Present: Mike Hartwick, Chris Petty, Catherine Quinlan, Erwin Wodarczak, Bill Bruneau, Terry Eastwood (Chair), Bob Kubicek, Bill Webber, Byron Hender, Chris Hives
Regrets: Sharon Rowse, Nina Robinson, Dennis Pavlich
After asking everyone to identify themselves and welcoming committee members to their first meeting in a couple of years, Terry provided a review of the activities of the Advisory Committee. He suggested that the University Archivist in the late 1980s and early 1990s had identified several problems with the existing University Archives program. It was ad hoc and operated in very much an reactive manner. The program lacked any form of legislative support from the institution, had inadequate staff and suffered from a very poor reporting structure within the Library. Obviously it was ill-equipped to provide the service generally expected of a good institutional archival program. Since its establishment, the Archives Advisory Committee had helped play a key role in improving the University Archives program. It provided its support to a couple of reports written early in the decade and was instrumental in the development of three separate University policies that assign significant responsibilities to the University Archives for caring for the institution's archival material as well as playing a role in the management of contemporary information. The committee also supported the efforts to increase the staff of the University Archives. Terry indicated that he felt that the University Archives had done a very good job over the years, particularly given the available resources and pointed out that this success was certainly due in part to the activities of the Advisory Committee.
Chris began by pointing out that much of the activities of the staff of the University Archives for the past couple of years had been focussed on using information technology to widely distribute information about archival resources. In particular, a project to put all of the Archives' finding aids on line is now approximately 95% complete. This allows anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connect access to over 2,500 pages of detailed information about University Archives' holdings. This project has been carried out using existing staff, grant-funded employees and professional experience students. He pointed out that the photographic database which includes both descriptive records as well as approximately 23,000 digitized images has been very popular. A recent project to appraise, describe and scan a significant collection of photographs from the Ceremonies Office was funded by the Canadian Council of Archives with some funds from the University. Archives staff have also spent considerable time adding information to the "University History and Historical Facts" section of the homepage. The Archives has also developed a couple of new virtual displays - "Building the Main Library" and also a display to mark the reopening of the old Faculty Club as the University Gathering Place. Since the committe last met a new audio/video tape database had also been developed.
Chris also mentioned a number of specific projects including the Ubyssey Indexing Project which has been carried out with the assistance of both Young Canada Works in Heritage Institutions (Can. Library Association) and the Ubyssey Publishing Society. The ultimate goal is to eventually develop an integrated index to UBC's three major publications - Ubyssey, Alumni Chronicle, and UBC Reports.A major project to arrange and describe the records of the President's Office will get underway this fall. Funding for this project has come from the President's Office and the CCA. In addition, the University Archives has been very fortunate in having S.L.A.I.S. students do a variety of projects as part of their professional experience program or as summer interns.
Chris mentioned that with the conversion of the various archives files to DRA users would likely notice some changes. Because the original UBCLIB databases (photographs, audio/visual tapes, and publications index) were built specfically for the Archives it is unlikely that there will be the same level of functionality following the migration.
There are proposed changes to the Records Retention and Disposition Policy. As Dennis Pavlich is now responsible for University policies he has suggested that to streamline the process that the University Records Disposition Committee be eliminated from the existing policy and that the University Archivist and the Legal Counsel instead be given responsibility for developing and approving record schedules. This change will put greater responsibility in the hands of the University Archivist.
As to future concerns Chris mentioned that there is a large backlog of material which requires processing. He also pointed out that staff are becoming increasingly concerned about the need to think about transfering some of the existing audio material from its current reel-to-reel format given the increasing difficulty in locating playback equipment. This need to develop a migration program is not limited to audio material and is true of most special media which currently require some form of playback device. Chris also pointed out that the institution has become concerned with making sure that its permanently valuable electronic records are preserved.
In the discussion that ensued committee members agreed that management of electronic records was a matter with which the University should become involved. It was agreed that this was not a task that should be delegated to the University Archives per se but that the Committee should start thinking about ways in which to sensitize the institution to this important concern. Terry suggested that it might be possible to have some of the students currently working on the electronic record project at S.L.A.I.S. to participate in a limited manner.
Terry briefly reviewed the background to the recommendation originally made to University Librarian Ruth Patrick almost three years ago. Following a discussion, the Committee offered the following recommendation:
"While recognizing the value of a continuing association with Special Collections, the University Archives and Records Management Committee reaffirms its recommendation of October 1996."
"In light of the significant, campus-wide administrative responsibilities now assigned to the University Archives, the Committee strongly recommends that the University Librarian establish the University Archives as a separate unit within the Library and that the University Archivist report directly to the University Librarian."
Catherine agreed to take the recommendation under advisement.
No meeting date set at this time.
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