Conference Agenda

The archival profession is navigating an era of profound transformation in the 21st century, where ensuring universal access to archives is more critical than ever. Rapid technological advancements, shifting user expectations, constrained budgets, and the need to reflect diverse narratives demand that archivists innovate and rethink traditional practices. The International Council on Archives (ICA)’s global theme, "Archives are Accessible," highlights the crucial role of public archives in adopting inclusive practices, leveraging technology, and sustaining operations despite financial pressures.

Equally important is the need for public archives to actively engage with their diverse audiences, raising awareness of the value archives hold in preserving collective memory and fostering global connections. By helping communities understand the significance of archives, users are better positioned to identify their needs and utilise archival services effectively. This engagement not only enhances accessibility but also fosters a sense of ownership and relevance among users.

National archives also bear the responsibility of advocating for their indispensability to funders, particularly national governments. It is vital to articulate the value of archives as pillars of democratic systems, protectors of citizen rights, and catalysts for socio-economic development. Securing sustained investment requires demonstrating how archives contribute to societal progress, transparency, and cultural preservation.

Through this panel discussion, the Expert Group for Research Services and Outreach (EGRSO) will convene national archivists from Kenya, Suriname, China and Canada who are also members of the Forum of National Archivists (FAN) to share their experiences and strategies and confront shared obstacles. The discussion will be structured around key topics such as the role of archives in societal progress, strategies for engaging diverse audiences, and effective advocacy for sustained funding. This dialogue will underscore archives as essential assets in building inclusive societies and the necessity for sustainable outreach and advocacy initiatives.

Key Questions:

1. How do public archives engage with their audiences to achieve the following:

a) Raise awareness about the value of archives in society, and

b) Understand public needs and enable them to benefit more effectively from the services provided by archival repositories.

2. How do national archives persuade funders, particularly their governments, of the significance of archives and their role in supporting democratic systems and socio-economic development?

The archival profession is navigating an era of profound transformation in the 21st century, where ensuring universal access to archives is more critical than ever. Rapid technological advancements, shifting user expectations, constrained budgets, and the need to reflect diverse narratives demand that archivists innovate and rethink traditional practices. The International Council on Archives (ICA)’s global theme, "Archives are Accessible," highlights the crucial role of public archives in adopting inclusive practices, leveraging technology, and sustaining operations despite financial pressures.

Equally important is the need for public archives to actively engage with their diverse audiences, raising awareness of the value archives hold in preserving collective memory and fostering global connections. By helping communities understand the significance of archives, users are better positioned to identify their needs and utilise archival services effectively. This engagement not only enhances accessibility but also fosters a sense of ownership and relevance among users.

National archives also bear the responsibility of advocating for their indispensability to funders, particularly national governments. It is vital to articulate the value of archives as pillars of democratic systems, protectors of citizen rights, and catalysts for socio-economic development. Securing sustained investment requires demonstrating how archives contribute to societal progress, transparency, and cultural preservation.

Through this panel discussion, the Expert Group for Research Services and Outreach (EGRSO) will convene national archivists from Kenya, Suriname, China and Canada who are also members of the Forum of National Archivists (FAN) to share their experiences and strategies and confront shared obstacles. The discussion will be structured around key topics such as the role of archives in societal progress, strategies for engaging diverse audiences, and effective advocacy for sustained funding. This dialogue will underscore archives as essential assets in building inclusive societies and the necessity for sustainable outreach and advocacy initiatives.

Key Questions:

1. How do public archives engage with their audiences to achieve the following:

a) Raise awareness about the value of archives in society, and

b) Understand public needs and enable them to benefit more effectively from the services provided by archival repositories.

2. How do national archives persuade funders, particularly their governments, of the significance of archives and their role in supporting democratic systems and socio-economic development?

It is difficult to clearly define what is local, municipal or territorial in the field of archives. In fact, it is estimated that there are more than 10,000 “cities” in the world, half of which did not exist as such 50 years ago. However, all archives in the world have the same principles of action, which are the common basis of the profession. The circumstances and context of each one, however, are different. This is why sharing concerns, experiences, knowledge goes beyond borders, and it is necessary to seek ways of informal cooperation between institutions and, above all, between professionals.

The aim of the presentation, therefore, is to explain the objectives of the study and, mainly, its purpose, for which we need to know what we are asking, how the study was carried out, under what criteria, what benefits it can provide and who will be able to reuse the data collected.

From the point of view of ICA, the study can provide a knowledge base and a better definition of lines of action coordinated between the different branches, sections and expert groups.

This presentation will show the results of the study in a segmented way under several perspectives, transversal, but also in a territorialized form. The sectoral lines will be aligned precisely with the subthemes proposed for the Congress and, therefore, directly of interest to the attendees and to be discussed below.

The identification of success cases and shortcomings will also be put on the table to be discussed based on the possible lines of collaboration that will be presented in the following presentation.

Finally, this presentation will present the results of the study, the assessment of all the data and the proposal of what strategies could be carried out from ICA-SMLT or, also, from other sections and expert groups.

In the most practical sense possible, the aim is to be able to present and debate lines of international collaboration at the local and municipal level, what are the concerns and priorities in different areas and in different parts of the world.

Therefore, based on the results, it is intended to make specific proposals and debate them on how the knowledge of the professional community can be shared and reused, whether it is a member of ICA or not, in an institutionalized way or as informal cooperation. In any case, the objective pursued will always be to strengthen cooperation between archives and professionals, mainly between the new generations, and achieve quality improvements in services to citizens.