ARCHIVES & RECORDS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

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Members' Newsletter

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Newsletter No. 77, January 2010

Click here to download printable version (PDF 5.12 MB) [Advertisements featured in pdf : Information Leadership; Port Nicholson Packaging; Conservation Supplies; Dexion; Silver & Ballard; Skudder Wilson Information Management; Audio Transcription Services; New Zealand Micrographics Services]

President’s Message

The last months have been very busy for ARANZ. A highlight was the presentation of our awards in November but there was also plenty of action in the background as we tried to find out what was happening with the ‘machinery of government’ review of Archives New Zealand and alert people to its existence. It would appear that there’s something in the political waters of Australasia at the moment, with our Australian colleagues and their friends suddenly fighting closure of three state offices of their National Archives. We certainly hope that nothing so drastic will happen here, but in spite of our best attempts to extract information on the review of Archives New Zealand we still know very little about the review’s aims, progress, timetable or conclusions to date. Best evidence suggests that it started a year ago, however.

The 2010 conference it’s looking like an event not to be missed. Council would like to thank the Wellington branch for stepping in to organise it, at a late hour, when other branches found they hadn’t the resources to tackle a conference.

In the last meeting of the year, Council agreed to further explore digitisation of past issues of Archifacts, in order to make them more accessible, and to develop a business case and project plan for a booklet promoting archives and archivists, and involve members outside Council in production of the booklet.

An Association for 2010 and beyond?

ARANZ Council has been working on a proposal for professional membership to put to members. We believe that the time has come for the Association to seriously consider this step for a number of reasons – among others, so that we retain professional parity and credibility with related fields (particularly records managers and librarians), to ensure that trained, experienced and qualified archivists are recognized and appreciated, and so that employers know what skills and knowledge an archivist can be expected to possess.

We have prepared a discussion paper, but would like to share the ideas and engage in a good discussion about it with as many members as possible before mass distribution. That way, we hope that all those who are interested in the proposal will have an early opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and debate pros and cons with colleagues.

Branch meetings will be organised so that, as President, I can present the concept to you as it has been developed to date. If a branch happens to be ‘inactive’, we hope a meeting will still be organised – maybe it will even provide the impetus to reactivate! To give you an indication of the way forward, we envisage that all branch meetings will be completed by the end of May and the Discussion Paper sent to all members immediately after the last one. Feedback on the Paper will be sought, then collated and discussed at a forum during the 2010 conference in Wellington. Any constitutional changes which might be required, if the proposal goes ahead, would be presented at the 2011 conference.

You can contact me any time with ideas or issues for Council by emailing me at president@aranz.org.nz. Joanna Newman


Michael Standish & Ian Wards Prizes

The Michael Standish Prize recognises an outstanding essay, by a New Zealand archivist or records manager, dealing with some facet of archives or records administration, history, theory and, or methodology and published in a recognised archives, records management, or other appropriate journal. Virginia Gow received the 2009 award for her article, “One prison cell per government department”? An overview of the postmodern approach to archival theory, published in Archifacts 2008. In case you haven’t read the article yet and wonder about the title, it refers to the fact that, when Augustus Hamilton put forward a proposal in 1906 for a records office which would take responsibility for non-current government records, approval was given to house them in a former barracks in Wellington – “One prison cell per government department”.

The Ian Wards Prize recognises an outstanding piece of New Zealand historical writing, published in the last year, which demonstrates innovative or exemplary use of archives and manuscripts. Jock Phillips and Terry Hearn received the 2009 Ian Wards Prize for their book Settlers: Immigrants from England, Ireland and Scotland 1800-1945, published by Auckland University Press in 2008. The judging panel believed that Settlers stands out for its innovative use of research resources. At its kernel is a scientific sampling of New Zealand’s Registers of Deaths. The resulting database of over 11,000 individuals has allowed questions of the migrants’ age, sex, occupational and class backgrounds, religion and values to be explored. This data has been amplified by shipping records, military rolls, the archives of agencies such as the New Zealand Company and published census returns.


Have Your Say…

The following item is printed at the request of Ray Grover, a respected and long-standing member of ARANZ. Many of the views expressed are endorsed by Council, as you will know from our position paper. We would like to emphasise, however, that the Archives New Zealand Action Group on whose behalf he writes has no connection Archives New Zealand, or with ARANZ.
Jo Newman
President, ARANZ


ARCHIVES NZ — An Appeal

ARANZ members and others concerned about the integrity of public record keeping in New Zealand are urged to protest about the measures being taken by the State Services Commission to rescind the hard-won administrative independence of Archives New Zealand.

Mr Iain Rennie, the State Services Commissioner, has followed up his expressed preference that Archives New Zealand be either returned to the Department of Internal Affairs or be made part of the National Library. Documents obtained under the Official Information Act reveal that a Machinery of Government Review was set up a year ago to seek evidence on the matter. They also reveal that consultation would be restricted to ‘the Chief Executives of relevant departments and the key statutory bodies’ and that it is ‘not proposed to consult with stakeholders at this stage.’ Evidence has accumulated to indicate that presentation of the SSC’s ‘findings’ is now imminent.

Nowhere in these documents is there any indication of awareness of the constitutional role of an effective national archives in ensuring the preservation of the public record.

The motivation for the Review is clearly not to enhance the role of Archives New Zealand but to seek alleged cost savings. As anybody who has bothered to enquire into the matter in depth will be aware, any savings achieved by amalgamation would be minimal. A further misapprehension is that the priority of a national archives is heritage. Again, anybody who has bothered to investigate what a national archives is for, knows that the heritage function, although the public face and important, is not primary.

It is essential that management of the preservation of the public record must be directly under the control of an archives CEO who has the power to determine the order of priorities in administrative application of archives legislation. If subjected to a higher administrative authority, the management of the preservation of the public record will be decided according to the priorities of the management of the overall organisation. One only has to look back at the bulk of the long lean years when Archives NZ was under Internal Affairs. Or, for that matter, look overseas where the overwhelming evidence demonstrates the greater effectiveness of those national archives which have achieved administrative independence.

Before Archives New Zealand achieved independence the SSC strongly opposed Archives New Zealand being made a department in its own right. It is now, with a change of government, seizing the opportunity to return the institution to its previous status. Consulting stakeholders ‘at a later date’ is a device to facilitate that process.
Public archives ensure the ultimate accountability of government. They will not adequately fulfil this function unless they are under the full control of an administratively independent chief executive.

If you share our view that the integrity of Archives NZ is again at stake, please convey this to your local MP, the Minister for State Services (Hon Tony Ryall), the Minister Responsible for Archives NZ (Hon Nathan Guy), and Mr Iain Rennie (the State Services Commissioner).

Thank you

Ray Grover
(Director and Chief Archivist, Archives NZ, 1981-91.)
Convenor
Archives New Zealand Action Group

International News

What Happens Inside the National Archives at Kew?

For a video clip of a rare tour behind the scene featuring some highlights of the past and plans for the future at National Archives, Kew, West London, go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8428616.stm

Crisis at Irish National Archives
Space issues

The Irish Times reports that due to the critical shortage of space at the Irish National Archives some government departments are unable to transfer their archives rendering them almost impossible to access, go to
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0105/1224261665601.html

Response to Review

Problems are facing the Irish National Archives. To read letters in the Irish Times concerning the potential merging of the Irish National Archives into the National Library, or absorbing the National into the National Library, go to
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2010/0111/1224262052060.html
and also
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2010/0115/1224262378493.html


The Move Process: Relocation of Archives NZ’s Auckland Office

Traditionally the relocation of archives from one building to another requires the boxes of archives to be removed from the shelves and held in temporary storage, then the shelving is taken apart, moved and reassembled in the new premises before the boxes can be reshelved.

Alternatively if the new premises are shelved in advance (or partially shelved) the boxes of archives can be moved from shelf to shelf which by comparison is normally simpler. Where the new premises can only be partially shelved a staged approach is required whereby the equivalent quantity of archives are moved from the shelving in the old premises and relocated on the shelving in the new premises. The vacated shelving at the old premises can then be dismantled and reassembled in the new premises ready to take a further intake of boxes. This process may be repeated a number of times until all the boxes are relocated. This staged approach requires careful planning and usually takes a considerable time depending on the volume to be moved.

Archives New Zealand had originally planned a staged approach to the move. However, the time frame available to carry out the move prior to the expiry of our lease on 31 July 2007 was drastically shortened due to delays in getting a site and subsequent delays in obtaining a building consent. This meant a traditional move methodology was not possible without extending our lease. This was a cost we had not budgeted for.

To address the situation various options were examined including the use of containers to store the records and use of offsite storage in commercial or rented properties. Lack of available space to store the containers and available storage space for over 200,000 boxes or 30 kilometres of records meant these options were not viable.

Desperate times called for innovative ideas one of which was to move the shelving with the records in situ. In order to move the 167 units of mobile and static shelving eight purpose built frames were constructed to go around the shelving units. Each of these shelving units weighed between 6-8 tonnes and they are 8 metre long, 900mm wide and 3.2metres high. In order to reduce weight and improve stability by lowing the centre of gravity we removed the records from the top four shelves of each bay and these were palletised, shrink wrapped and transported to the new site where the records were reshelved. The removal of the records was undertaken during an evening shift and the records were reshelved during the day. All the boxes holding the archives were barcoded prior to the move. The barcodes were used by the movers to track the boxes and accurately shelve them. Afterwards Archives New Zealand staff checked each containers location as part of a shelf audit and to ensure the accuracy of our location guide prior to opening reference services to the public.

In sum the process of moving the shelving and records followed the following ten steps:

1. Records from the top four shelves were loaded on to pallets.
2. The remaining six shelves of records were shrink wrapped.
3. Frames were attached to the shelf units and jacked up on to wheels.
4. The shelving was detached from the chain.
5. The framed shelving was pulled clear of the row using a fork hoist.
6. The shelving corners were taped with cloth to prevent tears to the tarpaulins.
7. The shelving and records were covered with specially made tarpaulins to protect the records from the winter weather.
8. The framed shelving was moved out of the stacks through the loading bay into the car park.
9. Using a hoist the framed shelving was lifted in pairs on to a 32 metre low loader truck for transport from 525 Mt Wellington Highway to our new premises at 95 Richard Pearse Drive.
10. The framed shelving was unloaded, relocated and the shelving units were installed in their designated locations and the chains were reattached.

As a consequence of this move process we were able to:

1. Complete the move within 6 weeks compared to the 12-15 months we estimated a traditional move would take.
2. We were therefore able to shorten substantially the period our services to the public were suspended.
3. The move was completed prior to the lease expiring on 31 July 2007 and consequently we avoided
having to pay 6 months rent which was the minimum period the landlord would allow us to extend the lease.
4. There were also considerable cost savings on the traditional method.
5. The move was completed within budget with no damage to the archives. We did have to replace some acid free phase boxes which got damp.

Overall the frames worked well. We did have to reinforce the flanges holdings the wheels and one day very high winds stopped the move of the shelving units, however we were able to continue to move the palletised boxes of archives.

Pre Move Tasks

1. Notices were sent to key stakeholders advising them of the move and the period the office would be closed. Policies and procedures were put in place to allow government agencies and researchers access to archives if they were needed urgently. The Auckland City Libraries Special Collections kindly offered access to these archives via their reading room.
A number of “exit requirements’ were identified that we needed to perform prior to vacating our premises at 525 Mt Wellington Highway. For example power and water meters had to be read before they were disconnected. We had to change the office letterhead etc to reflect the new address and prepare new road signs. Suppliers and service providers had to be notified of the change of address and in some instances new contracts had to be negotiated. Our lease included a number of’ make good ‘provisions so before vacating the premises we had to be arrange for tradesmen to visit the premises to carry out the necessary repair work (eg fixing damage to walls from fork hoists).

2. A furniture and equipment audit was undertaken to determine our actual requirements. All excess furniture and equipment identified was disposed off via a tender process, and the capital items sold were removed from the assets register. A move is a good time to get rid of unwanted materials provided it is done in a planned fashion.

3. Staff packed into boxes the contents of their desks, the office library books and finding aid binders. Each box was numbered and summary details of contents were entered on a register. The register also specified where the movers were to relocate each box. The transportation of workstations and their contents took place on a Friday enabling staff to move into the new premises on the Monday. The shelf audit also enabled us to:

  • Identify fragile items which needed special care and packing prior to the move (eg glass plate photographs and silver trophies).
  • Identify loose volumes and overfilled boxes. These were subsequently boxed or reboxed appropriately prior to the move to ensure they were properly protected.

4. Move specifications and contracts were prepared prior to going out to tender. Included in the documentation was an outline of what had to be storage equipment was located at 525 Mt Wellington Highway and where it was to be relocated at 95 Richard Pearse Drive. The documentation included hours of work, instructions concerning the handlingmoved, diagrams of where particular furniture/ and care of materials and a list of things to avoid doing such as no drinking or eating around archives. Floor plans of both sites showing entry points and other important features were given to the move contractors. The documentation included specific requirements such as the need for trucks to have current warrant of fitness and a fire extinguisher in the event of fire.

5. A stock take or shelf audit of the holdings was carried out before the move to ensure all the holdings/containers had been listed on Repoman, our
in-house location system, and boxes were bar-coded.

6. Boxes and shelving were dusted to reduce the amount of dust and to minimise the risk of contamination of the air filtration system in the new
building. The holdings were also fumigated prior to the move to reduce possibility of insect infestation.

7. To improve our control of holdings and aid the movers all 200,000 plus boxes were barcoaded between December 2006 and February 2007. Each box was barcode numbered in sequence. The barcode label placed on the boxes included a container number. This meant the movers did not have to familiarise themselves with our archives coding systems when palletising and reshelving boxes. This helped maintain boxes in the correct shelf order. We also created a spreadsheet showing the range of container numbers per shelf unit which the movers used to check that the records being re-shelved were being relocated correctly.

8. Move specifications and contracts were prepared prior to going out to tender. Included in the documentation was an outline of what had to be
moved, diagrams of where particular furniture/ storage equipment was located at 525 Mt Wellington Highway and where it was to be relocated at 95 Richard Pearse Drive. The documentation included hours of work, instructions concerning the handling and care of materials and a list of things to avoid doing such as no drinking or eating around archives. Floor plans of both sites showing entry points and other important features were given to the move contractors. The documentation included specific requirements such as the need for trucks to have current warrant of fitness and a fire extinguisher in the event of fire. There was also a requirement that the main move contractor nominated an overall supervisor and had at least one supervisor at each site at all times while the move was in progress. The supervisors had to have cell phones to ensure good communications between both sites. Because there was only one loading bay to enter and exit the buildings the move contract designated a main contractor who was responsible for all the other subcontractors. The main contractor’s responsibilities included the planning and monitoring the movement of goods through the loading bays. This minimised Archives New Zealand’s risk that one or more of the contractors would claim their work had been impeded due to poor access to the building and as a result seek additional money to offset alleged costs.

9. The move documentation also specified who was responsible for each activity, including Archives New Zealand’s responsibilities. It also included a
summary outline of the move process. The main move contractor was required to complete a health and safety and detailed move plan prior to the move
starting.

10. Insurance had to be arranged to cover work required to repair any damage to equipment and the archives during the move.

11. A security guard was to be employed at Richard Pearse Drive because the alarm system was not
connected.

12. Prior to the move the map cabinets were stored two high on pallets. Each map pallet was numbered prior to the move and plans were drawn up to show where they were to be located in the new premises. Similarly each shelf unit was numbered and plans were drawn to show where they were to be relocated. As an added precaution we stuck numbered A4 sheets on the floor to show where each correspondingly numbered shelf unit was to be relocated.

13. A problems register was created to log any matters that might need further investigation. For example, if the archival contents of a box (or boxes) were spilled, we instructed the contractors to place the boxes and contents in a designated area and document in the problems register the numbers of the boxes affected. This reduced the risk that movers might incorrectly re-box the archives. By keeping a record of boxes affected and separating the contents this enabled an archivist to check our series or accession records to see what archives should be in each box prior to reboxing them. This minimised the risk of misplacing items. Stocks of empty boxes were kept on hand in the event the original containers were damaged and needed to be replaced.

14. All personnel involved in the move had to attend a site safe course. Safety clothing was purchased for all staff involved in the move (eg reflective vests, steel capped boots and safety helmets).

Post Move Tasks

Having moved the archives into the new premises it is important to carry out a range of post move activities. Probably the most important of these is a thorough shelf audit to determine all the records or containers from the former location have been moved to the new location. This is one instance where the completeness and accuracy of your location guide or lists of holdings is crucial. The shelf audit should also be used to determine the accuracy of the new location guide. Another important activity is to address any outstanding matters entered in the problems register. Additional entries in the problems register may result from the post move audit.
Allowing time between the end of the move and opening services to the public allows you time to test equipment, modify procedures and generally catch up on matters deferred during the move. If you have moved into a new building you are likely to have to organise an official opening ceremony so having that extra bit of time after the move to calmly check arrangements is important.

Some Lessons Learned From The Move

  • It is always a lot quicker and easier to unload shelves than to re-shelve archive boxes; consequently, you will invariably build up a backlog of material waiting to be re-shelved. In our case this was palletised boxes which needed storage space prior to being reshelved. If this unshelved material is allowed to grow too large it will start impeding the move progress by blocking aisles etc If this occurs it is highly likely that pallets will have to be frequently moved in order to acquire access the pallets needed. To help minimise these risks it is advisable to spend a bit more time loading the boxes on the pallets in a logical order as this will save a lot of time having to sort boxes prior to shelving them at the other end. Try to designate a storage area for pallets away from the centre of the move and try to ensure the pallets are kept in a logical order. In some cases it may be better to delay the unloading of shelves in order to avoid painting yourself into a corner. Often there is only one entrance to the storage area, consequently this forms a bottle neck so it is important this area is kept clear as possible and always maintain a closely controlled timetable around its use.
  • Always allow time prior to the move and after the move for pre-move tasks and post move activities before opening your services to the public. Having time to carry out shelf audits, test systems and procedures etc provides an opportunity to get things operating smoothly prior to researchers arriving. It is important to be aware that if you are moving to new premises researchers invariably expect improved services. Compounding this may be a sense of frustration built up while you have been closed or only providing limited access during the move period. Consequently anything that goes wrong is not likely to be received well and will invariably result in letters of complaint which take time to answer.
  • If you are dismantling and re-erecting shelving in the new premises be aware material that you take off shelves will occupy a lot of additional space. There may be advantages in storing the archives temporarily offsite until shelving is erected. Also bear in mind that dismantled shelving takes up lots of space. It is also important to ensure you allow plenty of time for its reconstruction and I suggest you build in some contingency time. This minimises the risk of having to load boxes on shelves at the same time as trying to provide items to researchers as Murphy’s Law invariably means the records you are re-shelving are those that are wanted.
  •  We found boxes made from acid free board absorb water like a sponge or blotter. Consequently it is recommended any archives packaged in acid free boxes are provided extra protection to avoid any water damage.
  • Ensure there is an overall supervisor who is free from physical involvement in the move. This means they are able to respond quickly to problems as they arise.
  • Moves are stressful times so try and roster staff so they are not having to work long hours and ensure they get some time off during the week to relax and wind down.
  • Having a good communication plan is important and keeping proper records is vital.
  • Above all plan your move well in advance and get someone not involved in your planning process to review it. They will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas which will often improve the move and may save you some embarrassment. Also involve your staff as much as possible not only for their ideas but to engender their support. Accept that moves invariably do not follow strict plans, trucks do breakdown, contractor staff fail to turn up, etc so try and build in contingency plans for a range of scenarios.

Finally, if you have to move your archives make sure you are absolutely sure you have allowed for any future storage needs as one thing I can guarantee having done a move once you will not want to do it again.

Mark Stoddart
Regional Archivist Auckland, Archives New Zealand

Moving Archives: The Experiences of Eleven Archivists


Edited by John Newman and Walter Jones. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. x,124 pp. Available from the Society of American Archivists. ISBN 0-8108-4500-8.
This book provides food for thought if you are involved with moving archives. Review essay published in American Archivist (Vol. 66, No.2, Fall/Winter 2003).


New Pamphlets on National Library


Jim Traue's latest publication on the future of the National Library and the Alexander Turnbull Library, A Library for the Nation or Another Wellington Tourist Attraction (Wellington: Gondwanaland Press, October 2009) is now available from the author at 16B Hadfield Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, for $5.00 including postage. A Library for the Nation or Another Wellington Tourist Attraction reprints three articles first published in the New Zealand Herald and the Dominion Post critical of the proposals for the redevelopment of the National Library building on Molesworth Street. These proposals are identified as the manifestation of a new strategy to change the purpose of the National Library and its culture and operation, with unfortunate consequences for the Alexander Turnbull Library as a research library.

Another pamphlet published in April 2009, At the Leading Edge of Learning: Repositioning the Alexander Turnbull Library from National Reference Library to National Research Library (Wellington: Gondwanaland Press,2009) is still available at $5.00 including postage. At the Leading Edge of Learning outlines the strategy and the major tactics devised by the Alexander Turnbull Library to protect its identity as a collection-based research library during a period of economic and ideological turbulence in the 1970s and 1980s. A revolutionary strategy was necessary in order to outflank the ideologues who were moving into position in the 1970s and finally came to power in the 1980s.

Sites for Techno-Savvy Archivists


The shift to internet social networking tools has opened up a wider range of communication tools available for archives and archivists wishing to connect with other archivists and like-minded professionals, or promote your Archives and its collections and programmes.
Some commonly used tools to check out include: YouTube (check out videos of archives); SecondLife (use for education, events, etc); Facebook (get a Facebook page for your archives - ARANZ has a Facebook page); MySpace (more socially orientated, build an profile for your archives online, promote archives events, connect to other related groups); Flickr (store your pictures here and share them with others; Podcasts; (tell stories about your archives, exhibitions, etc and make them available via your website); Wikipedia (create your own wiki, or create a Wikipedia entry); Ning ( create a community network - the National Digital Forum has a Ning site); Twitter (keep in contact with microblogging); Blogging and RSS feeds (ensure words and tags are good for later discovery); LinkedIn (get yourself connected beyond your local networks).


HMIF Moves to Archives NZ

HMIF (the Heritage Materials Imaging Facility) http://www.hmif.co.nz/ recently moved from the National Library Building to superb new quarters at Archives New Zealand. The facility now occupies a workroom and store on the 1st floor within the security of the stacks.

HMIF was established in 2003 as a joint project between Victoria University of Wellington and NZMS. The facility, now wholly owned by NZMS, made it possible to bring the highest quality scanning equipment to New Zealand, and enables the production of archival and reproduction quality images from a huge variety of materials. The centrepiece of the facility is the 1.1 ton Cruse Scanner with a 10,000 pixel digital camera, and 1.0 x 1.5 metre scan bed. We have scanned items over seven metres in length on this scanner and it provides a non-invasive solution for institutions with fragile and very large format items such as maps, plans, panorama photographs, works of art and bound volumes.

Although it is located quite deliberately in a National Institution, the facility is used by a wide range of clients from media companies who need high resolution images of large items, artists who want fine art reproductions of their paintings to sell, individuals with family treasures they want to preserve and share with family members across the globe, and organisations large and small who have historical maps, photographs and manuscripts they want to display without subjecting the original to further use. Quite often we will both scan the item and print a surrogate on canvas, photographic paper, acid free fine art paper or even photocopying paper. One of the most satisfying jobs we did this year was to scan pages from a beautiful 17th Century ‘herbal’ which is still used by the client in her business.
The disassembly and reassembly of the Cruse scanner by a customer was, we understand, a world first. The German manufacturers advised us that it hadn’t been tried before but the result has been outstanding. After a week of aligning, recalibrating, reprogramming and testing the results are better than ever. We have also updated the scanning software so that we can offer a cheaper ‘Speedscan’ mode for items that lie perfectly flat.

Those who attended the NDF Conference in November may have caught the session “Canterbury Stories” where Amanda Brown, the Digital Content Librarian and Paul Sutherland, Digital Innovation Librarian at Christchurch City Libraries discussed their ongoing programme of digitising material from the library’s local history collections. The collections can be seen on their website http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Digitised/ . The Waitaki Hydro-electric Project Photo Album which is a new addition was also scanned at HMIF. Other items such as the Gordon Gee botanical illustrations and the Southern provinces almanacs were digitised on our smaller “Baby” Cruse Scanner at our main premises in Tawa.

If you would like more information or would like to see our facilities at HMIF contact Janine Delaney on 04 232-9396 janine@micrographics.co.nz.


ASA/ARANZ/PARBICA Conference

It was a privilege for me to spend 13- 17 October in Brisbane attending the ASA, ARANZ, PARBICA Joint Conference, Voyaging Together: Memory, Integrity, Sustainability. This report touches on a few of the highlights.

Wednesday’s pre-conference workshop ‘Digital Futures’ was very much a ‘state of the art’ snapshot of projects concerned with digital records and digital tools. Richard Lehane (State Records NSW) and Damien Hassan (State Records WA) reported on their work to shift the creation of disposal authorities from document formats to .xml. They are developing a menu driven system which has a table type of view at the front end, but automatically generates .xml at the back end. They anticipate that the creation of disposal authorities in .xml format will lead to greater automation of appraisal processes and better use of precedent in the making of appraisal decisions. Their contention that ‘you can’t work with documents like you can with data’ was echoed in presentations throughout the conference. Evelyn Wareham discussed issues associated with capturing websites as records. I was particularly interested in her comments about balancing the recordkeeping aspects of website capture with the National Library’s legal deposit mandate for collecting websites as publications. Dr Ken Thibodeau was truly the highlight of this workshop. His presentation comprised lucid and insightful lessons learnt from three decades of working with digital media in NARA (the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States). Adrian Cunningham spoke about the Government 2.0 Taskforce’s ambition to increase access to and reuse of government information, and Justine Heazlewood gave an update on the work of the Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative.

Thursday’s ‘Describing Archives in Context’ workshop run by David Roberts took a practice-based look at the Australasian Series System. The Australian entity-relationship model for description is particularly suitable for digital finding aids and has the flexibility to provide much better solutions to many common descriptive problems.
On Friday the conference proper got underway. Dr Ken Thibodeau gave the keynote address, which was a deeper discussion of the issues which he had touched on during the ‘Digital Futures’ workshop. He argued that the time has come for archivists to explore, and sometimes adapt or even dispose of, old concepts. He demonstrated how digital technologies create new problems, enable new insights, and point to new possibilities. He drew attention to the National Archives of Australia’s digital records performance model (see http://www.naa.gov.au/Images/An-approach-Green-Paper_tcm2-888.pdf) which he said should be adopted as a new archival principle with the same standing as respect de fonds. Allowing for the fact that “performances” of electronic records should be authentic, he argued that users should have more control over the nature of any particular rendition of an electronic record. This means that archivists need to think about the encoding behind the manifestation and distinguish the different types of data that make up a record. In order to gain maximum benefit from digital tools, archivists need to recognise the difference between requirements and solutions – embedding old solutions in digital technologies is usually counter-productive. However, it can be difficult to avoid as people can only think about their requirements within their existing conceptual boundaries. He called on archivists to exercise good technological judgment, to explore new possibilities but always to design systems for extension – and even trashing and replacing.

Throughout most of the conference three sessions were running in parallel and difficult choices had to be made. ARANZ President, Joanna Newman, gave a thought provoking presentation on issues associated with researching the sustainability of community archives. Gillian Oliver from Victoria University outlined an emerging research agenda which focuses on both library and archives roles in collecting and preserving digital objects, a collaborative approach which is essential in a small country where resources are very heavily weighted in favour of libraries. Archives NZ was well-represented with a number of its staff speaking on a range of different issues.
I learnt a lot and am extremely grateful to Crown Records Management and ARANZ for giving me the opportunity to attend the joint conference. The contacts I made and the lessons I learnt at Brisbane will be of immense value to my PhD research.
Kay Sanderson, Victoria University of Wellington


NARA’s Archives Security Measures

The new Archivist of the United States, David S. Ferriero, has created a seven-strong security team to protect holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The team, comprising archives specialists, loss prevention specialists and a trainer. In recent years, NARA has been embarrassed by highly-publicized losses. The NARA Holdings Protection Program team will develop and administer national policies to protect records in all formats while ensuring ready access for researchers, said a NARA statement. The team will work in NARA offices in Washington, DC, and the regions, and with the 13 U.S. Presidential libraries.
Mike Steemson


Branch News

Central Districts Branch Christmas Meeting

A wonderful meal followed our last meeting of 2009, at the Stellar Restaurant in Wanganui. The Central Districts Branch covers a huge area, from Gisborne through to New Plymouth, making meeting up rather difficult, but our active, if small group centred in the centre of our area, get together 3-4 times a year. At this meeting we enthusiastically discussed our plans for 2010.
A major aim is to try and bridge the distance gap. Our present committee is planning to take a ‘road trip’ day to meet up with colleagues in Hawkes Bay and beyond, and we are also going to investigate the possibilities of something like Skype to make us a more united Branch.
Among other activities we also hope to hold a workshop/training day combined with an introduction to the Community Archive, visit the new Feilding Archive opening 6 February, and keep an eye on the exciting new combined Councils’ Regional Archives Repository planned for the area. Currently a shared database is being developed, which will be accessible to the public, and the shared facility is planned for occupancy in 2010. The advertising for 2 archivist positions is currently in the pipeline. I am sure we will hear a lot more of this venture.

Otago/Southland

About 20 members attended our Branch’s end of year function which was held at the Presbyterian Archives Research Centre’s new premises at Knox College. Our guest speaker, Chris Brickell, gave us an illustrated talk about his research for his book, Mates and Lovers: A Gay History of New Zealand. His shared with us his experiences discovering sources and finding information sources, some obvious and some not, and tracking down obscure material. His insightful views regarding collecting, appraisal and access to gay archives now and in the future were fruitful. After Chris’s talk Yvonne Wilkie, the Director of the Presbyterian Archive, conducted members on a tour of the premises.
Our 2010 programme of activities includes workshops, tours, and other events. The summer highlight will be a field trip in March to visit North Otago museums and archives. Plans are already underway for Records and Archives Week activities in May.

2010 Training Courses


Government Recordkeeping Courses

February:
17th Introduction to the Public Records Act
(Wellington)
24th& 25th Appraisal and Disposal of
Public Records (Wellington)
March:
17th Recordkeeping Metadata (Wellington)
18th Preparing Records for Transfer (Wellington)
30th Recordkeeping Metadata (Auckland)
April:
26th Recordkeeping Metadata (Taranaki)

For further information go to
http://www.archives.govt.nz/advice/training-and-events/government-recordkeeping-training#Overview
For registration details contact the training coordinator at: rktraining@archives.govt.nz or Phone: (04) 894 6037.

SWIM Ltd Records & Information Management Training Course Programme 2010

Introduction to Recordkeeping, March 15 & 16, May 29 & 30, August 4 & 5, November 17 & 18. Course cost: $700.00 plus GST
Retention and Disposal of Records, April 21, September 22. Course cost: $350.00 plus GST.
Adding Value to Your Oganisation, June 15, November 3. Course cost: $500.00 plus GST.
Managing Electronic Records, May 10 & 11, October 13 & 14. Course cost: $1125.00 plus GST.
All SWIM Ltd courses will be held at Level 5, Change House, 150 Feathestone Strret, WELLINGTON.

For information about these courses or the online registration form go to www.swim.co.nz email susan@swim.co.nz or phone (04)472-3305.

Information Leadership

For Intranets and Doc Mgmt
Taxonomies that work 9 Mar Christchurch
11Mar Wellington
Product Independent
EDRMS Masterclass 31 Mar Wellington
Productivity & Career Advancement
Personal Knowledge Management 20 Apr Wellington
22 Apr Christchurch
NEW! SharePoint iLabs
Info Design and Governance 23-24 Feb Wellington
2-3 Mar Auckland
NEW! SharePoint iLabs
SharePoint 2007/2010 Discovery 25 Feb Wellington
4 Mar Auckland
16 Mar Christchurch
SharePoint iLabs
System Architecture 5 Mar Auckland
17 Mar Christchurch
For more information about these courses go to www.informationleadership.com or email Kaye@informationleadership.com
or phone: +6 4 3 3520332

Te Papa National Services

Details of courses and registration can be found on the events calendar on National Services’ website http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/NationalServices/
2010 Annual Conferences

2010 Annual Conferences

Museums Aotearoa

MA10 Museums: Who Needs Them? Museums Aotearoa annual conference, will be held 14-16 April at New Plymouth. For more information go to
http://www.museums-aotearoa.org.nz

Library & Information Association of New Zealand

At the Edge. LIANZA’s Centennial Conference will be held 28 Nov-1 Dec, at Dunedin. Covering aspects of librarianship at the edge – history, innovation, space, integration, people, etc. For more information go to http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2010/index.html

Australian Society of Archivists

Future Proof: Resilient Archives 2020 and Beyond, will be held 13-16 October, in Melbourne. For more information contact conference@archivists.org.au


RMAA

Information Continuity: Safeguarding Business and Community Identity will be held 5-8 September.at Broad Beach, Queensland, Australia. For more information go to www.rmaa.com.au


Association of Canadian Archivists
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Next Generation of Canadian Archivists, will be held 9-12 June, at Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada. For more information go to http://archivists.ca/content/annual-conference

Society of American Archivists
Archives/Records/DC 2010. Joint Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and the Society of American Archivists, will be held August 10-15 August, at Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC, USA. For more information go to http://www.archivists.org/conference/dc2010/index.asp


Australian & New Zealand Law & History Society
Owning the Past: Whose Past? Whose Present? Australian and New Zealand Law and History Conference, held 3-5 December, at Melbourne, Australia. For more information go to http://www.lawandhistoryconference.org

Future Perfect: Digital Continuity
The Southern Hemisphere’s first conference dedicated to the theme of digital continuity, preservation, and long-term public sector information issues will be held 3-5 May, 2010, at Wellington. Topics cover: open source, open standards and open (Government) data, digital preservation, digital business continuity, public sector information and technology management, and web content management and archiving. For more information go to http://www.archives.govt.nz/advice/digital-continuity
action-plan/future-perfect-digital-continuity -conference-2010

Records & Archives Week (1-7 May) Industrious Kiwis: Archives and Industry

The theme for Records and Archives Week 2010 is archives and records of industry.

Institutions are encouraged to explore this rich theme through their collections and through the research undertaken by users or records and archives.
Archives and records are an important means of preserving our history of industry, innovation, trade, enterprise, research, science, technology and economic development. This is particularly relevant in the current economic state in helping us to reflect on our history of enterprise and ingenuity.
Branches are invited to organise events and activities around this theme which promote the value of archives, celebrate developments and achievements, show the power of records to connect people to our industrial past, and show how professionals like archivists and record managers can help to do that.

Key themes to consider:

  • Retaining our archives and records of industry is important to our economic and social history.
  • The economic development of New Zealand has been based on our primary industries, such as agriculture and horticulture.
  • Our sense of pride and national identity is linked to industry; from the first export of frozen meat from Port Chalmers in 1882 to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy in 2001-2003.
  • The industries that New Zealand is engaged in is widening and changing from predominantly primary industries into more secondary industries.
  • We need to be aware of the risk of these records being lost to future generations.

Each ARANZ Branch is eligible to apply for an ARANZ Council grant of up to $500 towards a Records and Archives Week event. Further details will be available as planning continues.

For more information email RAW Councillor - Kirsty Cox, kirsty.cox@natlib.govt.nz

2010 ARANZ Council Meetings
18 February; 6 May; 26 August ; 23 September; 18 November

ARANZ Advocacy via Position Papers and Press Releases
For further information go to www.aranz.org

For further information about conferences, workshops and upcoming events go to Upcoming Archives & Record Keeping Events Calendar available at www.aranz.org.nz

ARANZ Conference 2010

Investing in the Future, 2010: Research, Records and Preservation

Conference 2010 will be held in Wellington, on 25-27 August. It will explore opportunities for researchers, communities and organisations to collaborate in the guardianship of knowledge and help safeguard our collective past in perpetuity.

Themes will address the question of what the archives and records professions need to do now to meet the demands of the future.

ARANZ calls for papers on the following topics:

  • New developments in researcher experience - stories from the front line
  • Online and offline communities – increasing convergence, relevance, and connectivity.
  • User investment in collaboration with archival. Institutions - Web 2.0 and community engagement.
  • Cooperative Preservation - personal, community, organisation.
  • Disaster preparedness - preventive measures for long term protection.
  • Investing in good recordkeeping now for good archives in the future.
  • Public Records Act Audits 2010.
  • Measuring recordkeeping performance.
  • Media user engagement and public relations.
  • Countering negative publicity.
  • Digital Rights Management and re-use of information.
  • Standards - accessibility, control and management of information.
  • Advocacy – to strengthen ties to share resources, knowledge and support networks.

ARANZ accepts formats of proposals that may include:

  • Traditional (plenary style) presentations (15 -55 minutes).
  • Panel Discussions/Roundtables.
  • Works in progress (new research, not project reports).
  • Workshops (practical session designed to teach or refine skills).

Guidelines for contributors can be found on the ARANZ website at http://aranz.org.nz/Site/events/Conferences/
Email Submissions of abstract by 1 March 2010 to the Conference Convenor, Sean McMahon: sean.mcmahon@natlib.govt.nz

CONTACT THE EDITOR:

The Editor is always delighted to receive news items, information or advertising enquiries for inclusion in the newsletter, published four times a year (January, April, June, & October). Contact the Editor by e-mail newsletter@aranz.org.nz or by post: ARANZ Newsletter Editor, PO Box 11-553, Manners Street, Wellington 6011.

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