EGAD Organisation International Council on Archives (1948 - )

From
1948
Website
https://www.ica.org/en

Summary

The International Council on Archives (ICA) was established in 1948 with the aim of fostering international cooperation between archives and archivists and promoting the conservation, development and use of the world's archives (ICA, 2012). A focus of the ICA is on the development and coordination of archival standards across the world. To this end, the ICA established the Experts Group on Archival Description (EGAD) in 2012, and set the group the task of developing standards for the description of records based on archival principles.

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The ICA Constitution states:

"Archives constitute the memory of nations and societies, shape their identity and are a cornerstone of the information society. By providing evidence of activities and decisions they provide continuity to organizations and justification of their rights, as well as those of individuals and states. By guaranteeing citizens' right of access to official information and to knowledge of their history, archives are fundamental to democracy, accountability and good governance.

The International Council on Archives (ICA) is an international non-governmental and non-profit making organization governed by the French law relating to associations of 1 July 1901. With an expanding network and a critical role as a global information exchange for records and archive professionals working in institutions of all kinds, it provides guidelines on the ethical choices facing archivists and works to raise the profile of archives among decision-makers and the general public. ICA supports the effective and efficient management of archives as an essential characteristic of all civilised societies and strives to raise public awareness of archives throughout the world.

The aim of ICA is to promote the efficient and effective management and use of records and archives and the preservation of the archival heritage of humanity through international cooperation, by the sharing of professional experiences, research and ideas on the management and organization of archives and archival institutions.

The long-term objectives of ICA are to:
a) Encourage and support the development of archives in all countries, in cooperation with other intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations and businesses;
b) Promote, organise and coordinate the development of best practice and standards and other activities in the field of records and archives management;
c) Establish, maintain and strengthen relations between archivists of all countries and between all archival institutions, professional bodies and other organizations
d) Encourage and inspire, worldwide, the work of archival institutions, professional bodies and organizations, public and private, concerned with the administration or preservation of records and archives, or with the professional training of records and archive staff;
e) Facilitate the interpretation and use of archives by making them more widely known and by encouraging their greater use within the established legal frameworks" (ICA, 2012, pp. 1-2).

Published resources

Online Resources

Gavan McCarthy

Created: 30 August 2016, Last modified: 30 July 2018