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 285 Duchein: Here is the order: the first recommendation would be for coordinating and disseminating information within ICA, the second would be for closer cooperation with IFLA, IRMC, etc., the third would be to call the attention of national and international authorities on the necessity of standardization, the fourth would be for a RAMP study on fire protection, the fifth, a RAMP study to achieve stable environmental conditions, the sixth would be the recommendation to the Committee on Conservation and Restoration for the problems of the storage of oversize documents. May I pass to the last proposal which I am certain will not raise opposition: “The participants express their gratitude to UNESCO for its support for the meeting and extend their warmest thanks to the Republic of Austria and to the Austrian State Archives for their outstanding hospitality and the excellent preparation and conduct of the seminar”. Now my dear colleagues we are coming to the end of this meeting. I am sure you all expect a long and dense summary by your chairman but I regret to say you will be disappointed because there will be no such thing. I want to thank each of you for your participation in this meeting, which I think has fulfilled all expectations. We have touched so many subjects that I know we could spend another two or three days, even a week, especially with the Austrian hospitality. I sincerely hope that this will not be the last of these meetings because the results we have achieved and the points that remain to be debated prove the need for future gatherings. Now I relinquish the floor to Mr Benoit as he wishes to offer a personal sentiment. Benoit: It is a pleasure that I speak for the group to express our gratitude and regard for Dr Rudolf Neck and Dr Leopold Auer for their exceptional hospitality. We have been most fortunate to have come together in this lovely city under their care. Neck: May I thank you for your kind words, which we don’t deserve but are pleased to hear nonetheless. This afternoon, as you know, we will visit the new österreichisches Staatsarchiv and we most assuredly solicit your advice and criticism as you view the building. I do hope many of you can return next fall for the dedication and opening. Auer: Just a few words on a personal level. We have been in contact by mail for quite some time, and, on the whole, I think communication worked well. When I awake tomorrow morning I’ll have the feeling that something will be missing in my life. Permit me to wish you all a safe and pleasant journey home. Finally, taking advantage of the occasion and speaking for all the participants, I wish to thank our chairman for his deft and wise guidance these past three days.
