DirectorGeneral of the National Archives ofCongo, and President of CENARBICA,about the importance of archives to anation in the course of reconstruction,and an exhibition of bank notes along withgeo-historical maps, flags and emblemsof our beautiful and beloved country.

Antoine Lumenganeso KiobeCENARBICA President, Director-general of the National Archives of the Democratic Republic of Congo alumenganeso@yahoo.fr

United KingdomTo celebrate International Archives Day,University of Glasgow Archive Serviceshas launched a new online resourcehighlighting the international scope andreputation of the University and itsarchive collections. Through the collections map, users cangain an appreciation of the impact ofScottish businesses on the developmentof the world economy and the influencethat University of Glasgow, its staff andstudents have had on the history anddevelopment of many countries.Archive Services staff have selected anumber of highlights from the collectionsfor the launch on International ArchivesDay. The digitised archives give a fascina-ting insight into a broad range of activities,from geological surveys in Antarctica andIran to zoological expeditions in SouthAmerica and medical service in Nigeria;the building of ships and locomotives forservice in China, Japan and New Zealandand management of international ship-ping; the export of sugar machinery toMauritius and Java, and of beer to Burma,Malta and Australia; and the running ofbranches and mills in India, Romania,Malawi and Canada.Each entry gives a tantalizing taste ofwhat is available in the wider collection,into which users are welcome to delve. The collections map can be found at:www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/collec-tions/internationalarchiveday .Please do have a look!

Clare PatersonAssistant Archivist, Scottish Business Archive,Tel: +44 (0)141 330 4159

Japan

Japanese archivists celebrated thesecond International Archives Day(IAD) on June 9th, 2009. This year, weheld the commemorative lecture atYamaguchi Prefectural Archives (YPA)which is located on the westernmostpart of the main island of Japan. YPAmarked the 50th anniversary of itsfoundation this year. It is the firstpublic archives, established in Japanin 1959 even before the opening of theNational Archives of Japan in 1971.This year’s IAD event coincided withthe celebration of the opening of thefirst public archives in Japan half acentury ago.President Kikuchi made an openingaddress, and two prominent keynotespeakers gave lectures on the recordsmanagement legislation for the stateorganizations and its impact on the localgovernments. More than 100 archivists,including the Directors of most localpublic archives, joined the event. InJapan, the public records managementbill passed the House ofRepresentatives and it was sent to theUpper House on June 11th, two daysafter the IAD event. Records manage-ment law has been a long-awaited legis-lation for the Japanese archival commu-nity and if the bill becomes a law, 2009will be the epoch-making year forJapanese archivists.

Yumiko OharaNational Archives of Japanyumiohara@archives.go.jp

The Deputy Director of the National Archives ofthe Democratic Republic of Congo, His

excellence, the Minister of Culture and Arts, The Director of the National Archives of the

Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Executive Board was delightedto accept the invitation from theNational Archives of Algeria tohold its meeting from 26 to 28 Mayin the truly exotic location ofTamanrasset, under the patronageof the President of Algeria. Afterthree days of intensive debates,many members chose to stay onfor the two-day excursion, whichincluded spotting camels in thedesert, admiring the sunrise from amountain-top chapel erected inmemory of the priest Charles deFoucauld, and enjoying a hospita-ble lunch in a Toureg village. Noneof us who were there will everforget the breathtaking beauty ofthe desert scenery.

ICA is deeply grateful to Director-General Abdelmajid Chikhi and hisstaff at the National Archives, who

worked tirelessly to ensure that our stayin their country was both enjoyable andproductive, and for the co-operation ofthe civilian and military authorities inthe Tamanrasset region. Apart from considering the developmentof ICA of ICA revenue raising activities,the Executive Board determined that theproposed Working Group on DisplacedArchives should move forward under thepresidency of Algeria. Representatives ofthe former colonial powers would also beinvited to take part in the Working Group.

Much of the Board’s time was taken upwith finances and proposed reforms tothe current system of levying members-hip dues.

ICA Maintains FinancialStability

The Executive Board was very pleasedto learn that ICA had managed toachieve a surplus of over 77,000 euros inthe final accounts for 2008, in spite of allthe additional expenses of a Congressyear and the beginning of the globalrecession. It decided that the surplusshould be distributed as follows: anextra 30,000 euros would be allocated toPCOM (giving it a total budget of 120,000euros in 2009), an extra 30,000 euroswould go to the development of the newwebsite (giving it a total fund of 100,000euros in 2009); and the remaining 11,000euros would be used to fund a specialproject for an up to date multi-lingualdictionary of archival terminology. Theauditors, Deloitte, have confirmed thatICA’s financial reporting for 2008 is inorder.The continuing stability in ICA’s finan-ces is particularly good news for ICA’sbranches and sections. The unspentamounts in the budget for 2008 havebeen carried forward, so that there arenow 100,000 euros in the branches fundand over 99,000 in the sections fund. TheSecretariat was invited to a meeting of

the branch presidents in Tamanrasset, atwhich considerable progress was madein defining criteria and procedures forthe allocation of branch funds. By theend of June a final document was readyfor circulation to all the branch presi-dents. It is hoped to issue similarguidance to the sections as soon aspossible.

Sub-Committee on ICA'sRevenue-Raising Activities

In February 2009, during its meeting inAbu Dhabi, the ManagementCommission (MCOM) considered seve-ral options for increasing revenue-raising activity within ICA, including aproposed Foundation in the United ArabEmirates, which would in effect marketand sell the organisation's products andservices, including consultancy and trai-ning. MCOM recommended that a Sub-Committee of the Executive Boardshould be set up to examine in detail thebusiness case for the various options, aswell as the possible, legal, constitutionaland fiscal implications for ICA.The Sub-Committee met for the firsttime in Paris on 22 May, just before theExecutive Board in Algeria the followingweek. It was assisted in its deliberationsby independent legal experts. The mainconclusions were that the term'Foundation' should be avoided indiscussions about revenue-raising stra-

Executive Board in Tamanrasset, Algeria

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica6

Ian Wilson, ICA President, Abderahmane Boubaker, Governor (Wali) of Tamanrasset and Abdelmajid Chikhi, Director General of the National Archives of Algeria.

7Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica

tegy because it had very differentmeanings in different countries; that arevenue-generating entity could deriveits status from the ICA constitution,rather than operating as a legal body inits own right; that changes to the consti-tution, which would clarify the organiza-tion's remit in the area of revenue-raising, would be proposed to the AGMin Malta in November 2009; and thatexpert legal advice would be sought onhow far existing ICA structures couldprovide a basis for revenue-generatingactivities.The Executive Board was briefed aboutthese conclusions when it met inTamanrasset on 27 May. It confirmed theexistence of the Sub-Committee anddecided that henceforth all members ofMCOM would have the right to attend. Itwas also agreed that the Sub-Committee would have the remit ofexamining all the revenue-generatingoptions open to the organization. The

Sub-Committee will meet again in Parison 7-8 September, when it will addressthe following issues:-◗ The opportunities for ICA to raise reve-nue and the advantages/disadvantagesof various models for this activity◗ Other sources of funding for ICA(grants, sponsorships, partnerships)◗ Changes to the ICA constitution toenable commercial activitySince the Executive Board meeting, ithas become clear it is not possible toestablish a revenue-generating opera-tion, based in the National Center forDocumentation and Research (NCDR)in the United Arab Emirates.Nevertheless, ICA wishes to thank mostwarmly Dr. Abdulla El-Reyes, theDirector-General of the NCDR and ICAVice-President for Marketing andPromotion, for his innovative proposal,which has acted as a major catalyst forconstructive thinking about obtainingnew sources of revenue for ICA.

Proposed Reforms toMembership Dues

The Executive Board endorsed theconclusions of the Working Group onthis subject, to the effect that dues forall institutional members, includingnational archives in category A,should be based on the size of theinstitution’s budget. In principle, thepractice of asking national archives topay their dues on the basis of theircountry’s gross national incomeshould not be continued. If nationalarchives are in future to pay less, thenother institutions will have to paymore. As part of this reform, moreinstitutions will be encouraged tobecome members in category Cthrough the development of a moreattractive membership package. Thiswill include access to the new‘members-only’ section of the website,voting rights at the AGM, and the rightto stand for election as an office-bearer. However, the important placeof national archives in ICA would besafeguarded, as they would collecti-vely possess 50% of the votes in anelectoral college. The Executive Board voted to maintainthe membership categories as theycurrently are but also agreed to theprinciple of a new system, based oninstitutional budgets and enabling allfully paid up members to vote, in accor-dance with their representative weight.It noted that the results of the pilotproject for associations in category Bcurrently underway will be important. Italso authorized a sampling exerciseamong category A and C members toinform the development of a system

founded on institutionalbudgets.

David A. LeitchICA Secretary Generalleitch@ica.org

EB Tamanrasset 2009, the desert.

Abdelmajid Chikhi, Director General of the National Archives of Algeria, Abderahmane Boubaker,Governor (Wali) of Tamanrasset and Ian Wilson, ICA President.

PARBICA Recordkeeping ToolkitCreating Strategic Allies

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica8

The Recordkeeping for GoodGovernance Toolkit (the toolkit) beingdeveloped by the Pacific RegionalBranch (PARBICA) has resulted in asuite of tools that promote and assistwith best practice recordkeeping ingovernment administrations throu-ghout the Pacific, and the creation ofimportant strategic relationships forthe Branch.

The toolkit was born out of a decla-ration, adopted by 13 countriesand territories during the

PARBICA conference in Fiji in 2005,which recognised the importance ofwell-managed recordkeeping systemsas a fundamental pillar for accountabi-lity, transparency and efficiency, and therole played by archival and recordsauthorities in leading and supportingeffective recordkeeping systems acrosstheir respective governments.Since that declaration, there have beenthree distinct phases of the toolkit deve-loped. Phase one was launched at thePARBICA conference in Noumea, NewCaledonia in 2007. It consisted of aware-

ness-raising information as well as somediagnostic guides, including a record-keeping capacity checklist and guideli-nes for understanding recordkeepingrequirements. Since then phase two has been develo-ped, focussing on guidelines for goodrecordkeeping frameworks and recordscreation. Specifically, these are a modelrecordkeeping policy and a model fileplan for the common functions of govern-ment agencies - asset and resourcemanagement, external relations, financialmanagement, information management,personnel and establishment, and strate-gic management. Phase three guidelineshave also been developed, focussing onrecords disposal. Specifically, these are adisposal schedule and implementationguidelines for the common functionsmentioned above, and guidance aroundstarting an appraisal programme.All guidelines are developed throughworking parties representing the broadexperience of the PARBICA members-hip, which meet to discuss and create

The Committee on Best Practicesand Standards (CBPS) has justheld its annual meeting inMarburg (Germany). Participantsdiscussed the existing and futurestructure of ICA descriptive standards, their present andfuture focus, their needs forharmonization and their relationships to other existing and forthcoming standards.

The Archives school of Marburg(Germany) hosted the annualmeeting of the CBPS sub-

committee on archival description, 2009,25th-27th May. As had been stated duringthe last international congress on archi-ves in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 2008,21st27th July, the main purpose of themeeting was to identify the needs forharmonizing the four ICA descriptivestandards and to look at the possibility ofdeveloping a compendium explaining the

relationships between ICA standardsand existing or forthcoming standardssuch as Encoded Archival Description(EAD), Encoded Archival Context (EAC),Encoded Archival Guide (EAG).The sub-committee identified differentlevels in the necessary changes: harmo-nization of the four ICA standards, of thecontent of the rules and of the applica-tion of the standards. However, it wasdecided that the more substantial chan-ges would be considered later. ICA stan-dards are not used at the same level.ISAD(G) is recognized as the basis forarchival description and it is verycommon in many countries, but wecannot say the same thing for the threeothers. The main priority of CBPS is toexplain to the international communityhow descriptive standards relate to eachother.So, it was decided to develop a generaldeclaration for a data model and diffe-rent modules that could be modified at

different times according to the prac-tice and requirements. CBPS willprepare a unique document in a modu-lar way. This compendium will be madeup of different self-contained partswhich will describe records, recordscreators, functions of creators andinstitutions with archival holdings. Thedocument will contain a general intro-duction including a history of activitiesrelated to ICA standards, a data modeland a section explaining the relations-hips between the different archivalentities (archival material, creators,functions of creators and archivalinstitutions), a set of elements ofdescription for each type of entity andappendices for cross-reference andreferences to articles in differentlanguages about conceptual modeling.This document, which would be relea-sed in 2012, is to be considered as anintermediate step before a call forcomments and a full revision of the

Towards a conceptual model

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica

the content - and have lots of fun!Phases one and two were coordinatedby the National Archives of Australiaand funded by AusAID. Phase three wascoordinated by Archives New Zealandand funded by NZAID. Further phases are planned. Phase fourwill consist of some train-the-trainertools and has already received fundingapproval. PARBICA is currently seekingfunding approval for phase five, whichwill address electronic recordkeepingissues in the Pacific.The toolkit project has resulted in somevaluable strategic alliances being deve-loped within the Pacific region, includingPublic Service Commissioners,Ombudsmen, and a regional freedom ofinformation programme, who share ourunderstanding that good recordkeepingis essential for good governance.For more information, visit:www.parbica.org.

Mark CrookstonAssistant to theSecretary General,PARBICA, Senior Advisor,Digital Continuity,Archives New Zealandmark.crookston@archives.govt.nz

News on the ProgrammeA number of projects financed by PCOM are now wellunderway.

Thus, the project aiming to develop a study on evaluationin Latin America will launch in August with an interna-tional seminar in

Córdoba, in Argentina.Similarly, our colleague fromthe Ivory Coast, Lydie PadréBaroan is preparing apromotional film on archivesas a tool for good gover-nance which will be offeredto countries in French-spea-king Africa, while ANCBS(Association of national committees of the Blue Shield) isworking to expand a training module on reacting in emergencysituations (focusing on water damage). These are only a fewexamples. The Programme Commission is closely following theprogress of the project teams, thanks to the mentors it assi-gned to each project. The Secretary General has also seen forhimself the efforts made to help realize the objectives that areassigned to us in the ICA Strategic Direction.

Paris was the backdrop for a meeting of the working groups oftwo different projects, the week of the 8th June. Piloted bySPA and EURBICA, the ‘competencies’ project will enable thepublication of guidelines on building a model for professionalcompetencies. For two days, the members of the workinggroup, with representatives from archival institutions andprofessional associations, worked to develop the detailedstructure of the manual, presented case studies, and thoughtabout the dissemination of the future product. The results oftheir work will be presented at the CITRA in Malta, and theywill announce the first definitive version of the methodologyfor the end of January 2010.

The two previous days, the 8th and 9th of June, the team ofthe project ‘Training the trainers in records management’ heldits third meeting in the Department of Training in theDirectorate of the Archives of France. Based on the presenta-tion made at the international Congress in Kuala Lumpur, themembers of the working group worked on the content for thecollaborative platform that will be made available to ICAmembers in 2010. A new presentation on the progress of theproject will also be made at the CITRA in Malta.

All our members can look at the new call for projects publis-hed on the ICA website, and are asked to carefully read theeligibility criteria to apply. Christine Martinez, DeputySecretary General (Programme) will respond to all your ques-tions on the programme and the opportunities it offers.

Christine MartinezICA Deputy Secretary General[Programme]martinez@ica.org

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Project team for “Training the Trainersin Records Management”, Paris 2009.

standards for the 2012-2014 term ofoffice.The meeting was followed by a seminaron archival description with ArchivesSchool students. Three CBPS members,Michael Fox (United States), AmyWarner (UK) and Vitor da Fonseca(Brazil) gave presentations on EAD,databases of the National Archives inthe United Kingdom and archives inBrazil respectively.For further information, please contact:Marion Beyea, CBPS chair(marion.beyea@gnb.ca), or Claire Sibille-de Grimoüard, CBPS secretary(claire.sibille@culture.gouv.fr).

Claire Sibille-de Grimoüard CBPS Secretaryclaire.sibille@culture.gouv.fr

One-off SARBICA ExecutiveBoard Meeting - 13 May 2009

The Southeast Asia Regional Branch ofICA (SARBICA) organised the abovemeeting at the National Archives ofSingapore. The meeting was attended by10 SARBICA Executive Board members(the Directors of National Archives) and9 observers including from the NationalArchives of Australia. The meeting washeld particularly for the approval andadoption of the amended SARBICAConstitution. Regarding the change inArticle 3, the membership categoriespaved a way for SARBICA to expand itsmembership. This change also enabledthe inclusion of archivists from the Far

East and Pacific, particularly Australia,in SARBICA. Besides the constitution,various other matters were also discus-sed during the meeting, which includedthe Publication on Exclusive Heritage oficonic records from SARBICA membercountries; a project recently endorsedby ICA. A welcome dinner was organisedby the National Archives of Singapore,the host country, at the Reflections ofBukit Chandu (RBC), Singapore.

Seminar on The Role of Archives in Documenting a Shared Memoryof the Cold War: Asia-PacificPerspective, 13 - 14 May 2009

In conjunction with the one-off

SARBICA Executive Board meeting,the National Archives of Singapore, inpartnership with the S. RajaratnamSchool of the International Studies(RSIS) organized a one and a half dayopen-air seminar on The Role ofArchives in Documenting a SharedMemory of the Cold War: Asia-PacificPerspective at the RBC. The purpose ofthe seminar was to start reversing thetrend of looking at contemporarySoutheast Asian diplomatic/internatio-nal history exclusively throughWestern eyes, which has often come atthe expense of a vital indigenousperspective. The seminar saw the meeting of regio-nal archivists and scholars seeking abetter understanding of the history ofthe Cold War from an Asian perspectivethrough the surfacing of archival mate-rials pertaining to key events such asthe Malayan Emergency, the founding ofthe PRC (1949), the 1954 GenevaAgreement, the formation of ASEAN,the Vietnam War and the end of the ColdWar (1989). The seminar was attended mainly byarchivists from SARBICA membercountries. Country reports werepresented by representatives ofSARBICA member countries on thefirst day of the seminar. Papers andviews were also presented by renowned

News from SARBICA

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica10

SARBICA, Singapore 2009.

The International Council on Archives ispleased to announce the launch of itsnewsletter, Flash, in Arabic andSpanish. This bilingual edition wasrealised by the National Archives ofAlgeria. It is as identical as possible tothe English-French version. Pleaseaccept our apologies, in the meantime,while we iron out any small mistakesthat could appear in one or the other ofthe two versions, and hope to improveon forthcoming issues. We are happy tohear your feedback.We wish our Arabic-speaking and

Spanish-speaking members happyreading, and are pleased to have beenable to help move our organizationforward, in publishing this communica-tions tool in these new languages, whichwill be appreciated by archivists throu-ghout the world. The two versions are available on theICA website: www.ica.org

Mr Abdelmajid ChikhiARBICA President, Director of the National Archives of Algeriabouarifali@hotmail.com

“Flash” in Arabic and Spanish

Publications

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica

scholars, namely Professor Tan TaiYong, Professor Prasenjit Duara,Professor Anthony Reid from NationalUniversity of Singapore, Dr. MichaelMontesano (ISEAS), Dr. ChristianOstermann from the Woodrow WilsonInternational Center for Scholars andMr. Malcolm Byrne from NationalSecurity Archive, George WashingtonUniversity.

SARBICA Executive BoardMeeting and Seminar on “TheDigitisation of Archival Records -Sharing Experiences”, 30 Sept. - 4Oct. 2009

The above meeting and seminar will beorganized with the co-operation of theState Records and Archives Departmentof Vietnam from 30th September - 4thOctober 2009. The seminar is expected tobe attended by participants of theSARBICA member countries and otherregions. Well known experts in the fieldof digitization of archival records arealso expected to present papers duringthe seminar.

For further informationplease visit the SARBICAwebsite: www.arkib.gov.my/sarbica

Gowri P.S.ThangayaSARBICA Treasurergowri@arkib.gov.my

Architecture and environmentArchitecture has been a necessary advance for humanity:houses and urbanism have contributed to improvingdaily life.

Tamanrasset was a good example. This kind of work,whatever its origins, must be archived. The ICA ExecutiveBoard held in Tamanrasset from the 27 to the 28 May

allowed the Section Chairs to meet on the 26th and hold ashort working session on the 28th.

There will probably be many very interesting articles in thisissue of Flash on the subject, as well as in other ICA minutes.Nevertheless, the representation of the Section onArchitectural Records of ICA (SAR) would first like to expresssome thoughts on the view and structure of the city ofTamanrasset, its architecture and the surrounding landscape.

Cities are spaces of thought and custom, made by humanity;and archives, archaeological, textual, graphic and photogra-phic, give us reason to believe so.

But when someone who is used to living by the sea or a rivergoes into the vastness of the landscapes of Tamanrasset, theycould easily believe this environment might devour them. ButMan knows how to tame nature through houses, urban struc-tures, the exploitation of water sources, etc. The city ofTamanrasset shows the iron will of its inhabitants, the spirit oftheir work and their capacity to create an inhabitable spacewhere everything seems to be uninhabitable.

Building on these realities that are numerous and diversethroughout the different regions of the world, the next activi-ties of SAR will analyse, through archives and records, thecapacity of humankind to make an environment habitablethrough cities and villages. In October, we will meet to workon Architectural archives and their care.

Also during our time in Algeria, where our hosts were alwaysfriendly and hospitable, we consolidated the position of ourSection: an approach that is both technical and theoretical,working to integrate more frequently the needs, perspectivesand propositions of archivists, archives and other institutionsthat have architectural records. This work is necessary to putthe spotlight on geographical areas such as the Mediterranean,including of course North African countries; and also to high-light other perspectives, such as the architectural trends, bothpast and present, that occur throughout Latin America. A

meeting dedicated to this theme will be held inSeville in November 2010.

Esther Cruces BlancoSAR Secretarymariae.cruces@juntadeandalucia.es

11

ESARBICA journal

Journal of theEastern andSouthern AfricaRegional Branch of the ICAVolume 27, 2008,ISSN 0376-4753Contact : MsKelebogile KGABI,ESARBICATreasurer,kkgabi@gov.bw

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica12

About 100 participants met on 4June in the Danish Parliament inCopenhagen and on 5 June in theMalmö Museum at an InternationalConference on the theme Memory,Archives and Human Rights -Confronting the Demons of thePast.

The Conference was jointly organi-zed by the Danish ArchivalAssociation, the City Archives of

Malmö and the ICA Working Group onArchives and Human Rights (HRG), inpartnership with the Malmö Museum,the Danish and Swedish NationalCommissions for UNESCO, the Open

Society Archives in Budapest, the RaoulWallenberg Institute of Lund Universityand the Archival Associations ofSweden, Norway and Finland.The Danish Minister of Educationopened the Conference together withthe National Archivist and the represen-tative of the Office of the UnitedNations High Commissioner for HumanRights. The latter outlined the growingattention paid by the UN to the issue ofrecords and archives relating to thefight against impunity and expressed hissatisfaction about the establishment ofa new partnership with archivists. In hiskeynote speech, Ian Wilson, thePresident of the International Council onArchives, highlighted the essentialimportance of archives for the defenseof Human Rights and invited “the archi-vists worldwide to remain vigilant” onthis issue.17 speakers and moderators madepresentations at four thematic sessions,focusing not only on Nordic, but alsoEuropean and Global case studies.Forced deportations in Finland during

the Second World War, the fate ofJewish child refugees in Sweden fromNazi-Germany, the identity of the Sami,the difficult emergence of historicalmemory in Spain, the politics of memoryin Argentina, the patient acquisition ofrecords by the Russian MemorialAssociation, the links to reunite familiesseparated by conflicts and the fate ofthe disappeared in Bosnia, the memoryof genocide in Rwanda, Liberationstruggles and the end of apartheid inSouth Africa; in all these cases, theissue of records and archives is centraland their preservation, crucial. It isespecially the case in post conflictsocieties and those in democratic trans-ition, to repair the harm done to victims,to rebuild the state of law, to reeducatethe people and to prevent a reversion tobarbarity. Best practices in archivesmay then be challenged and everydayadministrative records will take on aprofound importance.The right of people to know their historyand the necessity of historical researchto put the facts in perspective and to

Memory, Archives and Human Rights:Confronting the Demons of the Past

Our Secretary General went toCologne Wednesday 29th April tomeet the Blue Shield volunteers.The mission of 80 volunteers ofdifferent nationalities was organi-zed by the Association of nationalcommittees of the Blue Shield.Colleagues from Cologne thusbenefited from this invaluablehelp: in four days around 2 linearkm of documents were treated.

In light of this experience and thenecessity to develop disasterresponse capacities within archival

institutions, ICA decided to create aprogramme entitled “EmergencyManagement = Gestion des situationsd’urgence”. This is the first of the specia-lized programmes put in place in theframework of ICA’s professionalprojects. It concerns prevention, thus

taking on the works of former commit-tees in the field of preservation anddisaster preparedness, but also themanagement of rescue operations asmuch as defining business continuityplans in affected institutions. This programme has some very solidobjectives to develop the capacity ofarchival institutions for emergencymanagement but also to raise the aware-

ness of professionals to the need to fittheir own plans into wider disastermanagement plans already in existence.The experience of the Blue Shielddemonstrates that inter-professionalsolidarity is fundamental and enriching.We hope to be able to develop a networkof competencies in disaster prevention,the mitigation of risks and disastermanagement affecting cultural heritagein general, in coordination with ourregional branches.From now until the publication of thenext issue of Flash, we will make availa-ble a compilation of resources to helpyou in disaster management. You willalso be able to get advice from usdirectly. So that this endeavor is asuccess, you will be regularly asked tolet us know your current capacity andpractices. From now until 2010, there willbe no shortage of opportunities, as we

ICA Emergency management

David Leitch and Marjan Otter (ANCBS) withvolunteers treating damaged archives in Cologne.

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica 13

take account of the memories of allplayers were affirmed during the deba-tes. As for access to the documents, thedilemma is as always how to balance theright to know with the protection of indi-viduals. The fate of the archives of TruthCommissions and InternationalCriminal Courts was discussed and thenecessity of preserving digitized copieselsewhere was emphasized.The Conference, under the banner of the60th anniversary of the UniversalDeclaration of 1948, was held on theoccasion of the opening of the exhibitionThe Life of Nelson Mandela at the MalmöMuseum, coming from the ApartheidMuseum in Johannesburg. Given thepassionate debates inspired by theConference, it is clear that, five yearsafter the CITRA 2003, the spirit of CapeTown is still active.The programme of the Conference isavailable at www.landsarkivetkbh.dk/arkivforeningen/text/MAHRprogram2009_06_02.pdf and a manuscript based onthe papers presented at the conferencewill soon be published in English, with

the support of the DanishNational Commission forUNESCO.

Anna SvensonHRG Chairsvenson@malmö.se

will start web pages bringing togetherinformation from within the domain ofemergency management, and we willorganize two workshops: the first dedicated to prioritizing whichcollections to evacuate (the protectionof vital records), the second to post-disaster management and formulating arecovery plan. Finally, in the instancethat you become a victim of a disaster,we will be at your side and will mobilizeour networks (Blue Shield) to help you inyour endeavors.For more information, do not hesitate tocontact me.

Christophe JacobsProject Officer[Programmefor emergency management]jacobs@ica.org

Reactivation of SLA There is much useful collaborative work which could beundertaken by an active ICA Section on Literary Archives(SLA), and a new initiative has been announced to try toattract new members and to revitalise the Section.

In the UK, GLAM (the Group for Literary Archives &Manuscripts - see archives.li.man.ac.uk/glam) has beenworking since 2005 to establish a programme of activities

and information-sharing amongst British and Irish literaryarchivists and keepers of special collections.

GLAM has now offered to bring some of its knowledge andenthusiasm to ICA, to create a work-programme and to use theICA website for sharing experience, best practice and informa-tion internationally.

The proposal is to revive work already undertaken on two long-standing ICA/SLA commitments: to produce a directory ofmajor repositories of literary and artistic archives (first propo-sed in the early 1990s as a joint IFLA-ICA project, but repor-ted as faltering in the IFLA Annual Report 1994); and to studyall the issues around correspondence within literary collec-tions (the principal focus of SLA from 2000 to 2004).

In addition, it is suggested that SLA could begin projects toshare information and best practice in the following areas:

◗ collecting policies◗ diverse international locations (especially of authors andartists whose papers are held outside their home country - theliterary version of "displaced archives")◗ “how to use” guidance for researchers using literary archives◗ electronic media: the collection of literary and artistic mate-rial in the form of emails, electronic files, disks and diskettes.

Archivists and researchers - either already members of ICA ornot yet members of ICA - who might be interested in this newinitiative are invited to contact Dr David Sutton, editor of theLocation register of English literary manuscripts and letters(www.locationregister.com), and executive committee memberof GLAM: d.c.sutton@reading.ac.uk.

David SuttonDirector of Research Projects in Reading University Libraryd.c.sutton@reading.ac.uk

Flash - Number 18 - July 2009 ica14

This package of training materials,Training in Electronic RecordsManagement or TERM, was develo-ped by the International RecordsManagement Trust as part of awider project to investigate issuesassociated with building integrity inpublic sector information systems.

Begun in 2006, the project wasdesigned to address thecrucial importance of mana-

ging records in the information tech-nology environment. The focus of thestudy was pay and personnel records,since payroll control and procurementare the two major areas of governmentexpenditure most vulnerable to misap-propriation, and payroll control is,therefore, a highly significant issue forall governments. The project providedan opportunity to explore the manage-ment of paper records as inputs tofinancial and human resource mana-gement information systems, themanagement of electronic records asdigital outputs and the links betweenthem. It also involved examining thedegree to which the controls andauthorisations that operated in paper-

based systems in the past have beentranslated into the electronic workingenvironment.

The primary geographical focus of thestudy was eastern and southern Africa,and two significant regional bodiesparticipated: the Eastern and SouthernAfrica Regional Branch of theInternational Council on Archives(ESARBICA) and the Eastern andSouthern African Association ofAccountants General (ESAAG).

The products of the project, are intendedto provide both a conceptual frameworkand practical guidance about importantissues related to electronic recordsmanagement that can be used for selfstudy, for in-house training, as aresource for university or college cour-ses, as supporting information fordistance education courses. Theyinclude:

◗ Module 1: Understanding the Context ofElectronic Records Management◗ Module 2: Planning and Managing anElectronic Records ManagementProgramme◗ Module 3: Managing the Creation, Useand Disposal of Electronic Records◗ Module 4: Preserving Electronic Records◗ Module 5: Managing Personnel Recordsin an Electronic Environment.

Additional Resources: a bibliography ofkey resources related to the manage-ment of electronic recordsGlossary of Terms: a consolidated glos-sary of relevant records management,electronic records management, infor-mation technology and computer terms.Performance Indicators to help definethe strength of records control systems Route Maps for moving from a paper-based to an electronic informationenvironment.

The project deliverables also include aseries of case studies conducted inBotswana, Ghana, India, Sierra Leone,Tanzania and Zambia, and focusedprimarily on issues related to the mana-gement of human resources and payrollfunctions in governments and involvedresearch into paper-based and compute-rised personnel management systems.The case studies are most relevant tothose readers focusing on personnel andpayroll management. However, the gene-ral findings of the studies also offervaluable insights into issues of automa-tion, the selection of electronic recordsmanagement software systems and theissues involved with making the transi-tion from paper-based to electronicrecords and information management.

A number of records and informationprofessionals contributed to the deve-lopment of the training materials, inclu-ding representatives from Australia,Botswana, Canada, Kenya, Singapore,South Africa, the United Kingdom andthe United States. The reviewers inclu-ded professionals from the Fiji, Kenya,Malaysia, South Africa, Trinidad andTobago, the United Kingdom and theUnited States.

For more information or to download acopy of these resource materials free ofcharge, go to the IRMT website atwww.irmt.org. The IRMT can be reachedas follows:

International RecordsManagement Trust 2nd Floor, Suite 14 & 1588/90 Hatton GardenLondon EC1N 8PNRoyaume-Uni phone +44 (0) 20 7831 4101fax +44 (0) 20 7831 6303email info@irmt.orgsite www.irmt.org

Training in Electronic Records Management

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