Abstract
Archives and manuscript collections, when well preserved, play a pivotal role in the preservation of corporate memory as well as the transmission of culture, building of national identity, and in providing valuable information sources on a variety of issues. However, in many parts of the world, the preservation and accessibility of archives and manuscripts, particularly those privately held, remains a neglected area requiring innovative ways to enhance their long-term preservation and accessibility. This chapter examines how endangered archival collections can be preserved through open access and digitization programmes funded locally or jointly with donor agencies. Specifically, the chapter examines the contribution made by the Endangered Archives Programme, a UK-based programme supported by Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, to preserve endangered archives in Africa. The chapter shows that over the past 16 years, the Endangered Archives Programme has made a significant contribution in the preservation of endangered archives held privately and in public archival institutions. The chapter argues that the approach followed by the Endangered Archives Programme clearly demonstrates that collaborative effort in the preservation of endangered archives results in mutual benefits to the local communities as well the research community via the British Library. The chapter concludes by suggesting future directions that may be considered when undertaking similar copying projects.
TopOpen Access And Digitization As Strategies For Preserving And Accessing Archival Collections
The concept of open access is alien to the archival world. In the past, archivists have been concerned much more with the protection and preservation of archives and manuscripts under their care and in ensuring that the collections are made available for public inspection within the strict boundaries established in archival legislation that respects privacy and donor restrictions. However, this trend is gradually being replaced by more flexible approaches that advocate greater disclosure of archives and the information contained therein. This is particularly so in those countries which have adopted Freedom of Information legislation. The Archives and Records Terminology compiled by Pearce-Moses (2005, p.2) defines access as “the ability to locate relevant information through the use of catalogues, indexes, findings aids or other tools. Pearce-Moses (2005) further explains that access is the “permission to locate and retrieve information for use (consultation or reference) within legally established restrictions of privacy, confidentiality and security clearance”. McCauseland (1993, p.274) on the other hand defines access as “the terms and conditions of availability of records or information maintained by archives for examination and consultation by researchers”. Clearly, the major goal of acquiring and preserving archives and manuscript collections is to make them widely accessible to all bona fide users irrespective of their nationality, colour, gender or belief.
The term Open Access has been in use among librarians for a much longer period in comparison to archivists. The term open access was defined by Suber (2004, p.1) who stressed that:
By open access … we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Endangered Archives: These are archives that “are vulnerable to many forces, ranging from unthinking neglect, to natural disasters such as storm or flood, to deliberate criminal acts such as burglary, arson or terrorist attack.” (The National Archives, 2004);
Archives: The documents created or received and accumulated by a person or organization in the course of the conduct of affairs, and preserved because of their continuing value. (International Council on Archives, 1997).
Open Access: Open Access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder (Suber, 2004, p.1).
Access: The availability of records for consultation as a result both of legal authorization and existence of finding aids (International Council on Archives, 2012, p.3).
Preservation: Includes all the managerial and financial considerations, including storage and accommodation provisions, staffing, levels, policies, techniques, and methods involved in preserving library and archival material and the information contained therein (Adock ( n.d).2 , p.5).