Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 39. (1986)

Archive Buildings and the Conservation of Archival Material. An Expert Meeting, held in Vienna, Austria October 30 - November 1, 1985 - STEWART, William J.: Summary of Discussions

SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS

By William J. Stewart

SESSION I

Chair: Rudolf Neck

The welcome to the city of Vienna and the symposium was warmly offered by Dr Rudolf Neck, director general of the Austrian State Archives. After thanking UNESCO and the Austrian government for their financial assistance, Dr Neck recognized Dr Leopold Auer for his flawless handling of all logistical details connected with the meeting. Dr Neck then introduced Michel Duchein, inspector general of the French archives and chairman of the symposium.

Duchein: It is a signal honor for me to have been invited by UNESCO and the International Council on Archives to preside over their first symposium dedicated to archive buildings and the conservation of archival materials. For many years the need has been perceived and expressed within the profession for such a meeting. Indeed, of all subjects that engage archivists throughout the world, the concern for archival conservation, which includes buildings and equipment, is among the most pressing and universal. Many reasons explain this. Of first importance is the rising awareness everywhere that archives contribute significantly to a nation’s cultural milieu. Since World War II, many nations have become most attentive about conserving their cultural heritage. I find this especially true of the new independent nations. Secondly, adverse environmental conditions in many countries have prompted archivists and others to urgently seek better means of preserving their permanently valuable holdings. Lastly, the past two decades have seen an tremendous surge in new technologies and new research. The metes and bounds of conservation and preservation are ever-changing. Not only do we not maintain paper records as we did thirty or forty years ago, we are now confronted with unfamiliar problems in preserving previously unknown materials, such as film, magnetic tape and laser discs, all of which have their own peculiar conservation requirements.

Of course many countries are studying and responding to these problems. In my own country, France, to submit a case, there has been unprecedented construction of archival facilities. Since the war, approximately seventy national and provincial repositories have been raised and six more are in the works.