Our opportunity to collect our ideas, concerns and our achievements as Archives and Archivists and share it with the world. If we all get engaged and speak up together, we can shine a light on our work and our value to the world, promoting the importance of Archives but also developing a broader appreciation by everybody of the documentary heritage of humanity and why it matters during these times of rapid social change.
This year’s theme – “Designing the Archives in the 21st Century” gives us the chance to showcase our many innovative and visionary activities; reminding the public that Archivists are not fixated on the past, but instead we are constantly inventing ways to carry the accumulated memory of humanity into the future.
So get involved! The world needs to hear our news and be inspired by the treasures in our collections and our vision to make them accessible in new and engaging ways. I encourage all of us in the ICA family to follow the events on the International Map – and importantly publish your own events – to share your insights and wisdom on how we’re “Designing the Archives in the 21st Century” and write an article on the ICAblog.
We can also spread the word (and pictures) on your social media platform of choice with #IAW2019.
Happy International Archives Week!
David Fricker, President ICA