WELCOME D CITRA 2007

Cooperation to Preserve Diversity

This stimulating theme will attract all the members of the International Conference of the Round Table on Archives to Québec City from 11 to 17 November 2007. This 40th CITRA will be the last conference of a three-year cycle dedicated to Archives, Diversity and Globalization. The two previous conferences confirmed our certain conviction that good records and archives are strategic assets for good governance and development both in public and private sectors (Abu Dhabi 2005) and that globalization offers archival professionals as well as the general public many opportunities for sharing memory through diversified perspectives (Curacao 2006).

Cooperation is necessary as it is no longer possible to work in isolation. Convergence of the media and growing demand for access to information require collaboration with other professions:
- professions of information and heritage sectors
- librarians, information providers, museum curators;
- record creators, lawyers, auditors, as the modernization of administration and accountability presuppose good management of records and archives.

From experience in Canada and Quebec, we will look into the new forms of building partnership with other heritage-related professions in order to get the best from our respective competencies and means.

We also aim to associate archives with the large global or regional projects of digitization which are flourishing in the world.

We will continue the successful conference format in Curacao and have sufficient time for discussions. We hope that many of you will be able to attend the CITRA in Québec and look forward to your active participation.

Mitsuoki Kikuchi Vice-President of the ICA in charge of CITRA