Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

3. Session / Séance. Sharing of Experience and Exchange of Staff / Partage d’Expériences et Echange des Personnes - Huyda, Richard: Coordination Research in Archival Sience and Dissemination of Professional Information / Coordination de la recherche en archivistique et diffusion de l’information professionnelle (english 231 - français 251)

3. Session/Séance: Marcoux - Huyda, Coordinating Research in archivai Science

that was to be demonstrated at the International Documentation Centre during the Xllth International Congress on Archives in Montreal in September, 1992. This was done.

Those who had attended the Brussells meeting met at the Montreal ICA Congress to carry on their discussions. On September 10, this group formally named itself The International Network for Archival Literature. The participation of a representative of the International Institute For Archival Science in Maribor, Slovenia was welcomed. Among the issues debated at this meeting were whether or not it was preferable to have a single data base into which each participant contributed, or whether it was preferable to exchange information on diskette according to an agreed-upon format.

The representatives of the Spanish State Archives strongly favoured the first option: and were of the opinion that a common format must include a fixed field for abstracts. The other network members, on the other hand, felt that a centralized data base was too costly to initiate and update. Finally, it was decided that over the next year, there would be an exchange of bibliographic data on diskettes, using ASCII. Each participant is to present, according to technical instructions and documentation provided by the CCIDA, references pulled from the most important archival journals of their respective countries. CCIDA, subsequently, will place this information in a common data base and present the results.

The Montreal meeting highlighted two major concerns shared by the great majority of the participants. First, although everyone expressed their interest in compiling all the archival literature published worldwide, many felt that a regional cooperative venture had greater chance of success. Furthermore, it was suggested that all discussion on the future of the network and also any decision as to the next meeting, be postponed until the ICA determines the status of the group. Because we are addressing the future of this first concerted effort to diffuse professional archival information in a coordinated and efficient manner, let us explore the internal parameters imposed by such an initiative.

The International Parameters of Cooperation

This project, that envisages better access to professional information and documentation, for the benefit of the entire international archival community, as well as all the other initiatives that might be undertaken in this same vein, must take the following factors into account:

1. the existing operational documentation centres around the world that are already involved in this activity, undertake their work according to the needs and objectives of their host institutions;

2. these institutions have a mandate linked to their national governments, and mustrespond, with the resources allotted to them, above all to the specific needs oftheir national archival communities;

3. resources vary greatly from country to another - there are those that have adirect impact on the services being offered and that must limit those services

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