1 Daniel J. Caron, Ph. D. Librarian and Archivist of Canada Sustainable Archives for a Sustainable and Effective Democracy – SAA Information, Governance and Democracy: Challenges for the State of Law SAA 2009

2 Outline  Introduction  Environment  Role of archives, libraries and knowledge institutions  Some challenges  Way forward: Modernization  Conclusion

3 Introduction  Information resources: cornerstone of our democratic systems  Information technology development has transformed the landscape of information creation, sharing and management  Need for good IM in order to support our democracies remains  Recordkeeping is at the heart of the solution: a mean rather than an end

4 Environment Production: Beyond physicality  Limitless information territory  Networked multiple media Volume: Exponential growth of digital information  Overabundance of documentation in organizations Digital: More volatile information resources  Users generate published, consumed, merged and wide- spread digital information

5 Environment (cont’d) Social Practices: Creation and access  Networked society  Collaborative practices in organizations  Democratization of creation and access  No intermediaries or censors between creators and users  Evolution of users behaviour: Redocumentation  New ways to produce, acquire, distribute and use information

6 Role of archives, libraries and knowledge institutions  Is it possible to fulfill our mandate in the same manner?  Should the traditional functions be reproduced in the digital environment?  How can archives and libraries integrate themselves into the knowledge networks of this new realm of communications?  Must we re-evaluate our institutional roles and responsibilities?

7 Some challenges Make choices  Information value remains to be defined  How to determine what information is to be kept?  A value that is meaningful?  A quantity that is sufficient and sustainable? Overcome preservation issues  What is the future of paper records?  Digital new records end up destroyed by their creators

8 Some challenges (cont’d) Competencies and abilities  Connectivity is bringing various professions together: Over 50 different occupations  Transformation of traditional information professions Access and resource discovery  Instant expectations and new user needs  Conceptual anachronisms  Digital content is managed and make accessible

9 Way forward: Modernization  Rethinking the structures of our knowledge institutions  Revisiting our work processes  Redefining skills and competencies

10 Previous Approach Current Outcome Possible Approach: Mosaic Continuing Memory