Search

The phrase 'peace, order and good government,' common to the definition of federal powers in both the Australian and the Canadian constitutions, has defined the relationship of the Crown and the citizen for more than five centuries. The archival record is fundamental to that relationship, providing its authoritative legal basis, documenting its evolution and continuing as a reminder of both our proudest achievements and our most dismal failures as a society. This paper reflects on the role of archives in recent Canadian human rights issues, highlighting both the strengths and the weaknesses of the record, the perception of archives as an agency of the state and the role of archives in helping society address highly contentious issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the extent to which archival exemptions for historical, scientific and statistical research in privacy legislation support preservation in selected European Union countries, and comparable aspects of Australian, American and Canadian law within a legal, ethical and digital archival perspective. The authors recommend that the further processing of personal data under data protection law be given a wider scope of interpretation for archival preservation purposes in both the public and private sector, coupled with the use of researcher and archival codes in relation to access to personal data. They also recommend early appraisal and integration of privacy with freedom of information and archival regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1999–2000 the National Archives of Australia (NAA) adopted a functions-based approach to appraisal. Since that time functional appraisal projects have for the most part been conducted in cooperation with individual agencies. What has been missing is a broad whole-of-government or macroappraisal framework which might assist with the strategic prioritisation of projects, the allocation of resources and the identification of high-value functions, activities and record classes. This article describes a project commenced by the NAA during 2003–2004 to research and develop a functions-based macroappraisal framework for current and prospective appraisal and for retrospective application to records of the past 30 years of the Australian Government. The article compares the Australian approach with macroappraisal strategies pursued in Canada, the Netherlands and South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuing theme of the archival literature from the "New World Countries" of the Australia, Canada and the United States is the lack of understanding and appreciation of archivists and archival work. The author posits that this situation can be ameliorated if archivists understand the temperament characteristics that shape their own attitudes and behaviours and thus influence their interactions with significant others in the workplace and wider community. This essay reports and interprets major findings of a survey of temperament types present among members of the Australian Society of Archivists, conducted as part of a 1998 three-country [Australia, Canada and the USA] study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]