About CITRA

A little history

CITRA, or the International Conference of the Round Table on Archives, is nearly as old as the International Council on Archives. At the beginning of the 1950s, around 40 archivists representing their respective countries, met around a round table to discuss common strategic issues. Warmly welcomed at the invitation of numerous countries around the world, CITRA initially expanded to include the presidents of professional associations, then the presidents of sections and committees. Despite not having such an important audience as that of the international congress, CITRA has always been home to intense intellectual and scientific debates. The chosen themes generally follow a three year cycle, sandwiched between the International Congress which takes place every four years. For example the theme of the 1997 to 1999 cycle was devoted to access to information whilst through 2001 to 2003 participants discussed the relationship of archivists with society. One of the high points of this cycle was the conference in Cape Town in 2003, dedicated to the question of archives and human rights, where the inaugural speech was given by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Another example is the 2006 conference which met in a land of cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity, Curaçao. The conference addressed the issue of shared memory. The proceedings of these conferences have been published, so far up until 2007, in various organs, including the scientific journals of the ICA (particularly Janus and COMMA).

 

See and download Didier Grange's text "CITRA 1954-2011, a short review" below.

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