Today is the third International Archives Day, and also marks the 62nd anniversary of the International Council on Archives. More information about the day, and the intentions of the ICA in establishing the celebration, can be found here.

Raising awareness of the importance of documentary heritage in shaping and supporting collective memory and upholding citizen's rights around the world is one of the aims of the EAP, and International Archives Day provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on our progress so far.

The project Digitisation of Bolivian indigenous communities' records on Allyu structure, tax and land tenure is currently in its final stages, and illustrates our aims and objectives well. The original material is held at the Archivo de La Paz and consists of volumes, maps and loose documentation. The Bolivian indigenous communities require the records as proof of community membership and land ownership and this enormous demand requires repeated handling and copying of the material, which slowly contributes to its degradation.

Creating digital copies has enabled the staff at the Archivo de La Paz to supply access copies on DVD to the 438 cantones of La Paz, increasing community access to this invaluable resource and enabling the Archive to keep the originals in storage, preventing further deterioration through use.

Here are some images taken from the collection:

 

 

Alex