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Community cultural heritage: national aspirations, local realities

Sigrid McCausland School of Information Studies 19 September 2012

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Outline

• Background
• National statements – Australia’s proposed

National Cultural Policy

• Comparisons with UK, Canada and New Zealand
• Community cultural heritage – challenges of the

digital age

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Information Society Program

The IS program looks at societies, communities, organizations, and people as creators and users of information, including their relationships with each

• ther. It also considers how governments

interact with their citizens in framing information policies in a networked world.

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National Cultural Policy

‘The National Cultural Policy will set the framework for Australian Government support for arts, culture and creativity for the next ten years, providing us with a common strategic direction and rationale for current and future investment.’ (2011)

http://culture.arts.gov.au/

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National Cultural Policy (NCP) consultation

• Discussion Paper – more ‘arts’ than

‘culture’

• Many submissions called for strategies and

funding for digitisation

• Omitted from 2012-13 Budget, but NCP

still expected to be released by end of 2012

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UK Archives for the 21st Century: Refreshed 2012-15

‘Digital by design Co-ordinated response to the growing challenge of managing digital information so that it is accessible now and remains discoverable in the future’

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/archives/arc hives21centuryrefreshed-final.pdf

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UK archives – a strategy that works

‘Capital investment in archives has delivered a significant and broad range of benefits to users, the community, depositors, staff and managers. Users benefitted the most, but the benefits to the safety and longevity of the collections were also

• profound. ...Success bred success. It is clear that

the staff of services which received investment gained confidence and continued to achieve, taking on stretching targets and new activities.’

(Oxborrow-Cowan, 2012: 3)

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Staff, Space, Collections (SSC) Dependency Model

Derived from Oxborrow-Cowan’s research Three elements: a relevant collection; appropriate types and levels of staff; and appropriately designed and sufficient

• space. (Oxborrow-Cowan, 2012:4)

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Library and Archives Canada mandate

‘...to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations, and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada. In addition, Library and Archives Canada facilitates cooperation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge, and serves as the continuing memory of the government of Canada and its institutions.’

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Library and Archives Canada 2012

‘LAC’s goal is to shift its service model from a

largely in-person approach to service to a largely unmediated (self-serve) approach focused on enhanced virtual access to content and services. With these planned changes, LAC will firmly position itself as an institution where all Canadians will be able to discover, engage with, and share LAC’s rich content when, where, and how they want it.’

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New Zealand national initiatives

Include National Digitisation Strategy 3 programs –

• Digitisation for access
• Digitisation for preservation
• Digitisation for customers and donors

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New Zealand community archives – sustainability factors

• Governance
• Funding
• Skilled staff
• Collaboration
• Dynamic approach
• Preservation
• Archival practices
• Community engagement

(Newman, 2011: 96-100)

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National Coordination in Australia

• Collections Council of Australia as peak

body for the collections sector 2005-2010

• Many valuable projects completed, but

Australian Framework for Digital Heritage Collections was only scoped

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Issues at the local level – Community Heritage Grants survey

• Funding – collections sustained by

membership fees

• Qualifications – many staff and volunteers

do not have qualifications in information or heritage disciplines

• Support – demand for advisory services,

training

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Issues for community cultural heritage in Australia

• Where is the funding going to come from,

especially for digitisation?

• Need for national coordination and continuity of

advice and support

• cf New Zealand:

'The most effective forms of support would include regular, dependable funding; provision of services such as appraisal or arrangement and description,

• r digital archives maintenance; and a facilitative
• r advisory role to encourage collaboration and

planning.' (Newman, 2011: 100).

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Conclusions?

• National policies and plans should provide

frameworks for sustaining community cultural heritage at the local level

• International experience suggests how

policy might be shaped in Australia