Advocacy Adventures
by Jane Turner

Since early spring, the Executive has been discussing how we can better position the AABC to promote the value of archives and archivists to the people of British Columbia. Our deliberations have resulted in the following initiatives: establishing British Columbia Archives Week, inviting the Lieutenant-Governor to act as Honorary Patron, collaborating with heritage groups, and developing a special Conference theme to explore public awareness and advocacy issues.

The Executive hopes that these four initiatives will work together to raise public awareness about the objectives of the AABC to establish and strengthen a sustainable and inclusive network of archives and archivists in BC through the provision of a wide range of community services and resources.

British Columbia Archives Week: Preserving Local Memories, November 19-25, 2000

I am pleased to announce that the AABC is planning to hold our first annual Archives Week. I have written to the Honourable Graeme Bowbrick to request that he proclaim in perpetuity the third week in November as British Columbia Archives Week. Both the British Columbia Historical Federation and the Archaeological Society of British Columbia have written to the Minister in support of our request.

This year, the week will be held November 19-25, 2000. In my letter to Mr. Bowbrick, I presented the justification for an Archives Week:

Why an Archives Week? Archives are the foundation from which our society maintains continuity with our past, and preserves the present for future generations. Archives care for the records that document all aspects of the public and private life of our society, including official records that protect citizens' rights and hold elected officials accountable to the public. For these reasons we think it is important to mark the accomplishments of our community archives network, including the provincial BC Archives, with a new celebratory week.

Archives Week provides an exciting opportunity to all archival institutions to promote the value of archives to members of our local communities, our funders, our supporters, and the general public. I urge you to use this public awareness opportunity by arranging for special displays and activities within your own institution, and by working with local organizations in your communities such as schools, libraries, and museums.

I would like to thank David Mattison, of the Public Awareness Advocacy and Legislation Committee, for his hard work on this project. He has done a tremendous job in developing a complete communication package and website to assist you with your plans. Examples from the website are included in this newsletter. Be sure to check out the British Columbia Archives Week page that has been added to the AABC website at the following address: http://aabc.bc.ca/aabc/archweek/index.html

The AABC has hired the services of Emyrs Miller, an award-winning graphic artist from Victoria, who is in the process of producing a poster to advertise Archives Week celebrations. These posters will be mailed out by the middle of October to members, as well as to all archives, schools, libraries and museums throughout British Columbia. A digital copy of the poster will be added to the website soon.

I hope you will all begin to make plans for the upcoming celebration. Be sure to send in your stories about what you did for Archives Week so we can all hear about it in the next newsletter. Please let me know if you have suggestions about how we might improve our support to you for Archives Week 2001.

Honorary Patron:

In July, the Lieutenant-Governor accepted the invitation of the Executive to act as Honorary Patron of the AABC. The Executive sought this status to raise public awareness about the valuable contribution the AABC makes to British Columbia society. We now join company will other distinguished groups such as the British Columbia Historical Federation, Maritime Museum of BC, Friends of the Royal BC Museum, and the Hallmark Society.

The Lieutenant-Governor's patronage provides the AABC with added public visibility and credibility that enhances our purpose of contributing to the preservation of British Columbia's documentary heritage. It means the Lieutenant-Governor is willing to give his name to support our cause and provide some recognition that what we do matters and is of importance to all British Columbians. This Executive initiative is a small part of our attempts this year to raise the profile of archives. It's about public awareness, promotion and advocacy of archives, which I think is a good thing.

Collaboration with Heritage Groups:

We have already experienced benefits from collaborating with other heritage groups in the province. The direct support of the British Columbia Historical Federation and the Archaeological Society of British Columbia has been demonstrated in their submission of letters of support to the government for Archives Week.

The British Columbia Historical Federation's journal, British Columbia Historical News, has recently developed a regular column under the direction of Fran Gundry entitled, "Archives & Archivists." The column has brought archival issues before its readers, and draws connections between the value of archives and their vital role in understanding our past. Gary Mitchell, Provincial Archivist, and Bill Purver, our AABC Network Coordinator, have both contributed thoughtful pieces to the column. In future Fran anticipates that the column will also explore archival holdings and access issues, which will be of direct interest to BCHF readers. We applaud the initiative of the BCHF to promote archives in this way. If you haven't already done so, be sure to take time to read this informative journal.

On August 28th, Heather Gordon, Lynne Waller and myself met with Jim Hamilton and Kirstin Clausen of the British Columbia Museums Association to discuss collaborative efforts to better serve our joint members. We had a useful introductory session in which we explored several issues, including: reduced membership rates for those institutions holding membership in both organizations; reciprocal individual membership benefits for educational opportunities and conference attendance; and jointly sponsored educational opportunities. The Executive will continue to explore ways in which we can work together on common concerns.

Conference 2001: "The Place of Archives in Heritage"

Conference plans are progressing nicely. We are fortunate to have two experienced and energetic members who have kindly agreed to accept the position of chairs of the conference committees. Jennifer Mohan is chair of the Programme Committee, and Mickey King is the chair of the Local Arrangements Committee. The Executive appreciates the willingness of Jennifer and Mickey to serve our members in this capacity.

Both committees will be working closely together, and both will be meeting in the next few weeks. If you have suggestions you would like the committees to consider, please contact one of the committee chairs.

I have invited the Lieutenant-Governor to attend our conference, and to make a special appearance at our opening reception so I can introduce him to our members and supporters.

Call for an AABC Response to Protecting Privacy in BC:

Richard Dancy, member of the Public Awareness Advocacy and Legislation Committee, has prepared a background report on the BC government paper, Protecting Privacy in the Private Sector. Richard's report provides a thorough background to the issue, and lays out his recommendations for AABC action.

For those of you who have some knowledge of and interest in access and privacy issues, please offer to join Richard in a small working group to assist him with this task. Take time to review the report, and call Richard to discuss it. This is an important task, and we need input to ensure the AABC response reflects our jointly considered opinion.

Richard's report can be found elsewhere in the newsletter, and has been added to the AABC website for your review. It can be found at the following address:

http://aabc.bc.ca/aabc/report_on_privacy.html

AABC's Willard Ireland Prize:

I am pleased to announce the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies has awarded the Willard Ireland Prize of $200.00 to Prisca Giordani, as second year student in the Archival Studies program. We extend congratulations to Prisca, and offer our best wishes for her archival career.

Other initiatives:

The Executive met with our contractors and chairs of committees on August 28th at the beautiful new Richmond City Hall for our summer roundtable. It was a beneficial time to review progress on work and coordinate plans for the next few months.

AABC grant applications submitted to the Canadian Council of Archives and the BC Government have been approved, and regular payments are being received. This support makes possible our continued work to develop an inclusive and sustainable network of archives throughout communities in British Columbia. At the request of the Honorable Graeme Bowbrick, I extend his best wishes to everyone involved in our programs.

As part of the BC Community Archives Advisory and Training Program grant, Mr. Bowbrick has also approved $1,500 to support the Fraser Valley Emergency Response Project. The Executive intends that this project will serve as a model for other regions, and, in addition to preparing archives to respond to disaster, will serve to demonstrate the benefits of regional cooperation. We look to hearing how the Fraser Valley project is developing. The Executive hopes other regional groups will consider applying for regional CAAP grants to work together on similar projects to prepare regional emergency response plans.

Upcoming plans:

During the next few months the Executive will be reviewing programs and plans in preparation for the next round of grant applications for the 2002-2002 fiscal year. We continue to prepare for the CAIN project, and continue to hope that federal money for the project will be released soon. Be assured we will let you know as soon as this happens. If you have any comments or suggestions about future plans and directions of the AABC, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to talk with you, and would welcome your contributions to the planning process.

Archivally yours,
Jane

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© 2000 Archives Association of British Columbia