The program took the form of a decision tree that was
initially formulated by the program committee, but refined
by Tom Strang from CCI and Bruce Walton from LAC. Addressing
the key decisions/ choices that an institution needs
to make when considering the acquisition and preservation
of electronic records led to five main session categories:
Appraisal of Electronic Records; Authenticity of Electronic
Records; Developing a Preservation Strategy for Electronic
Records; Preservation Strategies for Electronic Records;
and Media Knowledge. The call for papers clearly outlined
this approach, and resulted in the submission of more
than 45 abstracts. Because of the decision tree program
structure, the process to select the papers was very
specific. The final program consisted of 29 papers from
6 countries: Canada (14); United States (8); Australia
(3); United Kingdom (2); France (1); and Germany (1).
In addition to the main program, 4 posters that fit
into the program structure were also presented (1 from
Canada, 2 from the United States, and 1 from France).
Another objective of the program was to feature a wide
variety of small to medium-sized institutions that included
not only archives and libraries, but also cultural institutions
such as art galleries and museums that are faced with
preserving electronic records. For example, art galleries
often include video art in their collections, but the
needs of these electronic records are quite different
than the needs of the electronic records typically found
in archives and libraries. Thus, the speakers list included
several individuals from the museum and gallery communities.
Finally, it was important that the program include
some case histories that highlighted what various institutions
have actually done or are doing to preserve electronic
records. While discussing preservation strategies is
important, seeing strategies actually being implemented
and working in the real world provides useful information
and models to follow. Among the case histories presented
were the preservation of audio language recordings from
Aboriginal elders in the Northwest Territories in Canada,
the preservation of American poet Robert Creeley’s
computer files, and the implementation of the Victorian
Electronic Records Strategy (VERS) within the Government
of the State of Victoria, Australia. The case histories
were arguably the most useful aspect of a program that
included something for everyone.
The papers presented at the Symposium will be published as a book of postprints in the spring of 2004. Visit The Bookstore for news of its availability.
Special Events
In addition to the official program, a number of special
events were incorporated in the symposium activities
— including “Preservation Quest: How to
preserve your home movies, CDs, videos, and more”
(a special afternoon for the general public).
All delegates were invited to a welcoming reception
following the first day’s sessions. Hosted by
LAC, this reception was attended by a number of dignitaries
from the host institutions. In addition to welcoming
remarks by National Archivist Ian Wilson and National
Librarian Roch Carrier, special guest Senator Laurier
Lapierre gave an entertaining speech. In this relaxed
atmosphere, everyone had an opportunity to mingle and
get to know each other.
A number of tours were offered throughout the week.
Each day at lunchtime, symposium delegates had an opportunity
to visit the state-of-the-art Audio Conservation Studio
of LAC’s Music Division. This tour was one of
the highlights of the symposium, and everyone who took
advantage of it came away impressed. Wednesday afternoon
was set aside exclusively for tours, with a choice of
visits to LAC’s Gatineau Preservation Centre,
the storage facility for electronic equipment at the
Canada Science and Technology Museum, the conservation
facilities of the National Gallery of Canada, and a
data recovery service at Tunstall & Tunstall Inc.
Because each delegate could select only one tour, there
was much discussion and swapping of experiences at that
evening’s gala at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
The festive evening began with a reception in the Riverview
Salon hosted by CCI, followed immediately by a banquet
in the Grand Hall — a spectacular venue with inspiring
views of totem poles, the Parliament Buildings, and
the Ottawa River. Charles Costain, CCI’s Acting
Director General, was Master of Ceremonies. Following
a delicious dinner, Aboriginal storyteller Louise Profeit-Leblanc
presented an alternate view of preserving oral history
(i.e. by passing it down from one storyteller to another
over the centuries). Musical entertainment by the Mick
Armitage Band and dancing completed the evening’s
activities.
Another high point of the symposium was the unveiling
of a marvellous new exhibit on the preservation of electronic
records. Created by the Canada Science and Technology
Museum and CCI, this exhibit was on display for the
entire week. It has now returned to the Canada Science
and Technology Museum where it will be on display for
several months, after which it will travel to various
host institutions across Canada.
Rounding out the symposium activities was a small trade
show with vendors B.F.B. Sales Limited, the Canadian
Institute for Historical Microreproductions, Crowley
Micrographics Inc., and Carr McLean Limited. The AV
Preservation Trust and all the organizing partners also
had booths and staff on hand in the trade show area
during the week.
Conclusion
All in all, the main goals of the symposium were achieved.
Delegates left with a sense of the broader issues involved
in collecting and preserving electronic records, as
well as knowledge about the challenges that other institutions
are facing and how they are dealing with them.
For those of us at CCI, the organization of this symposium
has confirmed our belief in the value of partnering
with other institutions. There were many aspects to
this event, and the success of each was due to the collaboration
among the organizing partners and the vast numbers of
volunteers from each of the institutions who gave so
freely of their time.
Symposium 2003 will be well remembered by all involved.
The Symposium 2003 organizing committee would like
to thank the following companies for their sponsorship
(e.g. coffee breaks, CDs, or CD cases) and support:
Crowley Micrographics Inc., PromoMedia Group Inc., Tunstall
& Tunstall Inc., Zomax Canada Company, and ROMifications
Publishing Inc.
|
