Resumo
The question framing this session f the 17th Brazilin Congress on Archival Science is “What is the Role of the Archival Institution in the 21st Century?”. In this keynote presentation, Laura Millar will examine that question by contemplating a strategic vision for records and archives management. The challenges faced by archival institutions in the new millennium are many, but in the end, they all return to one overarching question: what is the goal behind preserving documentary evidence? Why bother to keep archives at all? Once that question has been considered, it is possible to examine how archival institutions, professionals, and society will achieve that goal: how will they actually support the reservation of their own society’s documentary evidence? The speaker will consider the vision for archives – their acquisition, management, preservation, and use – and will outline the steps to be taken to achieve that vision. She will articulate her own interpretation of the ultimate goal of archival preservation: to support the creation of a self-aware, respectful society, through the identification and preservation of authentic and reliable documentary evidence that may be accessed and used by anyone, anywhere, anytime, for any reason. She will then examine how a society may achieve that goal. What ought to be the mission and mandate of archival institutions in their society? What strategic actions need to be taken to achieve the desired goals? What are the roles and responsibilities of governments, archival institutions, records and archival professional and community associations, allied organizations, and the public at large in supporting archival preservation? Ultimately, a successful transition to archival management in the 21st century requires defining a shared vision for a records and archives future and then developing strategies for action that support this vision while recognizing the uniqueness of each nation’s social, cultural, and organizational realities.
