Present: Ruth Patrick (University Librarian), Chris Hives (University Archivist), Angela Runnals (Registrar's Office), Diane Kent (Information Systems Mgmt.), Sharon Rowse (Community Relations), Bill Bruneau (Social/Ed'n Studies), Linda Moore (for Tim Miner, Campus Planning & Development), Albert McClean (Assoc. VP, Academic), Robert Kubicek (Assoc. Dean, Arts), Carol Gibson (ex. Coord. VP, Student & Academic Services), Nina Robinson (Sec., Board of Governors)
Absent: Terry Eastwood (School of Library, Archival and Information Studies)
Ruth began by welcoming participants and explained that the committee had been struck by VP K.D. Srivastava to consider the future development of the University Archives at UBC. Very soon after her appointment as University Librarian, Ruth was made aware of the problems confronting the University Archives and felt that it was necessary to reach beyond the Library to the University community to solicit feedback as to the directions that should be pursued in the future growth of the University Archives. She then asked the committee members to identify themselves and provide some indication of their knowledge of, their experiences with or their expectations for the University Archives.
During the course of the introductions and discussions several themes began to develop. Most of the members sitting on the committee in administrative capacities focussed on the importance of developing systematic access to the University's recorded information. Because no general program of records management has been adopted in the past it is often difficult, if not impossible, to extract the necessary information from the records themselves (if they happen to still exist) and often we find ourselves having to "reinvent the wheel". Too often it has become necessary to rely on the memories of long-time University employees. Consequently, many of the committee members have had the opportunity to utilize the services of the University Archives in the past. Also most identified the need to implement some effective means of managing the growing volume of records generated within their offices.
Bill Bruneau indicated his interest in academic research utilizing the materials gathered by and stored in the University Archives.
Linda Moore stressed the need for designing proper space in the future for the University's archival records that would contribute to their long-term preservation. She also suggested that from her perspective the information in the University Archives as very important in developing a sense of history on the campus primarily as it manifests itself through heritage buildings.
After this brief introduction the University Archivist Chris Hives provided an overview of the development of the University Archives since its inception in 1970 and described the problems currently confronting the program.
The general discussion that ensued, included the following comments.
- the most effective way to ensure that archival material is preserved is through the implementation of a records management program
- records that have archival value have that value from the time of creation
- general agreement that some of the activities of an archival/information management program will take place in the office of creation -- records creators require records management training and guidelines to help provide efficient access to the information
- recognizing this element of decentralization, there must also be a strong central program to provide an overarching infrastructure to ensure that the University's permanently valuable records are identified and preserved in some consistent manner -- it is necessary to develop a perspective that is more comprehensive than that within the individual records creating units
- there must also be centralized storage for inactive and archival records
- archival records at the University have played a significant role in a public relations capacity - particularly during the 75th anniversary during which we celebrated the accomplishments of the institution - Community Relations and the Development Office are active users of archival resources, particularly historical photographs
- Bill Bruneau talked about the academic role of University Archives - the importance of collecting and preserving archival materials to document the history of the institution itself as well as something about the social/political/intellectual role played by the institution in the development of the province -- he wanted to consider the Archives in something more than purely administrative terms -- should be able to seek funding on the same basis as other academic units - there is a great unrealized potential in the University Archives -- there should exist a pro-active program with a staff that encourages and participates in historical publication and research
- Bertie McClean suggested that while the administrative role of the University Archives should not be overlooked, we have to take care to ensure that the private and research papers of prominent faculty members are preserved for posterity - the University's reputation relies on the calibre of its scholars and it is important to be able to document their contributions -- because these private papers are not the property of the University then a system other than a records management program must be developed for their acquisition - there is a sense of urgency in this matter because demographics indicate that a large number within UBC's professorial ranks are quickly reaching the age of retirement
- the committee discussed briefly the relative merits of instituting an oral history component for the Archives - unfortunately the need to do so signifies the failure of the archival program to acquire the University's permanently valuable records and makes necessary a "back door" approach to collecting information that is often inaccurate as the passage of time distorts people's recollections.
- we might want to consider the development of the archival program within the context of planning for the University's centenary - a strong case can definitely be made that (even ignoring the obvious benefits to be derived from the systematic management of information on campus) it will be impossible to write an accurate institutional history because we neglected the acquisition of the institution's permanently valuable records for a very long time
- toward the end of the meeting there was general agreement that instead of focussing too narrowly on the minimum requirements of the University Archives that we should begin to consider the broader framework of information management on campus and the requirements necessary to promote the effective and efficient retrieval and preservation of information
- this requires that we assume a long-range plan for the University Archives and the associated functions in the areas of records (and more generally information) management
- in assuming this broader perspective the problems affecting the effective management of information on campus and the collection of archival records will no longer be viewed as purely a University Archives or a Library problem but one with which the University as an institution must deal
Chris will begin to draft an outline of a comprehensive program of information management on campus for consideration at the next meeting.
Next meeting of the University Archives Committee will be held on April 24th at 10:00. The committee will meet in the Special Collections & University Archives Division for a brief tour before the meeting.
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