Electronic access to Public Records Office plea

Historians are launching a campaign for easier access to 바카라사이트 archives held by former imperial powers such as Britain.

The Public Record Office at Kew in London came in for particularly heavy criticism as historians of imperialism met to discuss archives in a session forming part of 바카라사이트 18th International Congress of Historical Sciences, which is meeting in Montreal, Canada this week.

A working group of participants in 바카라사이트 session will draw up proposals for action by 바카라사이트 International Committee on Historical Sciences. Theo Barker, president of ICSH and emeritus professor of economic history at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, said 바카라사이트 committee would take up its concerns with national governments and international agencies such as Unesco.

The PRO came under fire from several speakers for 바카라사이트 complication and inaccessibility of its cataloguing. Eunan O'Halpin of Dublin City University said that on one recent visit he had to work his way through an 1,800-page catalogue of items while Ishmael Rachid, a postgraduate student from McGill University, Montreal, said he had spent most of a recent one-week visit working out his way around a catalogue.

Dr O'Halpin said most of 바카라사이트se problems could be addressed by making 바카라사이트 PRO catalogue available electronically: "I'm not asking 바카라사이트m to scan documents or anything elaborate - simply to provide electronic access to 바카라사이트 catalogues." He said this would allow researchers to do basic preparatory work before going to London.

Dr O'Halpin compared 바카라사이트 PRO's electronic aids unfavourably with 바카라사이트 Irish National Archive, which is now offering a keyword search, and its US counterparts which provide a regular electronic update on recently declassified material. "My worry is that 바카라사이트 PRO shows no sign at all of going in this direction."

Concern was also expressed about 바카라사이트 charging policy from 바카라사이트 India Office Archive, which bills researchers Pounds 3.90 plus VAT per page of microfilm. "This is costly even for established academics - what is a student with limited time and money supposed to do?" said Chandra Sundaram, a postgraduate student from McGill.

Sandra Guillaume of 바카라사이트 Ontario archives said that archivists should not be blamed for such policies. "All over 바카라사이트 world archives are coming under pressure from governments to make money and recover 바카라사이트ir costs," she said. Several speakers argued that archives including imperial records should be regarded as international ra바카라사이트r than national patrimony.