Dear fellow ARLIS members,
I've recently taken over the duties as your Society of American
Archivist (SAA) liaison. Please join me in thanking Alison Pinsler,
who has served in this position over the past few years. Sadly, my
first line of communication with you is the following press release
taken from the SAA listserv. The final paragraph offers information
about SAA, however please feel free to contact me if you have other
questions regarding SAA, or ideas on how our two groups might work
together on common issues.
Sincerely,
Beth Dodd
***For Immediate Release***
Contact: Debra Mills Nolan, SAA
Phone: 312-922-0140
Society of American Archivists Issues
A Statement on Iraqi Archives
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) is deeply concerned by
several recent news reports that suggest that contemporary and
historical records in Iraq are threatened as a result of the current
conflict in that country. SAA urges that the protection of Iraq’Äôs
documentary heritage be made a priority during the reconstruction of
Iraq.
Accounts in the news media suggest that there have been deliberate
attempts to destroy the records of oppression in order to hide
evidence of past crimes. Other stories highlight the destruction of
records in order to remove evidence of property ownership,
citizenship, or nationality. Still others describe random acts of
violence that threaten the cultural history of the country.
For Iraq to become a stable, democratic, and prosperous nation, its
documentary heritage must be managed and preserved. Government
records safeguard the rights and freedoms that citizens enjoy and are
vital to the health and well being of a nation.
When a society allows its government to operate in secret, basic
freedoms are gradually eroded. In South Africa, records of the
apartheid regime were consciously destroyed in order to hide evidence
of wrongdoing. In the former Yugoslavia, many documents were
destroyed in the process of "ethnic cleansing," making it almost
impossible for rightful owners to assert their claim to property.
The rights of every Iraqi are at risk today and long into the future
by the loss of records.
We all share Iraq’Äôs culture and history. Written records first
appeared in the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, the cradle of Western
civilization. The loss of this heritage would not only hurt the Iraq
people; it would also make it harder for Americans to understand our
culture and values.
Every effort should be made to locate and preserve in secure custody
all documents and archives relating to the Iraqi state, its security
forces, the daily operation of the government, and the history of the
nation. Emergency measures should be taken to recover records that
may have been discarded, abandoned, looted, or abused. Such an
effort will assist in the prosecution of former officers of the Iraqi
regime as well as provide a firm legal foundation for future economic
development.
The new government of Iraq will also need a professionally managed
archival system. SAA urges that reconstruction efforts include funds
to rebuild the archives of Iraq. Once a stable archival program is
in place, any documents that may have been secured for the purpose of
short-term preservation should be returned to Iraqi archivists.
Without records, Iraqi officials cannot be held accountable. Without
records, citizens cannot exercise their rights. Without records, a
stable economic environment cannot emerge. And without records, the
Iraqi people as well as the citizens of the world lose an important
part of our shared cultural heritage. Immediate and substantial
efforts must be made to protect and reconstruct Iraq’Äôs documentary
infrastructure. American should cooperate with the International
Council on Archives, UNESCO, and other international organizations
working to preserve Iraq’Äôs cultural heritage.
Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists is the oldest and
largest national professional association of archivists in North
America with 3,600 individual and institutional members. SAA exists
to serve the educational and informational needs of its members and
to provide leadership to ensure the identification, preservation, and
use of records of historic value.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
© Society of American Archivists (http://www.archivists.org)
__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
For information about joining ARLIS/NA see:
http://www.arlisna.org//membership.html
Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc)
to [log in to unmask]
ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance:
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html
Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]
