Experts discuss ways for easy access to archives material

Srinagar, March 20

The National Committee of Archivists, in a two-day meeting, called for making valuable information from public and private records in state and Union Territory archives across India more accessible to users through the Internet. They called for democratisation of access of archives.

A government spokesman in a statement said during the two-days meeting, the delegates deliberated on various aspects that are required for revitalising the archives administration and records management system in their respective state, UTs, and underscored the need for leveraging full potential of the digital and AI technologies for this purpose.

“They agreed on adopting a focused and concerted approach for preserving and sharing the rich documentary heritage of the nation, and for making their archival resources easily accessible through web portal,” the statement said.

The 47th Meeting of the National Committee of Archivists (NCA) concluded on March 19 at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), Srinagar. Delegates from Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh participated in person, while those from Haryana and West Bengal attended in virtual mode.

“The delegates also sought the guidance of the National Archives of India in formulating the guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), with regard to digitization of records,” the statement added.

In his address, Arun Singal, Director General of Archives and chairman and convener of NCA said there is need of democratisation of the valuable information contained in public and private records held in various state and Union Territory archives across India by making it easily accessible to the users through the Internet.