The International Council on Archives (ICA) Quadrennial Congress will be held in Seoul, South Korea, from 5th-10th September 2016, and I will be there to represent ICAS. The theme of the confrence is “Archives, Harmony and Friendship” which is very fitting for a nonprofit organization as Harmony and Friendship plays a major role in the mission of ICAS. The conference themes include: the changing nature of recordkeeping in the digital age; opportunities for cooperation within and outside the archival milieu; the uses and role of archives in the support of truth, justice and reconciliation; and opportunities for harmony and friendship in archival endeavours.
Here is the five minute YouTube advertisement for the Congress:
As for ICAS’ role at the conference, I will be helping with a Disaster Management Workshop on the first day. In fact, here’s our abstract to give you more of perspecitve as to what we will try to accomplish during the day:
Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness workshop: In every geographical area of the world, there are disasters created by man and nature. While each organization plans for evacuating buildings, protecting people and property, the same care and attention to planning should be placed on the records and cultural history. If information is an important asset, the planning for the protection of the records prior to a disaster is paramount. This full day workshop will be conducted by 3 members of the Expert Group on Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness. It will cover risk assessment/mitigation, disaster plans and supplies, disaster team planning, salvage priorities, response techniques, recovery efforts and resources. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to formulate their own disaster management plan and know the proper techniques for response and recovery.
Later in the week I will be presenting a paper titled, The “Aloha” Archives: A Nonprofit Organization’s View of Collaboration, Peace, and Harmony in Cultural Heritage Organizations of the Pacific Islands. The paper looks at archives in the Pacific Islands through the eyes of our nonprofit organization and how peace, harmony and collaboration is shaping the future of culture hertiage organizations in the region. At the very least, I trust that it will be an inspring paper. It is the first time that I have ever written (and will talk about) the genisis of ICAS and how it was formed. After the conference, I plan to have the paper posted on our Website for your reading pleasure. It’s riveting stuff. I promise!
Here’s to a good congress! I hope to create new relationships and solidfy old ones that will help move ICAS’ mission forward. I’ll try to take some pictures and report from the Congress next week. Stay tuned!
Brandon Oswald
Island Time 