The classic purpose of an archive

Following on yesterday's TNA podcast post, a presentation (linked here) given by TNA Chief Executive Oliver Morley to the 2010 UK Society of Archivists conference is interesting.  

His remarks are recommended reading for this interested in the future of archives. He states "The classic purpose of an archive still holds true ... to be collectors and preservers, and to provide access to the records in our care."

The text focuses on the themes of transparency, preservation and access.

Think about how things are different in Canada.

On transparency all the comment necessary is in this article.

On access, in view of recent discussion re LAC I was particularly taken with the following:

"On site access remains a crucial area of business for archives. It is vital that we work with our business partners to ensure they recognise that a small, regular group of committed researchers working to contribute through their research, whether its historical research, social sciences or using information and data in new and innovative ways, are just as important as reaching out to millions through a huge
digitisation like the 1911 Census project.

Of course these large-scale digitisation projects are not the answer for everyone; they are not the only answer even for The National Archives. Delivering high quality services onsite must remain a priority."