WELCOME D CITRA 2007

Dear colleagues,

From November 11 to 17, 2007, Canada and Québec City will host the 40th International Conference of the Round Table on Archives under the theme "Cooperation to Preserve Diversity".

It is thus my pleasure, on behalf of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and all Québec archivists, to invite you to this CITRA, which will also mark the launch of the festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City, scheduled to run throughout the year 2008.

For our institution, this event also has special importance because it is being held in the new context created by the merger between Québec's national library and its national archives, which came into force on January 31, 2006. For more than a year now, archivists and librarians have been working in concert within the same institution to preserve and promote Québec's documentary heritage, while mutually respecting their distinct identities and practices. This constitutes a major and convincing illustration of what can be achieved by focusing on the issue to be addressed at this 40th CITRA.

I look forward to greeting you in Québec City. Until then, I encourage you to consult the CITRA 2007 site regularly. There, you will find a wealth of information on the program, pre-conference activities, terms of registration and accommodation possibilities, and on Québec City and its tourist attractions.

We very enthusiastically and impatiently await your arrival!

Lise Bissonnette, Chair and Chief Executive Officer Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ)