Appendix L – Professional engagement

Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities

The Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities (CAARA) is the coordinating body for national, state and territory archives in Australia and New Zealand. It meets twice yearly, and the Archives is represented by the Director-General.

During 2007–08, CAARA conducted a major survey of archival institutions across all sectors in Australia in conjunction with the Australian Society of Archivists. The survey identified the practical issues faced by archives in Australia and provides the basis for a collaborative action agenda over the coming years. The survey found that 81 per cent of archival organisations hold digital records. It also highlighted the extent to which small archives rely on volunteer labour to maintain their services and operations, with 53 per cent of all archives using volunteers and 72 per cent employing only one person, often in a part-time capacity.

A major initiative of CAARA is the Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative (ADRI). The aim of ADRI is to ensure that all governments in Australia and New Zealand implement a uniform approach to making, keeping and using digital records to ensure accountability and the long-term protection of vital cultural heritage.

Digital Futures International Forum

The Archives hosted the landmark Digital Futures International Forum at Parliament House in Canberra on 18–19 September 2007. A total of 200 participants from nine countries interacted with 20 speakers and panellists who addressed a wide range of issues on making, keeping and using digital content in the twenty-first century.

Forum speakers came from various countries including the United States, Germany, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia, and from a variety of organisations and backgrounds including archives, libraries, e-government and information and communication technology, private sector, higher education sector and e-research. Keynote speakers included Natalie Ceeney, Chief Executive of the National Archives of the United Kingdom, and James Hastings, Director of Access Programs at the US National Archives and Records Administration.

The Forum identified that much has been achieved by archives and libraries in relation to preserving and providing online access to vital information and digital content. However, more still needs to be done to address the challenges of digital information and to meet community expectations of instant online access to this information.

The major outcomes agreed to by participants were:

the vital importance of partnerships and convergence across sectors and international borders to make best use of technology to maximise the preservation of, and access to, vital information assets; and
the need to increase investment in skills and infrastructure to maximise the reuse and return on investment in digital content.

Podcasts of the presentations and panel discussion were made available on the Archives’ website.

Fast Forward: Integrating Digital Business Solutions forum

Held in Canberra on 18 June 2008, this half-day forum was attended by more than 100 senior managers, records managers and chief information officers from government agencies, in addition to representatives from IT development and vendor companies. The aim of the forum was to explore new, user-friendly ways of integrating records management and accountability requirements into business systems.

The forum featured key speeches from Natalie Ceeney, Chief Executive of the National Archives of the United Kingdom and Dianne Macaskill, CEO of Archives New Zealand, alongside Ross Gibbs, Director-General of the Archives. The speeches outlined the challenges being faced in all three countries, as well as case studies.

CeBIT Australia conference and trade exhibition

The Archives attended the 2008 CeBIT information technology conference and trade exhibition in May as part of an initiative of the Australian Government Information Management Office to have a government presence at the event. This was an opportunity to improve awareness of the Archives in the IT sector, to promote messages about good information management practices, and to inform staff about developments in this area. The Archives’ presence at the exhibition generated numerous inquiries for many areas across the organisation.

Five Nations Group

During 2007–08 the national archivists and chief information officers of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada came together to work on a multinational project called Integrating Information Management into Business Processes. This project addresses one of the key challenges in information management in all of these countries by influencing, among others, major business software developers.

Australia is a driving force behind this project, and representatives of three of the five nations met in Canberra in June 2008 to review the initial project documentation. Significant progress is expected in 2008–09.

Third International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme

The Third International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme was held in Canberra on 19–22 February 2008. The aim of the Memory of the World Programme is to promote appreciation and awareness of important documentary heritage materials through the development and maintenance of Memory of the World Registers at international, regional and national levels. The UNESCO Memory of the World Register is the documentary heritage equivalent of the UNESCO World Heritage Register.

The Third International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme attracted 120 delegates from over 30 countries, many from other national archival institutions. Director, Strategic Relations, Adrian Cunningham, is a member of the Conference committee and chaired one of the Conference sessions. Andrew Wilson, Director, Policy and Strategic Projects, delivered a paper on digital preservation, while Archives’ senior conservator Ian Batterham ran a workshop on preservation planning at the Archives.

The Archives hosted the closing reception for the Conference in its Memory of a Nation gallery on the evening of 22 February. Announcements of the latest round of inscriptions on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register were made by Joie Springer from UNESCO Paris. One of the inscriptions was for the archives of the High Court of Australia. The Archives’ Director-General, Ross Gibbs, and the Chief Executive and Principal Registrar of the High Court of Australia, Andrew Phelan, accepted Certificates of Inscription on behalf of the Archives and the High Court.

Archives representation on other bodies

Archives staff contribute to various national and international organisations. Following are the names of organisations and Archives staff who were office-bearers in 2007–08.

International Council on Archives committees and bureaus
Ross Gibbs	International Conference of the Round Table on Archives – member representing Australia, Asia and Oceania
Adrian Cunningham	Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives – Treasurer
Detlev Lueth	Blue Shield Australia Committee – member on behalf of the Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities
Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material
Ian Batterham	ACT Division – President
Australian Society of Archivists
Denis Connor	Reference Access and Public Programs Special Interest Group – Secretary and newsletter editor
Gregory Cope	Queensland Branch – Treasurer
Adrian Cunningham	Committee on Descriptive Standards – Chair Archives and Manuscripts Editorial Board – member
Jenni Davidson	Mentor Scheme Committee – Convenor
Ross Latham	Victorian Branch – Secretary
Alan Ralph	Western Australian Branch – Convener
David Swift	Queensland Branch – Convenor
CPA Australia
Karen Sheppard	ACT Division – Deputy President (to 31 March 2008) ACT Division – President (from 1 April 2008)
Museums Australia
Margaret Fleming	Education National Network – ACT representative
Michelle Fracaro	ACT Branch of the Education National Network – President Education National Network – Vice President
Records Management Association of Australasia
Marian Hoy	ACT Branch – Councillor, Education
Ross Latham	Victorian Branch – Councillor, Education Coordinator
Standards Australia committees
Ian Batterham	Micrographics and Image Management Committee, MS-004 – member Permanent Paper Committee, MS-048 – member
Adrian Cunningham	Records Management Committee, IT-021 – member AGLS Metadata Subcommittee, IT-021-08 – Chair
Andrew Wilson	Standards Australia Working Group on DIS29500 – OOXML – member
Other memberships
Denis Connor	Australian Prime Ministers Centre Fellowship Assessment Panel – member
Adrian Cunningham	Journal of Archival Organization Editorial Board – member
Paul Dalgleish	Australian Libraries Copyright Committee – archival sector representative Copyright in Commonwealth Institutions (Canberra) – member
Christine Johnston	Institute for Information Management – ACT Board member
Angela McAdam	Australian Publishers Association – Archives representative
Derina McLaughlin	International Council of Museums – member
Johannah Wilson	Network of Australasian Museum Exhibitors – member
Andrew Wilson	Dublin Core Metadata Initiative – Usage Board – member European Union – Planets Project Review Panel