The valuable work by archivists in the community to care for their historical records and taonga will be supported by four new publications released today. Archives New Zealand’s Community Archives Group officially released the publications: the Community Archives Survey Report; the Directory of Archives in New Zealand; the Funding Guide for Community Archives and the Toolkit for Community Archives on 21 April at a meeting of the Sole Archivists Group in Wellington.
“New Zealanders are passionate about their history and the stories of their forebears,” Archives New Zealand’s Chief Executive Dianne Macaskill said. “Community archivists are dedicated to ensure these treasures are kept safely and can be accessed by the many users in the wider community now and in the future.”
Dianne Macaskill said many communities already have established archives as part of local councils, museums and libraries and others are in the process of establishing them.
“There are also many individuals and families looking after their personal treasures as well as hapu, marae, clubs and societies archiving their records for the long-term,” she said.
“The publications are a valuable resource for community archivists and those people who use the archives in our communities.”
The Community Archives Group was established in 2006. The Group Manager Terehia Biddle says, “staff have been working with the wider community including Maori, iwi and hapu to gain a greater understanding of how we can help groups and individuals manage and care for their archives. We also advise them on how to make greater use of Archives New Zealand’s own holdings.”
The community archives publications are being distributed, free of charge, to the archival community and will also be available on Archives New Zealand’s website.
