New Zealand Archivist Vol XIV No 2 Winter/June 2003 ISS 0114-7676

New Structure at Archives New Zealand

On 9 May Rosemary Collier interviewed John Roberts and Jeremy Cauchi on their new roles at the restructured Archives New Zealand. The narrative below is her transcript of the interviews. John Roberts, Group Manager, Electronic Records This involves a range of problems including context Archives Management and media obsolescence. John says that any Archives New Zealand strategy will need to carry out 'media Since 1 October 2002, refreshing', which is a fairly common practice in Archives New Zealand overseas Archives now. This function may include the has been operating under necessity for acquiring some old machines. But a new structure. This new appraisal, metadata strategy, funding, and importantly, structure creates four delivery methods are all questions requiring more group manager positions: development. The many internal organisational changes there have Archives Management been over recent years, especially the work involved (John Roberts), responsi­ in the transition to department status, have held ble for Arrangement and Archives New Zealand back from pursuing these Description and Context things more quickly. There is a need for improving Control, Preservation, skills on electronic records and the surrounding issues, and Film amongst all staff. The importance of staff capability is Access Services (Jeremy reflected in the level of seniority held by the Human Cauchi), responsible for Reference (including Gov­ Resources Manager. ernment Loans), and Outreach On the operations side, there is a need to test and Government Recordkeeping (Michael Hoyle), trial methodologies for electronic records, and to responsible for Appraisal, Standards and Advice, ensure the integrity of the records. It is all very well and Policy reading about what others have done in other Finance and Business Services (Lindsay Ferguson). countries, but staff here must try things out themselves. These positions cover the bulk of Archives' There has been plenty of rhetoric — now they must functions. All the group managers report to Chief do it, and transfer and actively manage electronic Archivist and Chief Executive, Dianne Macaskill, as records. Additional funding will be necessary, but do the Regional Archivists, in Auckland, Christchurch Archives must be able to make a credible case for it. and Dunedin, the Human Resources Manager and also In practice, decisions on what is maintained as a the Kaiarahi (Maori Manager). This group, minus the record are not only made by administrators, nor only Regional Archivists, comprises the department's by archivists. Both departmental policy in the various Senior Management Group (SMG). Group managers agencies and individual personalities have a bearing have oversight of relevant programmes in the regions. on what decisions are made about retention. What is necessary is to design systems that will facilitate John Roberts agreed that the previous management making those decisions. However, it is not a matter of model was dictated by ideology (viz. policy/provider black and white; like appraisal of paper records, or operations split). The new model is more logical, decisions will still be ultimately a matter of judgement. and similar to that found in government archives Data quality is in the interests of both departments institutions in other countries. New policy advice to and archivists. government is tendered directly by Archives New Zealand now that it is a government department in its Arrangement and Description and Context Control own right. This means that records issues are more GLADIS (Government Locator Archival Description likely to be picked up by government agencies. Information System) is the largest single project at Current issues for the Archives Management Group present: the project to automate descriptions from the span several functions; for example, the development item level, including also work-flow for internal of capability for bringing electronic records into custody. management, and contextual information about records. It involves back-capture of finding aids into Clive Sowry, the Film Archivist is the sole person the system and will create interfaces to provide ready working full-time on film, although he is supported access to descriptive information. by preservation technicians. This makes Archives The GAIMS system (Government Archives Management the largest of the three professional Information Management System) is being extended business groups. to include a functional dimension, i.e. it will document the functions covered by government agencies and Interaction with other Groups their records. Thesauri are being developed, and will The focus of the Archives Management Group is be required when GLADIS gets to the stage when it is internal; the other two professional groups have an ready for on-line delivery. external focus. This group could be seen as the hub of archives work. Repository Management and Preservation Communication between arrangement and Archives New Zealand is continuing to move description, appraisal and reference functions is better towards prevention of damage to archives than previously. There is recognition of how each part (preventative conservation) rather than having to needs to feed into others. Technology can be used to undertake remedial work. This can be integrated with capture and share information. There is also improved the Government Recordkeeping side of the business, sharing between the four Archives New Zealand so that records can be managed well through their offices, by using e-mail facilities and other Archives' entire life. At Archives itself, repository management nation-wide IT systems, such as the electronic records is carried out by both Arrangement and Description, management system, Objective. and Preservation staff, with assistance and input from Building Services. Vision All work at all the repositories of Archives New The vision for the Group is to provide good Zealand needs to be co-ordinated, therefore there are management of the archives held in Archives New plans to integrate relevant input from Arrangement Zealand's custody, and good systems for that and Description and other sections*. In all areas of management. The intention is that some of these systems work, he is trying to prioritise to get the best results. can, in time, be used more widely: by government Priorities at present include processing all new agencies, and by other Archives institutions. accessions, and dealing with some of the backlog of John Roberts finds this a stimulating job, after spending unprocessed archives, to ensure that the more a few years in recordkeeping policy and advice. He says important old material is dealt with. GLADIS will it is nice to get back to more of a hands-on archives help with this process, for example by making it easier management focus, but in context of 'the effective for staff to improve poor quality lists of archives. management of the public record', for all purposes.

Film *John is also concerned with management of Building Archives New Zealand holds a significant quantity Services. of film, including some old National Film Unit films; there is an arrangement regarding other NFU films held at the Television New Zealand Archive.1 The New Jeremy Cauchi, Group Manager, Zealand Film Archive is also part of the film Access Services preservation community. The organisations try not to duplicate efforts, to ensure that taxpayer dollars are The Access Services spent wisely. Group consists of the The treatment of nitrate film amongst Archives New Reference, Outreach and Zealand's holdings is progressing well, but it is a long­ Government Loans term project. functions. One of the There is considerable reference use made of the film aims of the formation of resources, partly through the growing number of self- the group was to give help reference videos. At the other end of reference more profile to access use are the enquiries from film-makers for use of services at the senior extracts from film holdings; it is pleasing to see this management level: this is professional use of the film archives. a significant result. The establishment of the Staff group has meant a There are around 30 in the Archives Management number of new positions Group, including some temporary staff working on have been created, including that of Group Manager, back-capture of lists for GLADIS. Janine Delaney is two team leaders, and an Outreach Co-ordinator. It responsible for Context Control, and has 4V£ staff enabled more thinking to be brought to bear on how including herself; Matthew Hockey is in charge of access services should be organised. It also provided Arrangement and Description, with 12 staff; the back- for more support to reference staff, through training, capture team employs 7 people, and Jonathan London mentoring, trouble-shooting and professional (Preservation) has 5 staff in Wellington (including leadership. These are provided by the team leader himself), and one part-time in each of the three regions. positions and specialised expertise in Outreach work. There are a number of challenges ahead of Access what records are available in all four offices, once it is Services, including developing new access channels, fully developed. The number of researchers visiting improving existing ones, and raising the profile of the regional offices is smaller, but it is still significant. services offered. Maintenance of similar standards and turn-around Between the four offices there are 6,500 remote times makes for consistency, but Jeremy admits that it enquiries annually, and 50,000 archives items are is easier in the regions for archivists to provide one- issued. Government loans number 4-5,000 per year. to-one attention to researchers than it is in Wellington. On the other hand, the greater number of researchers Access in Wellington means that some services are feasible One of the main tasks for Access Services is there, but not in the regional offices. building capacity for on-line access to archives. This should open up the archives more to the public, as Outreach well as maintaining and improving the present means The Outreach programme consists of an exhibitions of access; for example, reading room service should programme, tours and talks, and one-off events such improve through technology systems required for on­ as open days. There is also the responsibility for line access. Archives New Zealand also needs to look advertising and promotion. at how well access is provided to public records which The exhibition programme is developed over a five- are not in custody, e.g. those in approved repositories. year period, based on staff ideas and a set of criteria, There needs to be an increase in the number of self- which the Outreach Co-ordinator then puts into a help materials, making researchers less dependent on sequence. The programme is examined by the Strategic staff. The aim is that researchers will be able to access Management Group. A project team is formed for digital copies of some archives remotely, without the approved projects. This is headed by the Outreach active assistance of Archives New Zealand staff. Co-ordinator, and will involve other Access staff for However, there is probably only a small percentage research and curatorial work, Preservation Services of items that will ever be digitised and placed on the staff for treatment of items for display and mounting, web-site, i.e. only the most heavily used items. Many and also Building Services and the Communications steps need to be taken before any large-scale Advisor. A pleasing feature of the current exhibition digitisation of the paper archives results in web access programme is the level of interest in participating from to images of them. other organisations, through joint projects. There are challenges involved in improving existing The Outreach Co-ordinator is responsible for access channels; for example, improving consistency organising the other outreach activities, but all Access of the access conditions which apply to some records, Services staff are involved in their implementation, ease of using finding aids, and the limitations in using particularly in tours and one-off events. the present ordering systems. The physical layout of the Wellington Reading Room needs attention. Routine Staff processes such as the issuing of items, return of items There are 20 staff in this group, consisting of both and requests for photocopying are at present full-time and part-time people. There are two team- performed at the same desk at which advice is being leaders and nine archivists, plus six archives support given to readers. Having but one reference desk assistants, a Government Loans Officer and an restricts splitting these functions, but it is recognised Outreach Co-ordinator, who looks after tours and that there is a need to separate the quick turn-around exhibitions. The team leaders both supervise the work requests from those which require lengthy advice. of their staffs but also do some of the operational work There are also changing expectations from alongside the archivists in their teams. One team researchers. Approximately 60% of remote reference leader supervises the reading room service, the other, enquiries (i.e. those not made in person) are now made the remote reference service. Each develops systems by e-mail, and these enquirers expect a faster response and services for their function. The staff of each team than do those enquiring by letter. Therefore an do the same tasks as each other, i.e. both forms of improved speed of response may not always be reference work. There is an emphasis on working recognised, because expectations have also risen. Time together. There is also one staff member, with part- limits placed on answering enquiries create the time support from one of the support assistants, who challenge of how to balance work priorities yet do the looks after government loans, i.e. lending work to required standards. departmental files back to the departments of origin Jeremy has overall responsibility for Access Services for reference relating to current work. in the Regional Offices also; ensuring consistency of Assistance to Access Services provided by volunteers the standards of service is an important part of his is important: the majority of supplementary finding role. He therefore meets with the Regional Archivists aids, such as name indexes, are developed by them. regularly. Systems are being developed now which will soon be nation-wide, which will help in integrating Interaction with other Groups the access channels across the four offices of Archives Access Services works closely with all the other New Zealand. The new internal records management Archives New Zealand Groups. Archivists in other system has enabled the remote reference service to be groups work in the reading room on rotation, for a better managed nationally. The GLADIS descriptive proportion of their time. This gives them experience and finding aids system will help researchers to see and broadens their perspective on their other work. It helps the level of service in the reading room, also. Access Services staff deal with Finance and Business Access staff participate in projects that are the direct regarding the administration of accounts for responsibility of other groups, e.g. the GLADIS project. reprographic services, charges for research, and They work on research guides to groups of archives, Building Services regarding preparation and or topics, or areas of research interest, which other staff presentation of exhibitions. also work on, and which will be integrated into GLADIS, for instance. Vision There is also interaction over access conditions on The purpose of the group is to provide access to new transfers of archives to the institution, to help to public archives in a timely and effective manner, ensure that they are practical for reference staff to through a variety of channels. The vision is to ensure that access channels are developed to meet changing operate. Input is given, too, to Arrangement and expectations, and to take advantage of the Description, by identifying repository problems and opportunities provided by technology. problems with finding aids. Reference staff identify Jeremy says his job consists of an interesting mix of items needing preservation treatment. work, providing a host of challenges as well as There is informal interaction in order to use the satisfactions and variety; there is some management, knowledge of staff in Appraisal or Arrangement and some work with systems, work with staff, the public, Description who have worked on records which are and government agencies. required to be used to answer reference enquiries. The movement of staff between groups also helps to spread 1 See note on visit to TVNZ Archive, under Council News in knowledge. this issue. Ed. Continuum: Launched and Reviewed

Rosemary Collier

Continuum: create and maintain.Tdhuhu te hanga me te tiaki: Recordkeeping resource kit. Archives New Zealand, Wellington, [March 2003], free to government agencies.

The kit was launched before an audience of Michael Wintringham said that Continuum recordkeepers, agency CEOs, and archivists at a suite represented best practice recordkeeping, and was an in the Wellington Town Hall, on 27 March. A shortened integrated suite of products and services to assist version was handed out to all participants, with a letter government agencies. It supported the agencies' (undated) from the State Services Commissioner, business needs for effective information, and was "a Michael Wintringham. Oddly, this folder contained the programme addressing contemporary challenges of document Electronic Records: A vision and policy for the records-keeping". It would help agencies to meet the Nezv Zealand government sector; which was not in the new audit requirements which would be provided for larger kit (though there is the excellent Advisory Notice in the new public records legislation. New government on e-mail (A/l). Michael Wintringham, along with initiatives on information meant that much more Dianne Macaskill, Chief Archivist, addressed the information would be available to citizens, with the gathering. After a glass of sherry (an unusual occurrence result of giving citizens more power. in itself these days, which Dianne Macaskill said was The Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand, to celebrate the birth of a new initiative on government Hon. Marian Hobbs, told her listeners that it takes extra recordkeeping), everyone went through to another room effort to turn information into good, reliable records. where they were seated for the speeches and a data- Records must first be created, and then well-maintained. show presentation. This was a very civilised and She said "We will get the Public Records Bill through comfortable way to launch a publication; no standing before 2007" (which surprised many, who were for long periods on hard floors without chairs! After expecting it well before then; there is to be another the presentation, which was introduced by Michael election before 2007 comes around). She said Continuum Hoyle, General Manager, Government Recordkeeping, was not about telling you how to do it, but how Archives Archives New Zealand, everyone returned to the ante­ New Zealand was working in partnership with agencies. room for very superior refreshments. There was a computer available which displayed the full web version of the Continuum kit. Review In her remarks, Dianne Macaskill said that the It is very pleasing to see Archives New Zealand Continuum tool existed to support government agencies publish a comprehensive tool for government in meeting accountability and evidential requirements. recordkeepers. Perhaps after all the managerial and restructuring traumas of the 1990s, public servants will Archives' Excel spreadsheet template. The example now be more interested in their records, realising what for Personnel files is very "p.c.", including males, they lost when records were closed off wholesale, and females, Maori and someone named "Mohammed new systems were not under any sort of expert control. Kumar" (unlikely, since the former is a Moslem This programme represents a considerable name and the latter a Hindu name). Different types achievement by Archives New Zealand, especially in of file classification systems are covered in the the number of new documents issued as part of it. The sample listings. kit is available also on the Internet. Although, like Bill A/6 "Making Access Decisions" contains a succinct Gates, most people prefer to read an item of four pages summary of the governing principles and factors. or more on paper, the Internet version will be very useful for quick reference using key words. In addition to RK/1 and A/l already mentioned, One of the splendid features of the kit is an excellent the documents in the kit which are reprints of earlier "Glossary of Archives and Recordkeeping Terms". This publications are: is one of the Guidelines in the kit. Guidelines are printed S/l "Appraisal Standard" in blue, and numbered "G/l, G/2" etc. One item is numbered "RK/1", presumably representing A/4 "Methods of Destruction" "Recordkeeping Framework", not "Resource Kit". It is, S/3 "Transfer Standard" like many of the documents in the kit, a reprint of an earlier publication of Archives New Zealand - but in this F/3 "Transfer Process" case, the publisher is shown as "Archive" New Zealand. S/4 "Access Standard" A third sequence consists of the Advisory Notices ("A"). Then there is the "S" series, the Standards, S/2 "Storage Standard" which have been previously published, and finally an All in all, the kit gives a first-class, comprehensive "F" series, which are Fact Sheets. The items are coverage of what government agencies need to know arranged not under numerical order, but under four about the functions required of them in relation to the broad functional titles: "Recordkeeping Best Practice", Archives Act. It is not a manual of how to perform "Appraisal and Disposal", "Access Regime" and those parts of the recordkeeping function which do "Preservation and Storage". not relate directly to Archives New Zealand. However, it is unfortunate that the earlier documents reprinted The new items cover most important topics. Besides here had not been revised. Alongside excellent the Glossary (G/5), they are (in the order that they definitions of appraisal in the Glossary, it is a pity to appeared in my copy of the kit): see the inadequate one in the Appraisal Standard of F/7 "Managing Government Records. Your 1998 repeated in the new Appraisal and Disposal Responsibility." Notice. However, since revisions are going to be required when the Public Records Bill is passed, F/l "What is a Corporate Record?" (which includes perhaps it was thought not worthwhile to make a useful Checklist) revisions at this stage. F/4 "ISO 15489" (not a copy of the International There is nothing to assist someone in setting up a Standard, but a brief description of it) new records classification, for both paper and electronic records, as has been done in Australia A/3 "Copying and Digitising Public Records" which (National Archives of Australia: Designing and summarises the legal position and the BSI Code of Implementing Recordkeeping Systems (DIRKS): Manual Practice, PD 0008. for Commonwealth Agencies, 2001). Perhaps this is still G/6 "A Guide to Developing a Recordkeeping to come, or perhaps it has been decided that there are Policy" with a sample recordkeeping policy dangers in being too prescriptive. While there has Appendix been considerable reliance on Australian publications in drawing up the kit, nevertheless it is significantly a G/3 "What to Consider Prior to implementing: an New Zealand publication, and signals a great step IT 'Solution' to a Recordkeeping Problem" which forward, as indicated by the use of images of steps as gives excellent advice; however most if not all a symbol throughout the kit. agencies have already put in systems; some good, Which brings us to design. Overall design of the some not. kit is very good: not too obtrusive, but symbolic and A/5 "Appraisal and Disposal of Records" easy on the eye. Where it falls down is in the choice of Advisory Notice font. All the documents have been printed in Arial font, in green or blue print; the originals of the F/2 "How do I Legally Dispose of Records?" reprinted ones were in Times New Roman in black. (correct grammar would demand that the word Designers seem to know nothing about readability! 'legally' come at the end of the question) I first read some time ago of tests of fonts for G/2 "Preparing Records for transfer: A Guide to readability, and the results favoured serif type-faces. Listing and Boxing". This last provides information Then a few years ago I went on a desk-top publishing not contained in the earlier (June 1999) Transfer course, and the tutor (from USA) confirmed those Standard, such as ample sample listings using findings. Trouble is, designers think Arial looks 'clean' and 'modern'. Not much use if its harder to read! where it can be seen when the binder is standing on a Colours other than black just exacerbate the problem. shelf. A contents page, which could be updated when Yet it is increasingly common these days to see all sorts new documents are released, would assist with of publications use sans-serif typefaces, and colours, navigation. for that 'arty' appearance. Continuum has content of value to archivists and A sturdy three-hole punch binder holds the items recordkeepers outside of central government. All in all, and leaves a little room for expansion. It is a pity that the appearance of the kit is a milestone for government "Archives New Zealand" was not printed on the spine, recordkeeping, and it deserves to be widely used. Digital Preservation

Rosemary Collier

This report of a talk by Dr Seamus Ross follows on well from Chris Hurley's article in the last issue of New Zealand Archivist and also with Theresa Graham's article in that issue.1

The National Preservation Office, which is located The reasons for keeping these records are the same in the National Library building in Wellington but is as apply to traditional records. It is cheaper to store supported by both National Library and Archives New the underlying software them to have to recreate it. Zealand, has just one officer at present: Jocelyn Cuming. There are risks from loss of the software as well as the She has been active in advocating and disseminating risks associated with keeping it. knowledge about digital preservation. The preservation The meaning of the records can be lost over time, if of paper records, can on the whole be separated from a number of conditions are not fulfilled: their selection for permanent retention (although the 1. The contextual information is required. present writer once planned to have typists select long­ life paper when typing records for permanent 2. Integrity and authenticity must be maintained. preservation). Given the manner in which digital 3. Legal and organisational impediments must be records are created and the ease with which they can removed. be destroyed, preservation here encompasses selection as archives at the earliest stages. 4. Hardware and software obsolescence must be In March, New Zealand received another visit from recognised. Dr Seamus Ross of HATH (Humanities Advanced 5. The medium of the records (e.g. tape, disk) is Technology and Information Institute).2 subject to degradation. He addressed a meeting at National Library in March. In introducing him, the newly-appointed 6. There may be loss of documentation, or National Librarian, Penny Carnaby, said that National divergence from what is stated in the Library, Archives New Zealand and Te Papa (National documentation. Museum of New Zealand) were co-operating and Against these difficulties, there are important points working collaboratively on the digitisation of cultural which justify preserving the records. They may heritage. facilitate: The title of Dr Ross's talk was "Digital Preservation 1. Managing the business (whether private or public — International Activities". He said that for digital sector) archives to survive, we must be able to trust that 2. Accountability governments, courts etc. will maintain information assets. There are numerous difficulties: 3. Compliance what to retain? 4. Business resumption planning. should ordinary staff in organisations know what Just as with paper records, these records need to keep? appraisal; we don't need to keep everything. There needs, however, to be a proactive attitude to where should the records be kept? preservation. Otherwise there will be economic and how to deal with the diversity of document types? social loss to businesses and to the community. how to access them? Preservation of essential records needs to be built into the electronic systems.3 That way, costs can be kept how long should digital information be kept? down. The material will not survive by accident. what is its value? There are various methods which can be used to preserve the records. One is emulation. That is, what are the costs of keeping it and how are the systems can be run on later versions of the earlier costs justified? software. Emulation of an old environment which does not have later versions is very expensive, but has been students will write preservation into the software done successfully, e.g. for the Domesday project, when they develop. it was found that no versions of the software on which it had been run had survived. We need the automation of metadata creation. The National Digital Archive of Datasets run by the We need access to metadata repositories. Public Record Office, London obtains and makes available government data-bases. Erpanet (Electronic We need digital objects that can notify their Resource Preservation and Access Network), an originator/manager if they need to be protected, activity funded by the European Commission, migrated or secured. provides training, advice, workshops, tools and other We need help for organisations, especially smaller services; it also carries out case studies. These can be ones. seen on the web-site: www.erpanet.org Other methods for preservation include data We need policy statements, obtainable 'off the shelf'. migration, which can lead to data and information loss, We need business cases, with models obtainable 'off and to loss of functionality, and software and hardware the shelf'. preservation to enable the programs to continue running. However, this is a technically complex and expensive We need digestible guidance and simple guidelines. solution. Dr Ross recommends preserving the bit stream We need improved models. and creating metadata for the data it is intended to preserve; access can be sorted out later. Digital We need cost-modelling help. archaeology is required to retrieve the information. The We need more research on the whole subject4. archivist needs to know about the authenticity of the programs, and especially the software. Audit trails are required, to keep track of what has been done. Among the advantages of preserving digital Other needs for the preservation of digital archives: records are their reuse, i.e. the economic value of the We need collaborative action to share knowledge information can be high. Costs need to be kept and costs. moderate, so that public information can enable the private sector to make commercial use of it, thus We need to experiment in order to gain necessary adding value. experience. We need trusted repositories. 1 New Zealand Archivist March/Autumn 2003. 2 See item on erpanet in Nezv Zealand Archivist June /Winter 2002. We need guidance on creating repositories. 3 See Chris Hurley's article in New Zealand Archivist We need a set of standards for the certification of M arch/Autumn 2003. repositories. 4 See HATH web-site for research domains and the reasons for them, e.g. Archival media tapes; Salvage and rescue; We need more emphasis on digital preservation to Accelerated ageing tests. be made by computer science communities, so that Events, Past and Future

NZSA recently co-operated with ARANZ, the Records Janet Marsland, a retired health science educator, Management Association of Australia, New Zealand spoke from her point of view as a patient, about the Branch (RMAA), and the Health Information Association lack of communication between health professionals, of New Zealand (HIANZ) in organising a one-day and the impact this can have on an individual's health. seminar on the state of health information. Entitled Crook Dr David Rankin, General Manager of Health wise (the Records: Patients', Providers' and Politics (CRP3) it was provider division of ACC) told some stories about the held in Wellington on 13 May, in the congenial negative impact of inadequate information, especially environment of the 14th floor Conference Room in the on ACC's role in paying for healthcare for accident Treasury building. A variety of speakers covered aspects victims and ensuring that they are rehabilitated. He of the subject, mainly around the contention that there described IT solutions being established in his are silos of records in various parts of the health system, organisation to minimise these impacts. and these do not necessarily talk to each other. After a generous lunch sponsored by Recall Total We heard a 'worst case scenario' from Sue Lovelace, Information Management, who along with a couple Whangarei Health Group Medical Records and Clinical of other organisations ran a trade display, Dr Jim Coding Co-ordinator, at Whangarei Hospital. She also Vause, deputy-president of the Royal New Zealand described progress within her hospital, and at Hutt College of General Practitioners, gave an entertaining Hospital where she worked until two years ago, talk and data-show on the view from the provincial towards more electronic storage and communication GP's angle, and advocated for more practitioners to of medical records. make their notes electronically. Dr Rowena Cullen, Senior Lecturer, Information Zealand Archive at Avalon, Lower Hutt on 7 May Management, at Victoria University spoke on the 2003. Manager Alan Ferris greeted members, topic "Universal electronic health records for all showed them an impressive audio-visual about the New Zealanders: nirvana or nonsense?", using Archive and the new building, explained the examples she had observed in the United Kingdom, functions of the organisation, and showed members and others. She also sketched briefly the history of around the premises, which included the well- paper-based records on medical matters, and appointed theatrette where we began. He said that described what an ideal medical record should be, currently, TVNZ Archive was the best such facility as against the problems with paper-based records. in the world. It was opened on 31 March, 2002. All In urging the adoption of integrated electronic storage and work areas were built one metre off the systems, Rowena Cullen urged that ARANZ, RMAA ground, to protect against possible flooding of the and NZSA promote public debate on key issues of Hutt River. Modern design, security, lighting and access to and use of personal health information. technology required for the job were first-class. All Eamonn Bolger talked on "Issues surrounding formats of video recordings and film are housed appraisal of Health records", and the implications here, and also material transferred from the New of legislation and regulations, including the 2001 Zealand Film Unit when it ceased functioning. Photo Neiv Zealand Public Health and Disability (Archives) stills and music tapes are also kept. Regulations. Eamonn concluded that public debate Items selected for preservation are extensively was needed on access to health records, i.e. not indexed, and can be transferred online to Auckland, personal access to health records, but access by all Wellington and Christchurch television studios, and health providers to the records of individual are transferred to video for other users. patients. The Archive is open to the public for visits, and Finally, Peter Aagaard, Corporate and items are available for public research, though TVNZ Information Directorate, Ministry of Health spoke users take precedence. The contact is Sally on progress towards inter-operability between the Williamson, Client Liaison Executive, New Zealand health information 'silos'. His presentation showed Television Archive, PO Box 30 945, Lower Hutt, participants that real progress was being made, and telephone 04 914 5301, fax 04 914 5319 or e-mail that the Ministry is attacking the problem on several Sally. [email protected] fronts . He thought part of the problem was a reality gap between professionals. Should one try and leap PARBICA (Pacific Regional Branch of the across it? It was better to fill the gap with stepping International Council on Archives) will hold its stones consisting of a series of smart projects that 10th biennial conference in Wellington from 21 to 26 would gradually fill it in. He concluded by saying July 2003. Delegates from about 20 Pacific countries he believed the silos were disappearing, and that are expected to attend, including East Timor. The 'pylons' was a better term: i.e. communication points meetings will be at a suite at the Michael Fowler along which the information could travel from one Centre. One day will be at the National Library, to another professional. Like other speakers, Mr and Archives New Zealand. There will be a series Aagaard quoted from a recent Harvard study that of lectures and workshops during the week, and it received wide publicity, which found that 1 in 4 is hoped that a number of delegates will be able to patients in New Zealand (similar figures applied to stay on in Wellington after the conference for other countries) could suffer minor or major professional work placements at Archives New consequences from mistakes made by health Zealand and the National Library. professionals. A social function will be held in the early evening Publications which could assist with aiding the of 21 July, and all members of NZSA are invited. If development of better communication without you do not receive an invitation and would like to compromising privacy were quoted during the day: attend, please contact Ken Scadden at Archives New the Health Information Privacy Code 1994 (a revision Zealand, telephone 04 499-5595 ext. 330, e-mail is currently in process of being compiled) and the [email protected] NZSA will be one of Health Netzvork Code of Practice, issued by Standards the host organisations, together with ARANZ and New Zealand in 2002. RMAA. It will be held at Archives New Zealand, and there will be a small charge. This is a chance The Wellington Sole Archivists' Group visited for New Zealand archivists to meet their Pacific the splendid new premises of the Television New colleagues. Remembering Ian Matheson

The New Zealand Society of Archivists is to set up a Scholarship fund, for an award to he known as the Ian Matheson Scholarship.

The Scholarship is to honour and remember Ian this stage we cannot say when the first award will be Matheson, a former President of the Society, and long­ made, since it will take some time to build up time archivist at Palmerston North City Council who sufficient funds. died in July 2002. His enthusiasm, knowledge and generosity in sharing what he knew with others have WE ARE ASKING YOU TO SUBSCRIBE! been an inspiration. We wish to remember him in a NZSA Council is appealing initially to its own way that we think he would have approved, to enable members to contribute to a fund to be set up specifically archivists to improve their skills, and thus their ability for the Scholarship. Later, donations of any amount to assist those who use archives for all kinds of may be made to the Fund. Cheques should be made research. Ian Matheson's family have approved the out to Ian Matheson Scholarship Fund a/c, and will idea of the scholarship. be deposited to a separate account under that title. They should be sent to NZSA Treasurer, PO Box 27- The purpose of the Scholarship is to assist 057, Marion Square, Wellington. Receipts will be archivists (people currently working with archives issued for all donations. or about to be) to receive further education and training in the profession, principally through For further details write to: internships in New Zealand archives institutions, Secretary though it could be to assist with fees for tertiary NZSA archives education. The amount to be awarded will PO Box 27-057 vary, depending on the circumstances and location Marion Square of the Scholars, who will be selected by ballot. At Wellington. NR AM News Kay Sanderson

On 5 June, NRAM completed the series of training Unfortunately, there were those who missed out. courses made possible by last year's grant from the Sometimes the dates were inconvenient and sometimes Stout Trust. The courses were held in Wellington, the courses were fully booked. Some archives curators Palmerston North, Dunedin, Auckland, Christchurch simply couldn't make it because of the long distances and Hamilton, and were attended by approximately which they would have to travel to reach the nearest seventy people. Tutors were Nicola Frean, John venue. If you missed out this time, please contact the Timmins and Pauline Porteous. NRAM Administrator, who is keeping a "waiting list" The decision to charge an attendance fee of $50, and in case the opportunity should arise to offer further practical support received in the form of free venues, training during the 2003-2004 financial year. stationery and equipment, enabled us to reach a much Remember that it is not necessary to attend a course larger group than would otherwise have been possible. prior to contributing entries to NRAM. The NRAM gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Administrator is always happy to offer one-to-one Archives New Zealand, Victoria University of advice and assistance. Wellington Library, Palmerston North City Library, Otago Settlers' Museum, Auckland City Library, Kay Sanderson Christchurch City Library, Waikato Institute of NRAM Administrator and Training Co-ordinator Technology Library and Westpac Bank. ph. 06-379-9333 Over the past three months it has been clearly e-mail: [email protected] demonstrated that NRAM courses are very much in 23 Connolly's Line, Carterton. demand. Nearly all the courses offered were booked Website: www.nram.org.nz out, with many people travelling for two or three hours to attend them. As always, those who came represented Footnote: A document received from Archives New Zealand the full range of types of NRAM contributors: local at the end of May, entitled Archives New Zealand’s Purpose has history librarians, business archivists, school archivists, under the section "Archives New Zealand's Future" a paragraph museum archivists and volunteers working with local headed "New Zealand Archives" which reads hopefully for NRAM: "New Zealand has a large number of institutions that historical societies. The fact that many represented hold archives of importance to New Zealanders. Archives New organisations which have not previously contributed to Zealand will work towards providing systems to support these NRAM is evidence of NRAM's huge potential for growth. archives and to support access to their holdings." Ed. Edukit Courses

It is still intended to run a and in a range of locations. course in Wellington before This began on 23 May with a long. Now, a new initiative group of eight people, selected has taken place in regard to because of their archives the Edukit. Rosemary Collier qualifications and experience, approached Jocelyn Cuming, and their ability and the National Preservation experience as trainers. This Officer, about co-operating in was by no means an use of the Edukit. She was exhaustive list of people; it aware that frequently the was a good start. They people Jocelyn spoke to about represented Auckland, preservation measures had Wanganui, Palmerston North, little or no training in archives Wellington, Christchurch and theory or practice. From the Dunedin. NZSA side, there was the Archivists - Back row standing L-R: Rachel Lilburn, Jocelyn Rosemary Collier possibility of using the bigger Cuming, Narelle Scollay, Lois Robertson, Rosemary Collier, condensed the Edukit course networks of the National Geraldine Pickles. Front row seated L-R: Pauline Porteous, Lucy of 1 Vi days into two hours, Preservation Office to Marsden, Libby Sharpe, Dorothy Neilson. endeavouring to present both publicise the chance of training using the Edukit. People the content, and the organisation and rationale of the who attend training courses run by the National Register kit. We did manage to work in a short session using of Archives and Manuscripts also sometimes lack basic soft toys! (See New Zealand Archivist Vol. XII no. 2, June archives skills, and so can benefit from Edukit courses. 2001). Then Jocelyn Cuming briefly presented the main It turned out that Jocelyn Cuming was already topics which she covers in an introductory Preservation interested in archives training for small, predominantly course. Participants discussed improvements which volunteer-run institutions. Jocelyn fields many could be made to the kit, and expressed themselves preservation enquiries from these institutions. The pleased with its overall content and structure. They greater issue, however, was that these volunteers had were enthusiastic about the possibilities for presenting little knowledge of archives work. Jocelyn had already courses based on it. had the Edukit brought to her attention by an archivist, NZSA is grateful to Jocelyn Cuming for taking up and saw it as a possible answer to providing some the proposed expansion of the use of the kit, and for regional training at a very basic level. organising the day — and the splendid lunch — and to Jocelyn Cuming and Rosemary Collier were both National Library for hosting the course and covering keen to organise joint courses that would cover both the costs. A small group from the participants will meet archives theory and practice, and preservation. They shortly with Ellen Ellis, who developed the kit for decided to first get together people who could act as NZSA, to work on updating it. Watch this space for trainers, so that courses could be run more frequently, further developments! National Library Act At the end of April the new National Library Act Maori interests, provide for legal deposit of electronic passed into law, by a unanimous vote in Parliament. publications (both on-line and off-line), enable further NZSA was one of the many organisations which at development of oral history by clarifying its status (and the appropriate stage made submissions on the draft. making it no longer dependent on charitable support), The President of The Friends of the Turnbull Library, establish a Library and Information Commission, and Rachel Underwood, states in her annual report for the provide for protection of the position and status of year ended 31 March 2003, that during the process MPs the Alexander Turnbull Library. This latter is were made much more aware of the importance of particularly through the establishment of the position the collections and work of the Turnbull Library. and functions of Chief Librarian and of the Guardians Provisions which are new in the 2003 Act cover of the Turnbull. Council News On the afternoon of 2 May Council held a planning we hope to implement. We would also be grateful for session, in which we looked at options for the future ideas from members as to what they think the Society and how we could improve what the Society does. should be doing, and also offers from those who would Rosemary Collier facilitated this, using the de Bono like to assist their fellow-archivists by standing for Six Hats method. Some ideas emerged from this which Council. Archives of Archives

David Retter has compiled a series of historical newspaper clippings and other documents about archives. We will print several of these over the next few issues of New Zealand Archivist.

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS baskets, and it would be dangerous for any member Mr. HOLMES asked the Government, If they intend of the Government to tear up a single scrap of during this session to introduce a Bill to provide— paper...the question of destroying or preserving (1) That all Bills, documents, papers, and memoranda documents depended very much on their nature or made, procured, furnished, printed, written, obtained, contents. It would be exceedingly absurd to say that a or supplied for public use or information at the public member of the Government, having a memorandum expense, whether by Ministers, or officers or servants which he wished to submit to his colleagues, should of the Crown, or any other persons whomsoever, are not be at liberty—if his handwriting was as bad as his public property ; (2) that it shall be a crime punishable (Sir J. Vogel's) unfortunately was—to put it before his by fine and imprisonment for any Minister, officer, or colleagues in such a shape that they could read it ; and servant of the Crown, or any other person, to destroy, it would be equally absurd to say that such a document remove, or to aid or abet in destroying or removing, any might not be destroyed, being in its nature a private such public property, without being lawfully authorized one. On the other hand, there were documents sent to so to do ; (3) that any person may lay an information the Printing Office which it might be equally improper against and prosecute any person reasonably suspected to destroy.. .he thought it would require a very clever of being guilty of having destroyed, removed, or having draftsman to produce a Bill which would draw a aided or abetted in destroying or removing, any such satisfactory line between documents which should be public property? He desired briefly to explain why he preserved and those which should be ultimately asked this question. It had been brought before the destroyed. House that a certain Bill—the materials of which were Mr. HOLMES did not at all agree with the Colonial provided at public expense, and which Bill was drawn Treasurer. He did not think there would be any by an officer of the Crown, who was paid for doing difficulty whatever in framing a short Bill to carry out so—was printed at the Government establishment and what he proposed. He would suggest to him that a at the expense of the colony, [had been destroyed is small clause giving a certain discretionary power to implied, but not stated. Ed.] Government to authorize the destruction of useless papers would meet the whole difficulty ; and then Further remarks to this wordy question were that Holmes would come in that portion of his question which considered some Parliamentarians thought "certain officers referred to not being lawfully authorized to destroy of the Crown had a right to destroy property of the Crown". papers which might be of use or benefit to the public. Sir J. VOGEL said that, if the honourable gentleman Sir J. VOGEL ...the Government did not intend to would frame the Bill, it would receive the very bring down a Bill of this character this session. Indeed, respectful attention of the Government. he might say that a Bill framed with the severity Mr. HOLMES said he would do so. indicated in the question put would be a Bill which Parliamentary Debates vol.48 pp.367-368, 17 might be fitly termed a Bill to abolish waste-paper September 1884. News Items [Archive of historic recordings] Selling the silver to satisfy An archive opened in the United States yesterday, for the 50 most memorable American recordings ever the taxman made. Who chose the items to go in this archive at Britain's hefty inheritance tax is returning all sorts the Library of Congress? The public, and the board of unusual objects into public hands. of the Library of Congress. It includes music, and FACING a big bill for inheritance tax? Don't worry, important speeches, and is selected from two-and-a- just take your pictures off the wall, wave goodbye to half million recordings already in the Library of that mahogany sideboard and sell the family silver. It Congress or other collections, going back as far as all goes some way toward satisfying the demands of Edison's recordings. This new archive will ensure the British taxman. that an additional copy will be kept of the 50 most For about 50 years, the British Government has run important recordings. a scheme under which people can use their valuables News on Radio New Zealand Upbeat programme, to settle their death duties. In a country stuffed with 29 January 2003. stately homes, forgotten trinkets and dusty manuscripts, it has proved a popular and successful was able to complete its screenplay before his death way for people to settle their debts and return works from cancer eight years ago. of art to the public domain. However, not all of the upcoming adaptations of TV serials will be similarly blessed, prompting speculation that the latest Hollywood trend may prove In 1998 someone used The Sherborne Missal, a 14th to be a fleeting fad. century Roman Catholic liturgical book, to clear a tax (sourced from The Independent) New Zealand Herald, bill of nearly £7 million. The book, made for a 23 January 2003. Benedictine abbey in southwest England and considered an unrivalled masterpiece of English book production, was snapped up by the British Library. Archive to preserve black Weighing just over 18 kilograms the Missal is nearly history 700 pages thick and contains some of the most famous illustrations of animals and flowers in English art. As with all cases of items sold as Acceptance in Lieu, the Researchers behind a project to create the world's ministry [of Culture, Media and Sport] did not reveal biggest video archive of oral African American history the seller's identity. believe that, taken together, the stories and testimony of In the same year, someone paid off £1.6 million of up to 5,000 black Americans - famous or otherwise - tax using manuscripts, books, portraits and ceramics will create a resource of unparalleled richness. They also relating to the composer George Frederic Handel. hope that when viewed as a whole, scholars and students Gideon Long, Reuters; Dominion Post, 17 February 2003. will become more aware of the role in the development of black consciousness played by people whose names did not make the headlines. Thus the project is a radical Tinseltown raids Brit TV attempt to amend the received wisdom about who were archive the key people in the black American struggle. Not since the 1930s, during the Roosevelt era, when They have plundered comic books, video games and out-of-work writers were sent out across the United even their own back catalogues. Now Hollywood States to record interviews with 2300 former slaves, studios are turning to vintage British television in their has there been such a comprehensive attempt to record latest bid to find bankable new franchises. the African American experience as told in the first As critics discuss the merits of Mel Gibson's big- person, those behind the project claim. screen version of The Singing Detective at this week's "We are preserving living history," said Julianne Sundance Film Festival, plans are afoot to turn a host Richardson, who established the HistoryMakers project. of other classic serials into movies. "In today's world you hear Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. You keep hearing the same names over and over again.. ..But if it had not been for the lawyers Even Brideshead Revisited is about to be given the behind the scene and funders like Harry Belafonte there movie treatment. Evelyn Waugh's novel, which was would not have been a Martin Luther King. The stories turned into the most acclaimed ITV drama serial ever, are out there, but you never get to hear them. It's a is being adapted by the prolific British screenwriter humungous resource and people will want to tap into Andrew Davies. The Prisoner, the cult 60s science it. It is a resource that will not easily be replicated." fiction series starring Patrick McGoohan as an The project, based in Chicago, was started when Ms abducted agent who wakes up in a mysterious village, Richardson was a graduate student at Harvard and is being reinvented for cinema audiences. was completing a project on oral history. She said that As with many big-screen adaptations, there were she was inspired by the discovery that the history of early signs that the producers of The Singing Detective blacks in America contained so many different stories had taken worrying liberties with Dennis Potter's and yet people heard very few of them. original script in an effort to simplify it for multiplex The closest comparison is to Steven Spielberg's audiences. The BBC serial starred Michael Gambon Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation as Philip E. Marlowe, a writer of detective novels, who, archive, which involved interviewing 50,000 Holocaust while bed-ridden in hospital with the skin disease survivors in 57 countries. psoriasis, lapses into a fantasy world peopled by his Ms Richardson said her team have set themselves own creations. In the new version, his character is the task of interviewing on video 5,000 black Americans renamed Dan Dark, and played by the younger and by 2005. So far the team .. .have completed 400, each more photogenic Robert Downey jnr. interview running for up to two hours in length. The His psychiatrist, Dr Gibbon (Scottish actor Bill team estimate that to complete the project they will Paterson in the original), is portrayed by Mel Gibson, require $30m. They have so far raised $2.4 m, mostly who also co-produced the film. But early reports with money from grants and foundations. suggest that it is something of a minor triumph. In the Sundance festival's guide, it is described as a "jewel of a film", and Downey jnr is praised for his Ms Richardson said that she hoped eventually that "outstanding performance". The success of the film the HistoryMakers video recordings would be stored can be put down in part to the fact that Potter himself in a digital archive that would be available to black colleges as well as libraries and national research three decades, were collected from their birthplace, centres, including the Schomburg Centre for Research the Wanganui Chronicle, and transported to the in Black Culture, which is based in Harlem, New Whanganui Regional Museum where they will be York... catalogued, cleaned and stored. (sourced from The Independent) Wanganui Chronicle, Wanganui Newspapers donated bound volumes of 16 January 2003. the Wanganui Herald from the early 1970s to 1986, when it closed, and the Chronicle from around 1965 to 1980. City Archives open longer These papers joined the museum's already extensive collection of local newspapers, which starts with a Big changes are taking place at Wellington City number of issues from the 1850s and 1860s and includes Archives, the Council's wonderful repository for the the bulk of works from the early 1870s onwards. documentary history of Wellington. Taking charge of the collection, archivist Libby From May 5, the Archives will be open five days a Sharpe said the newspapers were an invaluable, week, from 10.00 am until 4.30 pm Monday to Friday. "totally unique" resource that needed to be treated This means that the archives are accessible an with care. "They're one of a kind. No other collection additional four and a half hours a week but, more in the world is like this. What better way is there to importantly, it is hoped that the hours will be more investigate a specific topic than to look at an original convenient for many customers. City Archivist, Joanna contemporary account," she said. Newman, says "There is a tremendous amount of work Once each volume has been prepared for storage, a to do behind the scenes in an archives but we have at job expected to take three months, they will be placed last reached the point where we can provide good on purpose-built shelves within the museum "and access to our holdings without having to close for a probably only brought out to be microfilmed or day to do so." scanned when necessary". Ms Sharpe said some Public use of the Archives is steadily increasing - people questioned the need to collect and maintain partly, Joanna believes, because the holdings are now the papers when the majority of issues through to the so much more accessible and so much more of the 1990s were already copied to microfilm. " The format collection is catalogued. Part of that accessibility is we use to view things may change in the future. The the new online database which can be browsed in the point is, none of us knows how long film and digital Reading Room at the Archives. This gives researchers formats may last, so we need to retain original access to information on over 300,000 files, maps, plans, newspapers just in case. We know that paper, stored photographs and other items in the collection. Images in optimum conditions, lasts for centuries." of about 3,000 photographs of historic Wellington can Those wanting to access the microfilm for research also be viewed on line. purposes, such as shedding light on their ancestry, can To find out more, call the Archives on 801 2096 or visit the museum's Heritage Room from lpm-5pm on visit the website at http://wcc.govt.nz/services/ weekdays. Issues of the Chronicle and Herald from the archives/ 1870s to 1900 are also available online via the National Absolutely POSITIVELY Wellington: Your city council Library's website found at paperspast.natlib.govt.nz newspaper, May 2003. Tony Abel, Wanganui Chronicle, 16 May 2003. Our Plan for Wellington: [Study on health New initiatives for 2003/04 misadventure] Community Archive A Harvard University study has shown that, as in Under this project, the role of the Council's City the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Archives would be expanded to include the archives Canada, one in four patients in New Zealand suffers of other organisations that have played a significant some medical mistake or misadventure. It is particularly role in the city's development. The records and prevalent amongst those with multiple doctors. memorabilia of local businesses, societies, associations, Radio New Zealand News, 8 May 2003. interest groups, churches and religious institutions or [Surely this points to poor recordkeeping and poor clubs could be included. We propose to spend $31,000 communication of what is in those records. Ed.] in each of the next three years on part-time archives staff and storage materials. Absolutely POSITIVELY Wellington: Your city council Artist of death confided newspaper, May 2003. horrors to diary AS ANATOLE DEIBLER led his 395 victims to the Newspaper history to be guillotine, he observed them with the detached lucidity preserved for posterity of a true professional. Their howls of fear, their cries of anger, their final cigarettes: he watched it all, then Wanganui history was relocated from Taupo Quay noted it [in] his diaries. to Queen's Park in the back of a truck yesterday, a move Mr Deibler's 14 notebooks were auctioned in Paris that will ensure its safekeeping for generations to come. this week. Sold in two separate volumes, Executions Around 250 volumes of newspapers, covering almost and Condemnations, they fetched 100,249 euros (NZ$198,000), seven times more than expected. The Secrets rise from ashes as buyer was not named. France's last public executioner left about 2000 pages looters" fury subsides of detailed, handwritten comments on the rapists, AFTER SADDAM; A box lined with tigerskin murderers, anarchists and presidential assassins whose paper reveals a British MP's dealings with Iraq heads he removed between 1890 and 1939, when he Inside the blackened, gutted shells of Iraq's collapsed at a railway station on his way to an government ministries, a frenzied hunt is on for loot execution and died aged 76. and evidence. Foreign journalists search through battered, dust-covered archives metres away from Iraqis hammering at light fittings and wheeling out Dominion Post, 8 February 2003. furniture.

Courts under fire over There are few parallels for a totalitarian regime document shutdown collapsing and leaving so many of its secrets behind. The Iraqi files are in pale blue folders, crammed inside The Department for Courts was under attack brown box files. The boxes labelled "Britain" found yesterday for abruptly moving to limit the public's in the Foreign Ministry were, for reasons best known access to the High Court register. In an apparently to Iraqi officialdom, lined with tigerskin wallpaper. arbitrary move prompted by the introduction of its Everyone has been hunting for loot or evidence much-criticised new computer system, court except, it seems, Western intelligence agencies, who bureaucrats have told the public it is no longer appear to have let the chance pass. The early document possible to look at the register of cases filed at the hunt, which engaged a large number of foreign court in Auckland. journalists almost from the moment Saddam Hussein Registrar Tony Mortimer said the computer system fell, concentrated on the headquarters of the had a single level of access, which was designed for Mukhabarat, the intelligence service. staff to see all details of cases, so it had been decided not to offer the public service any longer. "Anyway, you appear to be the only person who asks for it," Much of the Mukhabarat's archives fell victim to Mr Mortimer told The National Business Review. The the fires, and the remainder was scrutinised by Western public could still search for details of a particular case, journalists. By last week, every government ministry had suffered the same treatment and the tide of looting but only if they knew the name of one of the parties, had slowed. Yet the Foreign Ministry appeared to have Mr Mortimer said. Each search of each name would largely escaped the attentions of journalists, perhaps cost $25 - the fee previously charged to look at the because it lacked the obvious macabre glamour of the entire register. Mukhabarat headquarters. It had been looted and The decision was made at a meeting of court many of its floors were gutted by fire, yet it remained officials and it was unclear whether it was backed up structurally intact. by a judicial ruling, whether any judges were So I chose this ministry for my search on Sunday. informed or whether any legal opinion was obtained. The blackened office containing archives of The move has enraged the media, which fears the correspondence crossing the desk of Iraqi foreign important principle of having an open court system ministers happened to be about the only room on the is being undermined. The Press Freedom Committee ministry's first floor with anything left inside it at all. of the Commonwealth Press Union said the move was Standing on a heap of grubby box files piled on the an unacceptable constraint on access to official floor, I dropped to my knees and started rummaging. information and it would raise the issue with the Documents stamped "confidential and personal" Department of the Courts [sic]. emerged from pale blue folders, all carrying the Iraqi "We have to ask ourselves whether the court eagle, the symbol of the state. Letters signed by famous bureaucracy does not have the same commitment to names in Iraqi politics such as Tariq Aziz, once deputy open justice that is embraced by the judiciary. Or is prime minister, and Naji Sabri, the former foreign this a matter of knowing the cost of everything and minister, cascaded on to the floor. Some were the value of nothing?" Commonwealth Press Union blackened and torn. All were covered with a thick chairman Gavin Ellis said. Under rule 66 of the High coat of ash and soot. Within minutes, both of us had sweaty black sleeves. Court rules, any person has the right, for a fee, to Then my Iraqi translator found an orange box-file "search, inspect and take a copy of... all registers and with the Arabic label "Britain". Its interior was lined indexes of court records." with tigerskin wallpaper. Four blue folders lay inside. Opening the first, I found George Galloway's letter nominating Fawaz Zureikat as his representative in Deborah Hill Cone, The National Business Review, 4 Baghdad [George Galloway is a British MP who tried April 2003. to foster relations with Iraq. Ed.]. Another folder contained a letter from Sir Edward Heath, thanking the Iraqi representative in London for attending a lunch Paul Robeson. Some 4000 pages of newly released in Salisbury. documents also show that McCarthy was convinced Two more boxes were labelled "Britain". Others many writers, government officials and secretaries had were labelled "United States", "Security Council" and access to classified information. "France". Each appeared to contain documents that had crossed the desk of an Iraqi foreign minister. They were piled inside a tiny room on the first floor. Nearby NZPA/ AP, Manawatu Evening Standard, 7 May 2003. was a large room that must have been the ministry's main archive. The metal frames of row upon row of Humble clay tablets are folders still survive. Everything else has been burned to a cinder. Why the room with the box-files survived greatest loss to science is a mystery. Its walls are blackened by fire, yet most One month after the looting of the National Museum of the folders are intact. The looters who ransacked of Iraq in Baghdad, it is clear that the consequences will the ministry clearly had no interest in them. be devastating. The plunder is already being compared David Blair, Telegraph Group Ltd; New Zealand Herald, to the legendary destruction of the Great Library of 24 April 2003. Alexandria centuries ago. But the losses that will wound archaeologists most deeply are... the mass of Files tell story of secret information recorded in thousands of cuneiform tablets and other small artefacts that have been reported assassins missing. These items formed one of the most The chief of Saddam Hussein's secret police "151" comprehensive records of the lives and thoughts of division knew how to test the mettle of his officers. Mesopotamian people thousands of years ago. "What's Hazal al-Nasire handed down the Iraqi President's really interesting about this civilisation is not the high orders to kill political and religious opponents, praising art," says Paul Zimansky, a specialist in Mesopotamian successful assassins and ordering investigations into antiquities at Boston University. "Most of the stuff I the motives of those who dared refuse him. dug up that went into that museum would not strike As recently as six weeks ago the assassination chief anyone as terribly beautiful. But they tell us how people was still giving orders to kill Saddam's opponents, lived in our first civilisation, and that's very important." according to secret and signed documents discovered Fortunately, not all the information from such in a two-storey stucco home in Baghdad. On the cover artefacts will be lost. Archaeologists keep careful of one white folder is scribbled, "Names of officers records of the material they excavate - especially if, as who did not agree to execute people in the street." in Iraq, foreign workers are often not allowed to take Many of the other documents in the same house had the objects out of the country. Instead, they photograph already been destroyed in a fire, but these pristine everything, write careful descriptions, and often make papers were hidden in a garage. casts of the originals to take home for further study. These records form a back-up of the original material, scattered among universities and museums In the files, officers excuse themselves from around the world. Archaeologists are now trying to assassination duties on the grounds of ill health, or pull these back-ups together into a coherent, usable because they are compassionate fathers and do not archive. "There's been a real mobilisation of scholars want to dirty their hands. But others who carry out to try to start assembling this information," says Ellen their allotted tasks receive praise in the files for their Herscher of the Archaeological Institute of America in courage and bravery. Boston. But these secondary records can never provide as much information as the originals. "There's no substitute for the originals," says Herscher. Worse, Philip Smucker, New Zealand Herald, 24 April 2003. no secondary records exist at all for much of the material that was held in the Baghdad museum.... US Senate unseals private This lack of back-up is particularly serious when it comes to the thousands of cuneiform tablets held by transcripts from McCarthy the museum that have never been read or translated. "There's a whole world that opens up as a document investigation era is deciphered," says Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Pushing an anti-communist crusade that riveted the Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. "If it's never United States a half century ago, Joseph McCarthy read, it's a loss to our collective past." manipulated his Senate hearings by calling witnesses Among the unread tablets reported missing are he could intimidate and ignoring those likely to oppose those containing a second copy of the Gilgamesh epic, him, newly released transcripts show. one of the oldest recorded stories in the world. These Among the nearly 500 witnesses covered in could have filled in the gaps left by missing or broken transcripts of closed-door meetings made public tablets in the first version of the tale. Other tablets yesterday by the Senate are composer Aaron Copland, record more routine information: business New York Times journalist James Reston and Eslanda transactions, inventories of livestock, legal records and Goode Robeson, the wife of blacklisted singer-actor the like. Yet even such apparently trivial information can be valuable to archaeologists, especially when they Official Information Act (and, in respect of personal uncover a complete archive as they did in the late 1980s information, the Privacy Act), the very nature of most in the city of Sippar, south-east of Baghdad. SIS documents means they are exempt for security or Such sources provide a snapshot of what people privacy reasons. Some of the files created by its considered important and how they organised their predecessor - the New Zealand Police Special Branch lives and possessions, providing a rich picture of the - have been released in response to requests from workings of an early civilisation. Much of that value academics. But, to date, no SIS files have been released. is lost if the archive is scattered or partially destroyed. Both the US and Australia have more accessible "Are you ever going to get those materials back archival policies than the SIS. The CIA releases millions together so they can be studied? You're not. This is a of pages of documents each year, much of it in response great loss to humanity," says Samuel Paley, an to specific request. Currently, it is reviewing all non­ archaeologist at the State University of New York at exempt records 25-years or older for declassification Buffalo. There is, however, some good news: most of - which amounts to some 40-60 million pages of secret Iraq's archaeological treasures remain buried in its soil, material. For example, over 227,000 pages of records awaiting discovery. on the assassination of President Kennedy have been released. Australia's equivalent of the SIS - the Australian Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Iraq's Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) - has a policy libraries. The National Library in Baghdad, and of making many files available to the public after 30 years. several others, were destroyed in the aftermath of the ---- [Researchers Aaron Fox and Anne-Marie Brady war. Among their contents were Korans and other texts in New Zealand have been unsuccessful in obtaining going back five hundred years, as well as more recent access to files, and have said former Soviet bloc papers documenting the founding of the modem state archival policies are more open than those in New of Iraq after the break-up of the Ottoman Empire. "The Zealand.] library is a disaster on a different level," says Irving Finkel, an archaeologist at the British Museum in London. "Burnt manuscripts are gone forever." [Dr Anne-Marie Brady] "It's really weird for a Bob Holmes and James Randerson, New Scientist, democratic society. The research is not going to hurt 10 May 2003. anybody."

They're keeping our secrets Written parliamentary questions by Green MP Keith The world's intelligence agencies are coming in from Locke have revealed the SIS was granted a 25-year the cold and opening their records for inspection, but exemption from depositing its classified material in not yet New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service. the National Archives when it [the SIS] was established in 1969. Since then, that exemption has been extended twice for 10-year periods. The latest extension was Surprising as it may seem, our SIS is one of the more certified by then prime minister Jim Bolger in June secretive in the developed world. Unlike the 1995. The basis for the exemption is that releasing the intelligence agencies of Australia, the United States and material "may adversely affect the national security even Britain, the SIS doesn't have an archival policy of New Zealand or relations between the Government which requires it to release its records after a certain of New Zealand and the government of any other period of time. country". But change is coming. The SIS is developing an That argument rankles with Mr Locke. "No files archival policy which means secret documents will have ever been deposited in the Archives, which raises eventually be released. SIS director Richard Woods two questions: Why not, in terms of accountability? doesn't want to comment on the proposal till it has And why have they been hidden from the public for been announced by Prime Minister Helen Clark, but so long? If you go back to 1969, all the people in charge it is likely to be finalised this year. back then are out of the picture now. That's not very At the moment, it is expected that the SIS will follow good for historical research or accountability." He the example of its British counterpart by imposing a doubts the information held by the SIS is sufficiently wait period of 50 years on most records. More sensitive sensitive to warrant such secrecy. Even the proposed information may be withheld even longer. A draft of 50-year time lapse is too long, he believes. Mr Locke the proposal has been sent to the Chief Ombudsman, suggests the maximum wait period should be about the Privacy Commissioner, the Chief Archivist, and 25 years with a sliding scale that allows less sensitive the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security for material to be released sooner. comment. "Not enough pressure has gone on yet because the The move to release old files has been a long time preferable situation for intelligence agencies is always coming. Right now, it's easier for New Zealanders to total secrecy. It's the way intelligence agencies work. access Australian Security Intelligence Organisation If they can get away with putting nothing in the files or US Central Intelligence Agency files than those archives, it's simpler for them... and you can only of our own intelligence service. counter it by having a bit of public debate." Though the SIS is bound by the provisions of the But historians are doubtful the SIS will adopt a more flexible policy. Dr Fox points out that because it is both a domestic and overseas intelligence agency, a One hundred years of lot of its material is probably sourced from overseas. photographic histoy [sic] This complicates its ability to disclose information. For Gifting of images from The Dominion and Evening Post example, the activities of Australia's overseas intelligence collection agency - the ASIS - remain fully protected by secrecy. Second, much of the SIS's Since the 1950s the [Alexander Turnbull] Library has information - particularly in the early days was received by donation large collections of photographic probably sourced from its British counterpart. Dr Fox negatives (some 30,000), albums and photographic believes our trans-Tasman cousins have found a good prints. The images themselves date from the 1890s to middle-ground. "I would like to see us follow the the 1980s and have been used extensively in works Australian (ASIO) example, which is a healthy one in published about New Zealand. that they have a 30-year time limit." Wellington Newspapers Ltd. were most anxious that Diana McCurdy, Dominion Post, 23 May 2003. materials they could no longer retain at their premises [after the merger of the two newspapers in July 2002] would be preserved and made available, for the public Changes at Commonwealth to use for research purposes. Bank Information Management & Archives The Library was able to fill significant gaps in holdings of both metropolitan newspapers, to the point ARCHIVES RELOCATION that it now has complete paper copy sets of the Evening The Commonwealth Bank's Archives was Post (1865-2002) and The Dominion (1907 to the present). established in June 1954. The Archives, initially In addition complete sets of the New Zealand Times (1874- located in Sydney in the building at the corner of Pitt 1927) and the Sunday Times (1965-1994) were received. Street and Martin Place, will shortly be moving from The Turnbull's Photographic Archive has received its present location at Elizabeth and Foveaux Streets, a vast number of additional negatives and prints. In Sydney to new state-of-the-art premises being excess of 350,000 photographic negatives from The outfitted at Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets, Dominion and the Ei’ening Post, dating from the 1950s Sydney. This relocation will enable the State Bank/ to the year 2000, cover New Zealand topics: Rural Bank Archives and the Colonial Archives (ex everything from Royal tours to the Fiji coup! In Melbourne) both acquired as part of the Colonial addition 40 x 4 drawer filing cabinets of photographic merger to be housed together with the prints (1925-2000) were received. Commonwealth Bank Archives. The relocation is scheduled [for February 2003] Philip Rainer, Manager Research Centre, Off the Record, Number 10, 2003 [May]. NEW APPOINTMENTS A review undertaken in April 1999 resulted in a Rothschild On-line change of name and focus of the section to Information Management and Archives, with the Archivist's position becoming Information Manager. The [Rothschild Archive] Trust was established in This new position oversees many aspects of the 1999 to develop for educational purposes the rich and management of information within the Bank, varied archives which have accumulated in the central Rothschild Archive, located in the City of London including Records Management, Archives and within yards of the site where Nathan Mayer Knowledge Management, with a focus on electronic Rothschild first set up a merchant bank in the early records. An organisational review has resulted in years of the nineteenth century. additional appointments to the Section.

The [Rothschild Research] Forum... can be ARCHIVES approached from the Archive's website: Chris Hurley has been appointed as Manager www.rothschildarchive.org...The site will show how Archives. Chris is well-known in archival circles being even the most humble of records can be of value to a prolific writer and active contributor to archival researchers once placed in an electronic environment listservs. Chris comes to the Bank from National with fast search capability. For example, the series of Archives NZ, with previous appointments at PROV receipts for goods and services... can... reveal... details and Australian Archives as well as at Monash of the seeds and plants bought for the family's gardens University. and the names of dealers who supplied works of art for their growing collections.

aus-archivists listsero, 6 February 2003. Victor Gray, Director of the Rothschild Archive, History Today, May 2003. the Nazis. The archive will is [sic] open to academics Antarctic artefacts just the by special appointment. (December 29th) ticket MI5 has chosen Christopher Andrew, Professor of Canterbury Museum has bolstered its excellent Modem and Contemporary History at Corpus Christi Antarctic collection with rare items from early College, Cambridge, to write an authorised history of expeditions to the continent. At an auction in the Secret Service, to mark its centenary in 2009. Auckland last week, the museum purchased 14 Professor Andrew will became [sic] a 'part-time' historic pieces including a copy of the Blizzard member of MI5 to compile the volume and will be pamphlet for $23,625, and Captain Robert Falcon allowed access to classified files. (December 19th) Scott's last rail ticket for $1856. History Today, March 2003. The Blizzard pamphlet is a collection of written items from Ernest Shackleton's crew in the Discovery expedition. Only 50 were printed and Draft ASA policy statement the copy obtained by the museum is believed to be on appraisal the only copy left in Australasia. Appraisal has long been one of the most contentious Scott's ticket was used to travel in Australia in and hotly debated topics in our profession. It has been 1910 as he raised money for his last Antarctic covered extensively in professional literature; expedition. The museum purchases were funded vigorously debated on the list, and in recent years from a bequest. disposal action has been the centre of a number of "These important acquisitions are part of a political events and legal cases [in Australia]. In the purposeful build up of materials by the museum," current climate [Australian Society of Archivists'] museum director Anthony Wright said. "We are Council decided to develop a policy statement to gearing up for a fantastic new Antarctic experience establish a Society position on appraisal. in the revitalised museum and items such as this newsletter and train ticket will help to bring to life the stories of Antarctic discovery and exploration." Appraisal should be undertaken by professional records The museum plans to have the new acquisitions on and archives staff. Their professional expertise is based display in early April. Visitors should check with on education that provides them with competencies the museum on 366 5000 or visit www.bethere.org.nz outlined in the Archives and Records Competency for details. Standards, [Australian; similar standards exist for New Jarrod Booker, The Press, 13 March 2003. Zealand, under the aegis of the Public Service Training Organisation, but are overdue for revision, which Archives New Zealand intends to undertake. Ed.] and on History in the Media - News experience in records and archives administration. The Vatican has announced that it will declassify its archives relating to the years leading up to the Second World War in an attempt to prove the Roman Catholic aus-archivists listserv, 16 April 2003. Church was opposed to the Holocaust. During this period, its ambassador to Berlin was the man who went The document is quite lengthy, consisting mainly on to become Pope Pius XII from 1939 to 1958, and has of the draft appraisal policy statement. Readers are long been accused of ignoring the plight of the Jews in encouraged to send comments to members of the concentration camps. The Vatican has said that the Council, who include John Roberts of Archives New released documents will show Pius XII's 'great works Zealand. His e-mail address for comments is of charity and assistance' towards those persecuted by [email protected]; by 30 June. Archives New Zealand in the News

Archives New Zealand schedules, i.e. those that schedule similar records from all departments and agencies for destruction Receives New Budget or transfer to Archives, not just from one department at a time. The appraisal function is now part of the Allocation Government Recordkeeping Group within Archives Amongst the budget announcements today was New Zealand. Under the old structure it was part one to the effect that Archives New Zealand has of operations. received extra funding for a new repository in John Roberts described developments with Auckland. Archives Chief Executive and Chief GLADIS, the electronic Government Locator Archivist Dianne Macaskill said the funding will Archival Description Information System. He said mean Archives can build a top quality repository in that GLADIS can document government records still Auckland which will ensure the safety and security held in departments, not only those transferred to of the archives kept there, as well as improving Archives New Zealand. This use then prompts Archives' ability to provide good service to their departments to make further transfers, and also readers. provides access to more records for the public, "I personally am delighted with this new budget including government records held in other allocation and I look forward to using it to continue repositories. Greg Goulding (Policy) discussed our progress towards becoming an organisation that developments with the legislation. He stated that has effective systems and processes in place to meet the Public Records Bill is on this year's legislative the many and varied challenges we face in the coming programme, and probably it would be introduced years," she said. this year and referred to a Select Committee (but An announcement from Archives New Zealand on see p.4, under Continuum). A paper had been sent New Zealand Records listserv, 15 May 2003. to Cabinet describing which government agencies were included in the Bill, and which records. In Consultation Group meets answer to a question Greg said that Government wished universities to be included. A group loosely referred to as Archives New It is apparent that there are major developments Zealand Consultation Group met again on 10 April at Archives New Zealand, particularly since it at Archives' Head Office in Wellington. It consists became a separate government department. It can of individuals invited by the Chief Executive, now steer its own course, with increased staff and representing a range of stakeholders, rather than increased funding. being directly representative of organisations. Rosemary Collier Dianne Macaskill reported on proceedings of the Maori Consultation Group, and on the Statement of Intent,1 a summary of which was produced. Outreach Interestingly, there are comments in the minutes of The latest edition of Archives New Zealand's the former which foreshadow a new building in newsletter, labelled Summer/Autumn 2003 but Auckland, but this did not come up in the received on 27 May, reports on the launch of the Consultation Group meeting in April. Continuum Recordkeeping programme in Senior staff introduced a variety of subjects during Wellington, and also in Auckland and Christchurch. the course of the morning. John Roberts (Archives The Chief Archivist reports on some significant new Management), Jonathan London (Preservation sections in this year's Statement of Intent. The Services) and Matthew Hockey (Head Archivist, questions of digitising some records and also Arrangement and Description) discussed managing "bom digital" records will be addressed. Digitisation and the Digital Repository. It was Progress with the GLADIS electronic system is explained that Archives New Zealand is committed reported. Archives New Zealand has bought a licence to becoming a digital repository. Because of the for the new international recordkeeping standard, importance of providing readier access to archives, ISO 15489, which it can make available to government a business case was being developed for the agencies at no cost. The new organisational structure digitisation of certain frequently-used records. is mentioned, and also the allocation of funding for a Dianne Macaskill and Eamonn Bolger (Head purpose-built repository in Auckland. Archivist, Appraisal) talked about the new Plans for a published Standard on Electronic "Continuum" product (see separate article) and the Recordkeeping Systems, and a Recordkeeping move towards developing general disposal Metadata Standard are announced. There is a short obituary of R.I.M. (Bob) Burnett, probably Archives' longest-serving researcher. He In this Issue was certainly around before your Editor joined National Archives' staff in 1965! In the 1970s Bob New Structure at Archives New Zealand. Jeremy described archivists (tongue-in-cheek, as so often) Cauchi, John Roberts, Rosemary Collier as "paper-massagers". Continuum: Launched and Reviewed. Rosemary Finally, a lengthy list of accessions covering Collier October 2002 to January 2003 is particularly strong Digital Preservation. Rosemary Collier on politicians' papers - but why are they described Events, Past and Future in different formats in October compared with Remembering Ian Matheson January? The former are shown as 'Miscellaneous NR AM News. Kay Sanderson Political Papers (name of politician)' and in January Edukit Courses as 'name of politician, Miscellaneous Political National Library Act Papers'. Council News Outreach/kia whakakautoro, Summer/Autumn 2003. Archives of Archives. David Retter News Items: Archive of historic recordings; Selling 1 See New Zealand Archivist Summer/December 2002 for a the silver to satisfy the taxman; Tinseltown raids review of the 2002 Statement, by Michael Hodder. Brit TV archive; Archive to preserve black history; City Archives open longer; Community archive; Newspaper history to be preserved for posterity; Study on health misadventure; Artist of death confided horrors to diary; Courts under fire over document shutdown; Secrets rise from ashes as looters' fury subsides; Files tell story of secret assassins; US Senate unseals private transcripts from McCarthy investigation era; Humble clay tablets are greatest loss to science; They're keeping our secrets; Changes at Commonwealth Bank Information Management & Archives; One hundred years of photographic histo[r]y; Rothschild On-line; Antarctic artefacts just the ticket; History in the Media - News; Draft ASA policy statement on appraisal. Rosemary Collier, Michael Hodder, David Retter, Noelene Wevell. Archives New Zealand in the News. ------♦------About the Contributors

Jeremy Cauchi is Group Manager, Access Services, Archives New Zealand, Wellington. Rosemary Collier is Editor of New Zealand Archivist and a semi-retired archives consultant. David Retter is President of NZSA and Team Leader, Research Centre, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. John Roberts is Group Manager, Archives Management, Archives New Zealand, Wellington. Kay Sanderson is NRAM Administrator and Training Co-ordinator, and lives in Carterton.

New Zealand Archivist (ISSN 0114-7676) is the quarterly journal of the New Zealand Society of Archivists Incorporated. It is published each year in: Autumn/March; Winter/June; Spring/September and Summer/ December. It is compiled by the editor: Rosemary Collier. Copyright © NZSA and contributors. Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the NZSA. The editorial address is PO Box 27-057, Wellington, NZ. All other correspondence to Secretary, NZSA, at the same address. Contributions for publications are invited. The journal is available through membership of the society (personal $45.00 in NZ, $55.00 overseas, or institutional $100.00) or separately by subscription at the same rates. Overseas rates include airmail postage. All charges payable in New Zealand dollars only.