Sir, – Minister for Arts, Jimmy Deenihan (Opinion, June 11th) cleared up a lot of issues regarding his thinking about the review of national cultural institutions. As a former museum director and a professionally qualified archivist, I think that a re-assessment of the management of our major cultural institutions is timely and healthy. As the Minister states, shared technical, conservation and select management services across the cultural institutions will result in necessary economies and will open up new ways of working cooperatively.
Regrettably, ambiguities remain about the methodology supporting the review of the governance of the National Archives, the Irish Manuscripts Commission and the National Library. The functions of the National Archives and the National Library are highly distinct. The National Archives is legally charged to protect, preserve and make available the records of all government departments, thus guaranteeing Irish citizens and others their rights in accessing information about the governance of the State. The National Archives is a cornerstone of our democracy. Archivists as members of a professional body are required by a code of ethics to protect the integrity of the information in their custody. Equally archivists are bound by the Official Secrets Act. Archivists at the National Archives work closely with colleagues across government departments in the management of current information as contained in both electronic and textual media to ensure that record keeping practices remain accurate, accountable and transparent.
The collections managed by the National Archives have vital legal and evidential values as many of the recent tribunals demonstrated. These collections also have academic and historic currencies and are heavily used by scholars and the general public.
In conducting this review, has a cost benefit analysis been conducted which provides a clear rationale to support a merger of the various organisations? If so, what precisely is that rationale? Have the National Archives Advisory Council, the Archives and Records Association of Ireland and most importantly users of the National Archives and National Library been consulted? Has the role of the National Archives in protecting democratic processes been fully considered?
When the National Archives Act (1986) was passed the archival and academic communities celebrated. We fought and won a hard battle to guarantee the protection of the integrity of the records of our State. That was almost 30 years ago and times have changed. Yes, reviewing the structures is strategic and timely. But I would appeal to the Minister to ensure that when conducting this review he turn the pages of history rather than tear them. – Yours, etc,