The Call for Papers for the ICA Roma Conference 2022 is now open! This 2022 edition’s theme, Archives: Bridging the Gap, encompasses a broad range of issues to be investigated, discussed and laid open to different interpretations.
Contemporary societies are characterized more than ever by a diversity of different communities, cultures, languages, institutions and technologies, which all interact in a common space and make up our complex societies. Bridging the gap between global and local, public and private, centre and periphery, majority and minority, duties and rights, hi-tech and low-tech – to name a few – is key to the development of a society where all different components coexist and thrive.
Archives play a fundamental role in this scenario since they embed and represent the values of a society – in a word, its identity – in a dynamic way. They are not passive containers of our memory. They are rather proactive agents that shape our memory. Therefore, they are a strategic factor for bridging the gaps. On the other hand, archives have to face the internal gaps that affect their mission and hamper their use – in a world of ever-changing technologies archives are striving to manage new objects, formats and techniques.
The ICA Rome Conference Programme Committee hereby invites proposals for different types of sessions (read below) related to the following sub-themes.
Archives bridging the democracy gap. Managing records and preserving archives afford a way of bringing citizens and institutions closer together; increasing dialogue between governments, society and the private sector; enforcing human, civil and economic rights; promoting access to technology, training and education; implementing public policies on open data and accountability; reducing the risk of losing public information; building trust in archives and public records as a means of empowering global information societies.
Archives bridging the cultural gap. Minorities, new cultures, diversity and inclusion, professional identities, emerging values (such as sustainable living or resilience) and new forms of exchanges, cooperation, work organization, training and education can use archival data and information as leverage for finding their place in our societies. What is the impact of climate change on records and archives? How can the gap to building the future be bridged when it is barely possible to imagine what the future will be? How can a balance be struck between the specific needs of some communities and the call for a uniform and consistent approach to records and archive management? What is the role of technical standards in bridging such gaps? What lessons can be learned from other cultures in terms of their archival institutions and professionals in order to reduce educational, digital or technological gaps?
Archives bridging the distance. While globalization, new technologies, communications, internet access and datafication have in many cases reduced distances, they have also created new gaps. Records and archives may help shorten the distance between personal and collective memory, center and periphery, education and ignorance, transparency and data protection. How do archives shape collective memory? What is the role of regional, municipal and local archives? How to use records and archives to foster research and education in schools and universities?
Archives bridging the digital gap. New and disruptive technologies, methods and environments are constantly making inroads into our societies. Blockchain, Big Data analytics, Internet of Things, virtual reality, augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence, algorithmic techniques and gamification are changing not only the archival scene, but also our way of living. What is the impact of these new technologies on records and archives? What are the challenges that need to be faced in relation to technological development, obsolescence, software design or long-term digital preservation? What role can archives perform in helping users to deal with new technologies? How are archivists and records managers changing their professional profile? How is the distance between the different professionals working on records and archives (including, but not limited to, records managers, archivists, ICT professionals, lawyers and policy makers) changing?
These sub-themes and the questions that go with them are intended as suggestions, not limits. All interpretations of the general theme are strongly encouraged. Moreover, the theme and sub-themes are suggested as issues to be addressed rather than as statements to be endorsed, so proposals focusing on the inability of archives to bridge gaps – or even on how they create them – will be welcome: the aim of the conference is to provide a forum for discussion of different and possibly contrasting viewpoints.
Proposers are welcomed from any academic, nonprofit, corporate, or government area within or connected with the archival and records management sector in any part of the world.
All submissions are made electronically via a link from the ConfTool website (https://www.conftool.org/ica2022roma/index.php?page=login). Instructions on how to submit are contained in the submission platform.
All the information about the Call for Papers can be found in the following link: http://ica2022roma.com/
Types of Sessions
Proposals may fall into any of the following six categories: (1) Panel Discussion; (2) Paper Presentation; (3) Lightning Talk; (4) Poster; (5) Workshop; and (6) Alternative Format.
Key Dates
The Call for Papers will open on the 29th of November 2021.
The deadline for submissions is 21st of March 2022 (23:59:59 CET).
Presenters will be notified of acceptance by May 2022.
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