Lecture at the General Assembly of the European Free Alliance (EFA), 24 March 2012 (Leeuwarden)

1. The Need for and Needs of Archives
Guide to the archives and documentation
of the member parties of the
European Free Alliance (EFA)

2. The Need for and Needs of Archives
1. The outline of the project

3. Basic question
What is the situation of the
historical and archival awareness
amongst the political parties assembled in the
European Free Alliance (EFA)?

4. Goal
Mapping the archives of EFA’s member parties to plan
future support where it is needed, develop
recommendations and facilitate (historical) research

5. Setup
•initiated by CMC (Centre Maurtis Coppieters)
•carried out by NISE (National movements and
Intermediary Structures in Europe)

6. NISE?
•international historiographical, heuristic and archival
platform
•facilitate scientific historiography of national
movements (e.g. guidance towards source material)
•coordinated by the ADVN - archives and research
centre in Antwerp (Flanders, BE)
•more info: http://www.nise.eu

7. Timeline
•2009: preliminary study, setting out the framework
•2010: carrying out survey
•2010-2011: additional interviews and visits
•2011: final data processing
•2012: presentation of results: database, online
manual, publication

8. Why do we need archives anyway?
•legal function: a.o. support and guarantee the rights
and obligations of governments and citizens
•administrative function: good governance
•historical value: influence the contents and
orientation of personal and collective memory, thus
the formation of a national identity
•policy supporting: legimitation of policy
and decision making

9. What are archives then?
•“materials created or received by a person, family, or
organization, public or private, in the conduct of their
affairs […]”
•parties: letters, policy papers, meeting reports,
financial administration, party publications, campaign
material, audiovisual materials (photos, films etc) and
all digital born or
digitised materials

10. The Need for and Needs of Archives
2. The survey

11. Yes, another survey…
•few (European) examples of surveys on the archives
of political parties
•most were very unsuccesful with very limited
response (statistically worthless)
•rather succesful among socialist and social democrat
parties. Due to higher historical/archival awareness?

12. Three kinds of data
•Archival data: are there archives, what is their
background and what do they contain
•Archival context: who created those archives, e.g.
information about the political parties/organizations
•Archival holders: who keeps those archives and how
are they being kept

13. Selection of respondents
•EFA (2010): 33 full member parties
•added with prospective members and observers
•a limited control group of non-member parties,
although part of national or regional movement
•total of 46 possible cases

14. Four steps
1.Questionnaire by e-mail (2010):
25% returned at least a minimal completed form;
2.Interviews at EFA GA in Venice (March 2010):
56% of member party representatives contacted;
3.Visits at selected party archives (2010-2011):
5 in 2010, added with 11 extra visits in 2011;
4.Additional research (2011).

15. Problems
•By the end of 2010: only 30% sufficient data
•Causes:
- general low return on surveys
- language problem (despite use of 5 languages)
- unfamiliar with archival matters
- incomprehension / suspicion regarding project

16. Data processing
•During 2011 at the ADVN, Antwerp
•Translated, checked and systemised
•Database input using international standards of the
International Council on Archives (ICA):
- Archives: ISAD(G)
- Context (parties): ISAAR(CPF)
- Archival holders: ISDIAH

17. The Need for and Needs of Archives
3. The results

18. Database
http://gta.nise.eu

19. Statistics: where are the archives kept

20. Statistics: where are the archives kept

21. Statistics: where are the archives kept

22. Statistics: how are the archives kept

23. Statistics: how are the archives kept

24. Statistics: how are the archives kept

25. Statistics: what is kept in the archives

26. Statistics: how the archives are disclosed

27. Statistics: how accessible the archives are

28. Statistics: how accessible the archives are

29. Conclusions (1/2):
•amazing and even surprising amount of historical
valuable materials
•huge difference whether party archives are kept at
an institution or not
•party archives are often underresourced
•archival care is not according to common standards,
methods and procedures

30. Conclusions (2/2):
•the retrieval of documents often depends on the
knowledge of the archives responsable
•the level of access lacks consistency
•digitisation, if applicable, lacks a methodical
approach
•all archives lack an international dimension

31. The Need for and Needs of Archives
4. Recommendations

32. Manual
•an online resource with practical guidelines bundled
in 6 main themes: context, appraisal, arrangement,
preservation, digitisation and access
•part of NISE Expertise and Information Centre (wiki)
•http://eic.nise.eu
•work-in-progress: constantly updated and added to

33. Flying Archivist
•follow-up project initiated by CMC and NISE
•assist with the most urgent and basic needs and
consult on archival care by offering archival service on
a temporary basis (5 days)
•selection of 3 cases: application process from March
26th until April 16th
•more info: http://www.nise.eu

34. The Need for and Needs of Archives
Thank you
for your cooperation with this project
and attention during this presentation

35. Further information
•General report: http://www.nise.eu and NISE
Proceedings, nr. 2 (summer 2012)
•Database: http: //gta.nise.eu
•Manual: http://eic.nise.eu
•Contact: tom.cobbaert@nise.eu or
luc.boeva@nise.eu