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Danish National Archives



The following is copied and forwarded from the UK archives-nra list. Thought it would be of interest to all. Pls take note of the Minister's quote.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  Colleagues will, I think, be alarmed to hear some dire news from the Danish
  National Archives.

  Denmark has for some time been suffering the sort of economic downturn that
  we here experienced in the early nineties, but possibly worse.
  Consequently cuts are the order of the day.  A new government has just
  taken up the reains, including a new Minister for Cultural Affairs.

  One of the first things the new Minister did was to cancel the construction
  of the new National Archive building, which had progressed so far as site
  preparations and foundations.  In explaining his reasoning, the Minister
  publicly (and more than once I understand) asked, "why should the public
  bother about archives, they are only yellowing old paper?".  The last
  utterence of this sort, at an event in Sweden two weeks ago, is being
  responded to be the Swedish government and especially the archive community
  there.

  This environment of disregard for the fundamental importance of archives is
  alarming.  What is even more saddening is the response, during the past few
  months, of the National Archives administration itself to the cuts it is
  having to impose.  They have decided that they can do without preservation
  and conservation expertise and are to cut completely the conservation
  department.  To my knowledge, this could be the only national archive in
  the developed world that has no preservation and conservation expertise on
  the staff.

  I would urge leaders of the archive community to consider how they might
  respond to these extraordinary events.  As chairman of the United Kingdom
  Institute for Conservation, I shall be writing to express my Institute's
  concern about the developments, in particular questioning the principle
  that the archival heritage of a nation can be managed for the future with
  no preservation oversight.

  The details of the Danish Minister for Cultural Affairs are:

  Kulturminister Brian Mikkelsen
  Kulturministeriet
  Nybrogade 2
  DK- 1203 Copenhagen K


  Chris Woods
  UKIC
+++++++++++++++++++++++++


Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA
Richmond, Va
pakurilecz@aol.com

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