International Council of Archives

"Kia ora" and warm Pacific greetings to you all, my name is Anna Gulbransen and I work for Archives New Zealand as a Senior Archives Advisor. In 2011, I was elected Secretary-General for the Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (PARBICA).

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My role with Archives New Zealand and position within PARBICA are each challenging and rewarding in their own ways. My job keeps me focused on what it means to be working with archives in the digital world, while working with PARBICA forces me to think about regional solutions for addressing the challenges of archiving in the Pacific.

In my short time at Archives New Zealand I have been lucky to be involved in a number of exciting pieces of work. Starting as a ‘baby archivist’ working in arrangement and description before dipping my toes in the world of access services, I then spent time working with agencies to improve the state of recordkeeping in the New Zealand government. I have recently been involved in the development of a Digital Archive for the New Zealand government.

I am currently working on developing a strategy and implementation plan for moving Archives New Zealand’s services into the online environment. This is challenging work, thinking about what it means to be an archival institution working in the online space. There has to be a balance between the public’s desire and expectations for access to information and online services alongside our professional practices and all within a constrained fiscal environment.

My heart belongs in the Pacific, the places, the people and the stories are wonderful and we as archivists have an important role to play in preserving the memories of yesterday’s generations while supporting recordkeeping for good governance to ensure we leave stable and accountable governments for future generations. Working as Secretary-General for PARBICA has provided me with a unique opportunity to be involved in this work.

My first exposure to the PARBICA family was in the Cook Islands contributing to the development of digital recordkeeping guidance for the Recordkeeping for Good Governance toolkit looking at Digital Recordkeeping. I don’t think I’ve ever worked as hard or laughed as much as I did during that week in Rarotonga. It was a daunting undertaking but the reference group did some great work and together we have developed good guidance.
Last year, I had my first chance to meet the whole PARBICA family at the 14th biennial PARBICA conference. If I thought I’d laughed a lot in the Cook Islands, the whole family was something else all together!

The experience of attending a PARBICA conference left me exhausted and inspired. The challenges faced by my colleagues in the Pacific and the solutions they come up with to meet these challenges made me think about what it really means to do something with limited resources and just how much can be done if you put your mind to it. And on top of this, it is important to do it with a smile on your face.

I hope to be fortunate enough to meet you at the Congress in Brisbane. It will be an amazing opportunity to learn more about the world of archives, discuss the work of PARBICA and other regional branches, discover how other jurisdictions are managing the challenges of the online world and hopefully a chance to share some of that wonderful Pacific laughter.

Anna Gulbransen