A conference and training event starting tomorrow, Tuesday 31 August, explores the challenges facing archivists, conservators and record managers in achieving authenticity and identification of archives and records.

The event entitled: "Accountability, Citizenship and Ethics: The role of archives and records management in nurturing citizenship" is being run the Society of Archivists. It is being held at the University of Strathclyde and will run until Friday 3 September.

'This is a most eagerly awaited and exciting event that will bring together records professionals from around the world and will demonstrate the essential value of records, of all ages, to the process of democracy," explains Lesley Richmond, Director of Glasgow University Archive Services and Chair of Society of Archivists, Scotland.

"Proper record-keeping helps ensure accountability of public institutions and the rights of citizens. '

Representatives from UK institutions, including Glasgow, Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Liverpool and Edinburgh Universities, as well as overseas institutions, such as Toronoto University in Canada, Edith Cowen University in Australia and the University of California USA, will be present. Other institutions include: the National Library of Scotland, the British Library, Glasgow City Chambers, Scottish Screen Archives, Glasgow School of Art, the Hunterian Art Gallery, and the National Archives for Scotland.

The effects of corruption, and decay, on the record and the roles that records professionals play in ensuring that high standards of accountability are achieved through contributions to record keeping practices - whether by conservators, archivists or records managers.

The conference will explore the following four themes:

ﾷ Governance & Accountability - The implications of the good governance agenda and physical decay on the quality of the record; Freedom of Information;

ﾷ Citizenship & Political Pressure - The international national and UK experience of regulatory regimes that affect the creation of the official record; new requirements for citizenship in the e-go government vision of the future;

ﾷ Development of the Profession - New directions for archival training required by compliance regimes or technological imperatives; research and training agendas;

ﾷ The Digital and the Digitised ﾖ 'Born-digital' records and digitisation of records; Life beyond the project- the holistic approach to developing private and public archives in the coming decade.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further details please see the Society of Archivists website: http://www.archives.org.uk.

For more details please contact Mike Findlay the University Press Officer on 0141 330-3535 or email: m.findlay@admin.gla.ac.uk.

The Society of Archivists, founded in 1947, exists to promote the care and preservation of archives and the better administration of archive repositories to advance the training of its members and to encourage relevant research and publication. Its membership now stands at approximately 1700.

The Information Market Place, will take place on Wednesday 1st September 2004. The event is FREE to all those that attend between 3pm and 6.30pm and will appeal to anyone interested in local and family history.

Participants in the event include The Virtual Mitchell, TheGlasgowStory, The Scottish Textile project, the Drawn Evidence project, Scottish Archival Network, Historic Scotland, The National Archives, Edinburgh University Library Archive and Glasgow University Archive Services. There will also be an opportunity to see a film presentation by the Scottish Screen Archive entitled ?Scotland on the eve of war.? and participate in a ?Conserving your Family Records Question Time?.

The event will be a mix of timetabled workshops, demonstrations and panel sessions, as well as an opportunity for participants to speak to commercial exhibitors and representatives from a number of local and national organisations.

Further details about the Information Marketplace can be found at http://www.archives.org.uk/conference/events.asp.

First published: 30 August 2004