The International Scene: News and Abstracts RONALD J. PLAVCHAN,£^for INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ARCHIVES. At the invitation of Guy Cangah, di- rector of the National Archives of the Ivory Coast, the ICA Committee on Automation held a seminar on automation for archivists in Africa and the Near East at Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on November 14-18, 1977. Archivists from eight African and Middle East countries attended and heard lectures presented by members of the ICA committee from Belgium, France, German Federal Repub- lic, Israel, Italy, and the United States. Sessions dealt with a wide range of topics: history of automated data processing (ADP) and its early impact on govern- mental administration, documentation centers, libraries, and archives; disposi- tion of machine-readable records in the custody of administrative agencies; transfer and maintenance of permanently valuable machine-readable records to archival institutions; analysis of ADP hardware, software, and flowcharting; ADP techniques for archival control and information retrieval; problems in ADP terminology and documentation; and methods of planning automated systems. Participants also received a demonstration of an automated system, the Project JORCI, which the government of the Ivory Coast is using to index its Gazette (a combination of the American Federal Register and Statutes-at-Large). Since the Ivory Coast Republic is the only African state to have automated its archives, it is expected that participants who plan automation projects in their own countries will look to this West African country for guidance. U.S.-PANAMA PROJECT. The Organization of American States, through its De- partment of Cultural Affairs, is sponsoring a comprehensive study of available historical sources concerning diplomatic relations between the United States and Panama since 1903, including background material on the construction of the isthmian canal. The purpose of this project is (1) to gather all information per- taining to the canal located in archives, libraries, and other institutions not only in Panama and the United States but also in Colombia, France, Great Britain, and Spain; and (2) to publish a guide to all available records. Celso Rodriguez is directing the search for source materials in the United States, and the search has focused primarily on the holdings of the National Archives and Records Service. In addition to the diplomatic and military records at the National Archives, NARS has the records (1879-1904) of the French Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique and the Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama which attempted to build a waterway across the isthmus in the late nineteenth century, and records (1902-38) relating to the excavation, construction, and maintenance of the Panama Canal by the United States. Completion of the project is scheduled in 1979. [CELSO RODRIGUEZ, Organization of American States] Materials for this department should be sent to Ronald J. Plavchan, Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C. 20408. The American Archivist Vol. 41, No. 1 January 1978 71 D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 72 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 WORLD COUNCIL ON JEWISH ARCHIVES. At the initiative of the Israel Archives Association (IAA) and the Council of Archives and Research Libraries in Jewish Studies (CARL), which represents thirty-one American and Canadian institu- tions, and in cooperation with the World Union of Jewish Studies, the World Council on Jewish Archives was established at the Seventh World Congress for Jewish Studies, held in Jerusalem on August 7-14, 1977. Goals of this new international archival organization, as set forth in the establishing resolution, are to: (1) promote the exchange of information on the existence of archival sources for the history of the Jewish people . . . and gather data on these subjects in order to put them at the disposal of interested institutions and scholars; (2) encourage proper records management by the preparation of guidelines for the accessioning, processing, description, utilization, and safeguarding of the rec- ords kept by Jewish communities, institutions, and organizations; and (3) take steps to insure the permanent preservation of source materials originating in the activities of, or relating to, Jewish institutions and individuals, and to encourage reproduction of records of special research value. An eight-member temporary Executive Board has already been formed to initiate the steps necessary to meet the stated objectives and to establish a permanent structure. The World Council on Jewish Archives will convene at each World Congress of Jewish Studies. At the inaugural meeting of the board, held on August 12, 1977, in Jerusalem, Michael Heymann, IAA chairman, and Herbert Zafren, CARL president, were elected to alternate as chairman and vice-chairman for the next two years. Mem- bership is open to individuals from the two sponsoring groups as well as to those whose institutional interests relate to the purposes of the new international ar- chival organization. Although Jerusalem is to be the location of the World Coun- cil headquarters, an American office will be set up at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, in New York City. Inquiries regarding the World Council should be forwarded to the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, 122 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10017. [ABRAHAM ATIK, National Foundation for Jewish Culture and Council of Archives and Research Libraries] AUSTRALIA. The Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) held its first bien- nial conference at Burgmann College, Australian National University, Canberra, on Mayl3-15, 1977. Papers presented at this general meeting dealt with a wide range of archival topics: copyright and the archivist, "right to know" versus restrictions, scoring archival goals, establishment of an archives, and problems in the use of archival sources for publication. Participants at this conference also expressed support of a proposal for the possible formation of a South Pacific branch of the International Council on Archives. Both ASA and ARANZ will pursue this matter further by investigating the possibility of holding a meeting of interested countries in 1980. CANADA. With the final transfer of the Mackenzie King Papers to the Public Archives of Canada (PAC) on July 1, 1977, the personal correspondence up to 1948 of the late Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King is now available to the public. As provided under the terms of access, his diaries, memorandums, and public and personal correspondence for the year 1947 were opened to researchers at the Archives Building in Ottawa on January 3, 1978. The diaries for 1947, contained in five binders, describe in detail King's public and private life. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 73 The National Photography Collections of the Public Archives of Canada has entered into the second phase of work on the Guide to Canadian Photographic Archives. Descriptive entries are being produced from the information received from more than 140 repositories. The first volume of the Guide is planned for 1978. An important addition to the comprehensive PAC collection on Canada's military effort in Russia at the end of World War I is a series of seventy-five views of the activities of the Canadian Expeditionary Force that was sent to Vladivostok in the spring of 1919 to help the White Russian forces against the Bolsheviks. In May 1978 the division will sponsor, in association with Heritage Canada, a na- tional conference on photography and history under the theme "Eyes of Time." More than a hundred photographers, custodians, and users of historical photo- graphs are expected to attend this conference on Canada's photographic heri- tage. Persons interested in participating in the conference should contact Richard Huyda, chief of the National Photography Collection. The National Map Collection has recently acquired a pair of globes (celestial, dated 1831; terrestrial, dated 1834) by James Wilson, the first maker of globes in America, and the seven-volume facsimile, Mbnumenta Cartographica, edited by F. C. Wieder and published between 1925 and 1933. Also acquired was a manu- script plan of the 1856 transatlantic cable to be laid between St. John's, New- foundland, and Valentia Bay, Ireland. The maps of northern areas collected by Trevor Lloyd, formerly director of the McGill Centre for Northern Research and Studies, were recently donated to the Archives. A large and important collection of canal plans was received from the Cornwall Regional Office of Parks Canada. These plans, dating from 1820, document construction and reno- vation of almost all canals located in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Sound Archives Section of the National Film Archives has acquired archi- val quality reference copies of 140 of the 400 "Program Exchange" tapes assem- bled by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. These tapes were selected to represent a wide range of recent, private, radio programming in Canada, and the tapes so far acquired are available for research. The section has also acquired the collection of over 600 discs containing various programs and broadcasts from 1936 to the late 1950s, which were recorded and retained by Toronto radio station CFRB. The recordings cover Canadian public and social life over a twenty-year period. Since 1972 a group at Concordia University in Montreal has been working on a bibliography of the radio drama programs produced by the CBC since 1933. The work, known as the Concordia University Radio Drama Project, involves the storage on computer records of all information gathered concerning these radio plays. To date, the university has compiled information on about 14,000 pro- grams broadcast on the English-language network of the CBC. In a related undertaking, the Sound Archives Section began last summer to receive recordings of the radio plays from the CBC archives in Toronto for re-recording the material for preservation. CBC will receive a duplicate copy of each radio play from PAC. Also, the Sound Archives Section has completed an agreement with Concordia University for an exchange of information. PAC has thus received copies of the computer data which Concordia has prepared. This will provide adequate references to the text, and it complements PAC technical data on the recordings. Concordia, in return, will receive copies of all the mate- rial assembled by the Sound Archives Section. The exchange will take about two D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 74 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 years to complete, and the result will be the compilation of the most complete bibliography possible on these radio drama recordings. A new association, called the Association for the Study of Canadian Radio and Television, has been formed. It will be oriented specifically toward the preserva- tion and accessibility of Canadian radio and television material. Those interested in receiving further information about this new association should write to Membership Secretary Ernest J. Dick, in care of the Sound Archives. In association with the Research Centre in the Religious History of Canada, Saint Paul University, the Manuscript Division has embarked upon a major project to catalog documents of Canadian interest which are in the Archives of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide, in Rome. The work, which was begun in October 1977, is under the supervision of Luca Codignola, a specialist in the Vatican Archives, and will cover the period from the beginning of missionary activity in Canada until 1908. An agreement in principle has been reached with the Hudson's Bay Company for the acquisition of the negative microfilm copy of the post-1870 records of the company. Filming of the material is already underway and is expected to amount to about 100 reels a year. A 16mm. copy of the index to British military and naval records, commonly known as the "C" Series, is now available. The "C" Series is already available on microfilm and the addition of the card index (consisting of 550,000 cards) will prove very useful to researchers who live outside the National Capital Region. The division recently acquired a number of interesting collections: records of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, additions to the Stanley Knowles Papers and the Maxwell Cohen Papers, additional records of the Cana- dian Library Association, and records of the Canadian Association of Physicists. The Public Records Division has received the records (1975-77) of the Royal Commission on Grain Handling and Transportation. This commission, under Emmett M. Hall, was charged with the inquiry into the capacity and efficiency of Canada's western grain transportation and handling system. These records con- sist of tapes and transcripts of hearings, briefs, and submissions by interested individuals and groups, as well as studies, research material, and the final report prepared by the commission staff. In the discussion of this vital aspect of the prairie economy, the testimony to the commission provides invaluable insights into the past, present, and future of rural and small town life on the prairie as perceived by the people living in these communities. The division has also accessioned the records of the Historical Section, De- partment of Industry, Trade, and Commerce. Most of this material was com- piled by O. M. Hill in her preparation of the departmental history, Canada's Salesman to the World, The Department of Trade and Commerce, 1892-1939. Con- tained in the accession are a variety of early departmental records, subject files, historical sketches, and a number of research reports on diverse topics. The Private Manuscripts Section of the Archives of Ontario reports several accessions: a two-volume diary (1811-32) of John Harris of Youghal, County Cork, Ireland; books, maps, and manuscripts of E. J. Lennox, a prominent Toronto architect; early records (ca. 1807-13) of the Quakers Yonge Street Monthly Meetings; records (1870-90) of the Gillies Brothers Lumber Company of Braeside; diaries, sermons, notes regarding Indians, and other material (1869-1915) of Rev. Egerton Ryerson Young, an author and missionary of the D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 75 Canadian Northwest; records (1895-1938) of the Industrial School Association of Toronto; papers of the McQuesten family of Hamilton, Ontario, who were prominent in the Hamilton steel industry in the middle of the nineteenth cen- tury; a diary and scrapbook kept by William Coutts Keppel (Lord Bury), Earl of Albemarle, who was briefly (1854) superintendent of Indian Affairs in Canada; photocopies of two letter books (1848-51) kept by William McTavish of the Hudson's Bay Company, together with copies of miscellaneous documents con- cerning the fur trade; and the Irving Earle Robertson-Mackenzie Collection (1790-1932). Recent acquisitions by the Provincial Archives of Alberta include: records (1913-60) of the Brazeau Collieries; office files (ca. 1960-71) of former provin- cial Premiers Ernest Charles Manning and Harry Edwin Strom; records (ca. 1902-72) of the Lutheran Church in America, Western Canada Synod; sermons, correspondence, and essays (ca. 1882-1942) of Rev. J. C. Bowen, former lieutenant-governor of Alberta, and his father-in-law Rev. G. L. Oliver; records (1931-75) of the Alberta Society of Artists, Calgary Branch; records (ca. 1936- 47) of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. of Canada Ltd., regarding the potential development of the Athabasca Tar Sands; records (1906-58) of the Edmonton Hebrew Association; and coal inspectors reports (ca. 1898-1970) of the former Alberta Coal Department. City of Toronto Archives. The Ontario Archives recently transferred to the city archives the City Council Papers (1834-96) which had been deposited in the provincial archives in 1929. A detailed inventory of the collection accompanied the records in the transfer. Similar inventories have been completed for the holdings of the Toronto Bureau of Municipal Research as well as for the Citizens Research Institute of Canada. Compilation of an administrative history of the Toronto city government has begun. The first segment is a history of the City Engineer's-Public Works Department, 1834-1975. Recent acquisitions include the papers of former Alderman Michael Goldrick; and the records (1918-68) of the Federation of Settlements, Toronto Inter- Settlement House Committee, Toronto Association of Neighborhood Services. The papers of William Dennison relating to his mayoralty (1967-71) are now available to researchers. The Ottawa City Archives is still engaged in identifying records at City Hall and elsewhere, as well as in arranging for their transfer to the Archives. In the meantime, the archives building is undergoing structural alterations to make it suitable for its new role. Among some of the non-city records recently received by the Archives are the complete records of the Protestant Children's Orphan- age and part of the records of the Royal Ottawa Hospital. On August 3, 1977, the City Council transferred custody of the Billings Estate to the City Archives with a mandate to administer it as a heritage property. The estate includes two houses, one of which is probably the oldest dwelling in Ot- tawa, several other structures, and a private burial ground. The site, until the city purchased it in 1975, had been continuously occupied by the Billings family since at least 1828. Prior to transfer to city ownership, the property was the subject of considerable controversy when the estate was scheduled for demolition and re- development as a highrise, but it required two additional years to agree upon a plan for its ultimate use. Fifteen boxes of archives, dating from 1820, were discovered on the property, as well as a complete library and numerous artifacts. It is hoped that the estate will be opened to the public early in 1978. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 76 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 Among the recent accessions of McGill University Archives are the papers of John C. L. Andreassen, who retired in August 1977 after nine years as university archivist. Marcel Caya from the Public Records Division of PAC is the new university archivist. Other recent accessions include varying quantities of the papers of Harold Hibbert (Chemistry, 1925-42), Kenneth Meek (Music, 1945-76), Maxwell Cohen (Law, 1946-77), and Susan Cameron Vaughan (Royal Victoria College, 1900- 36). Also received were the papers (ca. 1900-59) of the prospector Rueben D'Aigle and additions to the geological papers of Sir William Dawson. Many papers reflecting student life at the university have also been deposited. A sub- stantial installment of records (ca. 1890-1940) of the Royal Victoria Hospital as well as records (ca. 1845-1960) of the School of Graduate Nurses (McGill) and Morgan's department store have been received by the university archives. Also deposited are microfilmed records (1796-1869) of the St. Gabriel Street Presby- terian Church, Montreal. Canadian Jewish Congress Central Region Archives. Recent accessions in- clude: editions (1915-59) of the Yiddis her Zhurnal {Daily Hebrew Journal); papers (1946-55) of Edward E. Gelber, a communal and Zionist leader; records (1950- 69) of B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Toronto; minutes and scientific papers (1923-53) of the Mount Sinai Clinical Society, Toronto; minutes (1925-36) of the Toronto Jewish Medical Association; liturgical compositions of Cantor B. Charloff; minutes (1962-68) of B'nai B'rith Lodge 1234, Timmins; Board of Education accounts (1949-54), correspondence (1952-58), and minutes (1951— 55) of the Hebrew Congregation of Kirkland Lake; minute book (1912-22) of the Cobalt Jewish Community; and record book (1916) of the Peterborough Jewish Community. The Mennonite Brethren Churches of Canada last July acted to establish a Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies as well as a Mennonite Brethren Histor- ical Society. The functions of the center include the management of an already existing archives, encouragement of research, and intiation of specific projects focussing on the history, cultural development, and religious thought of Men- nonite Brethren groups in Canada. The primary responsibility of the society will be to publicize the various activities of the center and to promote financial support. A larger project, scheduled for completion in 1980, is the microfilming of all Mennonite Brethren congregational records. Address of the center is 77 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2L ILL On August 28, 1977, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada broke ground for a new Mennonite Heritage Center on the campus of Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) in Winnipeg. Funds for the construction of the center was donated by the P. W. Enns Family Foundation. The new facilities will include an expanded archives preservation and service area, a public meeting and heritage display area, and a library section for CMBC. Completion is planned for the fall of 1978. The archives is presently housed in the lower level of the conference office area which is located on the campus. [JAY ATHERTON, Public Archives of Canada] GREAT BRITAIN. The collection of documents housed in the Public Record Office (PRO), which represents the largest continuous historical archives in the world, has long been regarded by British scholars as a priceless national asset. On D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 77 April 20, 1977, Lord Teviot, a member of the National Advisory Council on Public Records, instigated a short debate in the House of Lords by raising con- cern about the current state of public records and their preservation. The scope of the issue was widened when Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls and chairman of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Council, alleged the possible destruction of public records. While wondering whether government departments transfer all appropriate materials to the PRO for examination and release, he made it clear that departments had their own methods to avoid unwanted public disclosure: "It is a difficult question because if departments do not want to disclose their records, they may overlook them, miss them or even destroy them. The Public Record Office can do nothing about it." According to an article in The Times of London (April 22, 1977), historians have suspected that important documents are being destroyed or "weeded out" by well-meaning individuals on departmental review teams who are ill-suited to make necessary historical judgments. Mistakes in judgment are irreversible. Under the Public Records Acts the departments are responsible for the long- term preservation of records, whereas the PRO plays merely a loose coordinating role. Each department appoints its own departmental record of- ficer (DRO) who has a small staff. The rationale for this was that a DRO should have long experience in his department and be able to follow the records throughout the 30-year period. A PRO inspecting officer periodically advises the DRO, but there are only 7 officials in this PRO inspectorate to deal with 200 departments and 3 nationalized industries. Furthermore, departments can with- hold documents from release beyond the 30-year period prescribed by the 1967 Act for administrative purposes or "any other special reason." The Advisory Council may thus ask to see a retained document, but the retaining ministry can refuse the request. During the debates several suggestions to improve the situation were pre- sented: increase the size of the PRO inspectorate; strengthen the powers of the Advisory Council to enable it to act as an independent check on overcautious ministries; instruct the ad hoc Cabinet Committee which is dealing with the whole question of open government to add public records to its agenda; create a new royal commission or another Grigg-type committee to investigate various aspects of archives management; and establish a Government Archives Service, modelled on the government economic and accountancy services, to raise the prestige and status of those who deal with public records. The Lord Chancellor, Elwyn-Jones, rejected on economic grounds pleas for a Grigg-type inquiry of record procedures, but he regarded the idea of an archives service as attractive when the economic situation of the government improves. The Times, however, refused to accept the Lord Chancellor's reasoning and urged him to reconsider. It pointed out that an inquiry would take up to two years to complete, at which time the government would probably be receiving ample income from the North Sea oil fields to finance any recommendation. Such a committee could, furthermore, define procedures and establish guidelines for the "weeding" of departmental records prior to the actual opera- tion. The foundation of an archives service, consisting of career officials experi- enced in departmental policies, and of professional archivists trained in proper records retention practices, could be planned now and then implemented when funds become available. The Times even suggested to the government that an D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 78 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 archives service might be one means to alleviate the pressures of an overabun- dance of unemployed Ph.D's. In an attempt to influence the government to take steps to preserve the British archives, The Times warned: "any nation that loses a vital interest in its past is a sorry, rootless thing." The bulletin of the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick, Coven- try, for October 1977, describes early findings from the initial processing work on the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) collection. It is clear that the collection offers a wide range of research possibilities for scholars in many fields. The volume of materials and the range of countries and languages represented in the ITF collection, however, make a comprehensive description impossible at this stage, but the centre will try to respond to specific inquiries. The role of the ITF in the struggle against fascism in the 1930s, especially in Germany and Spain, is one of the observations centre personnel have noted in their work on the collection. The bulletin also reports that publication of the Guide to the centre began on September 22, and copies are now available directly from the centre. To keep the Guide as updated as possible, the centre plans to issue a supplement in 1981/2. The fourth annual Report, covering major centre activities during the 1977 fiscal year, has been issued and is now available. It includes also a summary list of new accessions and additions to existing accessions between October 1, 1976, and September 30, 1977. NEW ZEALAND. The new address of the National Archives is N AC Aircentre Building, 129-141 Vivan Street, Wellington. For researchers wishing to contact the Archives via mail, the new postal address is PO Box 6162, Te Aro, Wel- lington. A Cumulative List of Holdings 1976, which lists archival holdings of the National Archives at the end of March 1976, has been published and is available free of charge. Anyone desiring a copy is instructed to write direct to the Archives. According to a recent issue of Archifacts (n.s., no. 2, June 1977), bulletin of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand (ARANZ), Wilfred I. Smith of the Public Archives of Canada has accepted an invitation from ARANZ to make a report on the state of archives in New Zealand. He is scheduled to begin a six-week fact-finding mission in February 1978. The outcome of Smith's visit will be the issuance of a so-called Smith Report which will encompass the whole range of New Zealand archives: governmental, local, university, business, and religious; and the recommendations contained in the report will relate to the development of all archives in the country. In response to a "historico-cartographic crisis" in New Zealand, the ARANZ Council has set up a special seven-member committee to investigate the current state of cartographic archives in the country, draw up possible guidelines for future development, and provide a useful forum for discussion. At its inaugural meeting in Dunedin in February 1977, however, the committee decided to ex- pand its original aims to include the promotion of regularly improved standards of map collections and their care, as well as to heighten public awareness of the value of maps and plans as historical evidence. Consequently, the committee has sought to promote its aims via two avenues, members will (1) try to enlist support and disseminate information in their home areas, and (2) collectively undertake on an annual basis the sponsorship of several major publicity projects. During D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 79 calendar year 1977, committee action took the form of a comprehensive report on the current state of cartographic archives in New Zealand and a special seminar on the interpretation and use of maps in historical research at the annual meeting of ARANZ (October 1977) in Wellington. SINGAPORE. In an attempt to alleviate an acute shortage of repository, of- fice, and work space, the National Archives and Records Centre, in late 1976 renovated an adjacent building (No. 15 Lewin Terrace) to accommodate addi- tional office space as well as the Conservation and Bindery Section. Other im- provements at the Archives during the year include the completion of an au- tomatic fire detection system and installation of a steel fumigation chamber designed and manufactured by the local vocational institute. As indicated in the 1976 Annual Report, there was a notable increase in National Archives holdings during the year. The bulk of this increase is the result of accessions of building plans and records of two architectural firms, Kwan Yow Luen and Swan & Maclaren. These two collections will provide valu- able source material concerning historically prominent buildings in Singapore. The Archives has also continued to microfilm public and private records, of which the latter include records pertaining to churches, private cemeteries, and Chinese associations. From the Lee Foundation, the Archives has received a $50,000 donation to purchase newsreel films on Singapore dating back as early as 1927, from the British firm of Visnews. This project, to be accomplished over the next five years, will be a unique addition to the Archives, which has lacked audiovisual and other materials relating to the pre-1939 and World War II period. ABSTRACTS Brazil. [LAURA V. MONTI, University of Florida-Gainesville] Mensdrio do Ar- quivo Nacional, vol. 7, no. 9 (September 1976). Regina Alves Vieira, head of the Servigo de Documentacao Escrita of the Brazilian National Archives, presents (pp. 27-30) a report prepared for the director-general regarding the Latin American Seminar, held in Mexico City, June 7-12, 1976. The topic of this regional meeting was current archives. In the report, Vieira comments on the participation by Brazilian representatives and their views of the current situation in-Brazil. The following subjects emerged from the discussions with Brazilian archivists: a government attempt to preserve the cultural and historical pat- rimony, efforts to fulfill the compromisso de Brazilia, training for archivists, establishment of a national system for archives, protection of the archival pat- rimony against irretrievable loss, and creation of intermediate record centers for short-term records storage. Mensdrio do Arquivo Nacional, vol. 7, no. 10 (October 1976). This issue contains a summary (pp. 15-30) of a national meeting on cultural affairs, held at Sal- vador, Bahia, October 5-9, 1976. Participants at this meeting included Carlos Santana, Secretary of Education and Culture in Bahia, members of the Federal Council on Culture, representatives of the State Council of Culture, and direc- tors of various national and regional cultural organizations. At this meeting a number of subjects were discussed: implementation of the NATIS program, the D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 80 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 serious hardships facing Brazilian archives, justification for the establishment of a national system of archives, and archival participation by the various states. The article also includes a listing of public archives in the various Brazilian states, containing such information as address, hours of service, date of foundation, and a brief description of holdings. Mensdrio do Arquivo National, vol. 7, no. 11 (November 1976). In this issue Nicolau Abrante writes (pp. 17-27) on the importance of archives in regard to Brazilian progress, and the contribution of the National Archives toward the formation of human resources. In reference to the recommendations made by Henry Boullier de Branche, director of the Archives Departementales de la Sarthe (Le Mans, France), in his 1960 report concerning the activities of the National Archives, Abrante comments on the situation in Brazil and the trans- formations which have taken place since 1975. In 1976, the new classification plan transformed the functions of the documentalist and archivist to that of librarian, without taking into consideration differences between these two func- tions. Despite the paradox, the National Archives has obtained excellent results due partly to the fact that it controls the training of its middle and upper level personnel through the Curso Permanente de Arquivos and various assorted courses. As a result of this success, there is a move to incorporate the Curso Permanente de Arquivos into the School of Archives Science. Abrante foresees a good job market for the skills of professionally trained archivists. The basis of his optimism rests on improving socio-economic cultural factors and the govern- ment's interest in archives. Moreover, the National Archives, with its skilled personnel, is helping to improve the archives situation by disseminating knowl- edge through its various technical and historical publications, bibliographical aids, slides, and microfilm programs. Mensdrio do Arquivo National, vol. 8, no. 1 (January 1977). This issue includes (pp. 24—35) a summary of the topics debated by participants at the Third Brazil- ian Congress of Archivists, held at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, October 17-20, 1976. Some of the topics discussed were: establishment of NATIS, creation of a national system for archives, medical archives and data banks, use of primary sources in private and public archives, greater use of human resources, preservation and restoration of documents, automation, mi- crofilm projects, and the establishment of record centers. Also included in the summary are the five motions and twenty recommendations approved by the assembled archivists. The fifth motion calls for the preparation of a guide to preliminary historical sources, a survey and registration of collections in private and public archives, and creation of an archives training manual. France. [PAUL V. GUITE, National Archives and Records Service] Note d'infor- mation, no. 10 (1977). This issue of the French serial publication on automated data processing (ADP) contains a description of the application of the "Leonore" data processing package to two series of Legion of Honor dossiers deposited by the administration of the Legion of Honor in the Archives Nationales. The dossiers of legionnaires concern those deceased prior to 1940 and those de- ceased between 1940 and 1954, each arranged alphabetically. These records have long been of great historical and sociological interest to researchers and genealogists. The absence of a general alphabetical index, as well as a rapid growth in the documentation to nearly 250,000 dossiers, were the two prime D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 81 factors which prompted the Archives Nationales to explore the possibilities of data processing to facilitate access. Before information processing could be applied to this body of records, it was necessary to number each box of records and then each dossier following the order in which these dossiers were located within the boxes. These boxes are numbered consecutively, each containing between 50 and 130 dossiers. The dossiers themselves are also numbered consecutively within each carton. These numbers correspond to a classification system of the Archives Nationales, and are recorded on magnetic tape for print-outs. The formulation of initial proce- dures and final implementation with modifications was given to the data proces- sing firm, Societe de Service, Typ-Service, which has since become the Com- pagnie Europeenne de L'Informatique. German Federal Republic. [JOHN MENDELSOHN, National Archives and Rec- ords Service] Protokoll der dritten Sitzung des Ausschusses der EDV-Referenten und- Sachbearbeiter der Archivverwaltungen des Bundes und der Lander am 29. Oktober 1974 im Bundesarchiv Koblenz (1975). The third session of the Committee on Electronic Data Processing (EDP) examines the suitability of real estate rolls and records in the Federal Republic for automation and microfilming, as suggested by a 1969 conference of federal and Lander justice ministers. A discussion of EDP training for archivists and trainees in federal and Lander archives concern mainly the institution of a general EDP course at the Archives School in Marburg. Bernwart Heifer reports on a pilot project of the Hessian Hauptstaatsarchiv Wiesbaden which is designed to describe in machine-readable form patient and administra- tive records of the State Sanitorium Eberbach/Eichberg. Heinz Boberach from the Bundesarchiv presents a summary of a session of the 1974 annual meeting of German historians in Braunschweig, dealing with the evaluation of archival sources by means of EDP. He also reports on a questionnaire which is scheduled to be sent to historians who use quantitative methods of research. Wolf Buchmann of the Bundesarchiv comments on a multinational UNESCO Semi- nar on EDP for archives, the seminar organized by the Public Record Office and held at the University of Sussex. Attached to the session minutes are appendixes which include samples of the computer print-outs from the patient records of the Sanitorium Eberbach and a copy of the proposed questionnaire. Romania. [§TEFAN NIMARA, Romanian State Archives] Revista Arhivelor, vol. 38, no. 3 (1976). In this issue the director general of the State Archives, Ionel Gal, discusses (pp. 243-44) the effort toward uniform work principles in the Archives and the issuance in 1976 of "technical norms." These norms establish the conditions and principles which are the basis of fulfilling all tasks of the State Archives. In another article, Elena Moisuc and Iosif I. Adam present (pp. 267-87) a preliminary report on their 1976 research at the Austrian Archives in Vienna. The two Romanian archivists describe in detail the subject matter of the records they located in the Austrian Archives which relate to Romania, and which were subsequently microfilmed or photocopied for future use by Romanian scholars. These records, dating from the late medieval period to the mid-twentieth cen- tury, comprise diverse types of documentation pertaining to Romanian geog- raphy, history, politics, economics, and foreign policy under Hapsburg rule. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 82 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1978 This issue also includes descriptions of documents accessioned by the State Ar- chives during 1975, bibliographical notes, a book review section, and several articles dealing with historical themes. Revista Arhivelor, vol. 38, no. 4 (1976). Articles in this issue pertain to three major events which occurred during the past year: the Eighth International Congress on Archives, held in Washington in September 1976; the Thirteenth International Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry, held in London in August- September 1976; and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Museum of the State Archives of Romania. About the first, Valeria §indelaru writes (pp. 418-21) on the archival revolution as discussed by the delegates at the various ICA sessions, while Ionel Gal briefly reports (pp. 425-27) on the technological aspects of the archival revolution. Maria Dogaru presents (pp. 427-28) a summary of the Romanian participation at the 1976 London meeting of international specialists in genealogy, sigillography, and heraldry. This issue also contains (pp. 363-80) several articles by Romanian archivists, writers, museum curators, and other officials commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the State Archives Museum, in Bucharest. Other articles deal with such themes as the archives of Romanian radio-television by Victor Craciun (pp. 421-24); the work session of the Scientific Committee on Archival Problems, held at the State Archives on September 17, 1976, by Mioara Tudorica (pp. 428-29); the xvaqfs and the historically valuable archives of these Muslim religi- ous and charitable foundations in Dobogea, when the region was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, 1417-1877, by Tudor Mateescu (pp. 412-17); and a series of reports (pp. 429-49) by Romanian archivists concerning their searches for related Romanian records in the national archives of Belgium, Czechoslova- kia, France, East and West Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Venezuela. [Celso Rodriguez, Organization of American States] Boletin His- torico, no. 42 (September 1976). This issue contains (pp. 499-512) the 1975 annual report of the activities of Fundacion John Boulton, which also publishes the Boletin. This year's report marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the philanthropic institution by H. L. Boulton & Co., S.A., and Casas Boulton de Venezuela, two long-established Venezuelan businesses. During the past two and a half decades the Foundation has sought to: (1) encourage the development of the social sciences, especially history; (2) provide financial grants to individu- als and institutions for research and documentation; (3) acquire, through pur- chase, original documents and archival collections; and (4) microfilm foreign files of interest to Venezuelan scholars. Major holdings of the historical archives include: the Venezuelan Section of the Archives of Gran Colombia (1810-30), containing 200,000 documents microfilmed at the National Archives of Colom- bia; the historical archives of the Casas Boulton de Venezuela which dates from 1840 and relates to economic matters; the papers of Sir Robert Ker Porter who was the British consul-representative in Venezuela between 1825 and 1840; the family archives of Gen. Antonio Guzman Blanco whose dictatorial rule (1868- 90) brought order and solid economic achievements to a chaotic period in Ven- ezuelan history, but with it servility; and the Bolivarian Documentary Section, containing over 500 documents of Simon Bolivar. The Foundation also main- tains a photographic archives which comprises more than 3,000 photographs of D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE Venezuelan personalities as well as a collection of 600 stereotype plates for printing purposes. In addition to these activities, the Foundation supports a museum at La Guaira and cooperates with other archives in the preservation of important historical documents. Through its Departamento de Custodia de Documentos, the Foundation preserves and makes available to researchers rec- ords of national historical importance which are owned by third parties. for people who know all about Records Storage Paige Boxes are for professionals, experienced people who have learned all about the equipment available for handling, transporting, and storage of records, microfilm, data processing material, and computer printouts. Those people know that Paige files are durable equipment at lowest possible cost. Available Acid Free. Prices at wholesale level. No Sales People. No Distributors. No Stores. Write for Brochure, Prices, Case Histories. THE PAIGE COMPANY 432 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y. 10016 • OR9-6626 D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.41.1.00103427x3854228 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021