Archivist wants to see better access

Press, 7 March 1978, Page 2

Archivist wants to see better access

Public access to State records and archives should be a right, and not a privilege, a Canadian archivist, : Dr W. I. Smith, said in Christchurch yesterday. Dr Smith, Dominion Archivist of Canada since 1970, for the last month has been surveying the state of archives here for the New Zealand Records and Ar-i chives Association. He said that at present the departments holding. records could decide whether people were allowed access. This made such access a privilege. The alternatives for New Zealand would probably lie somewhere between the freedom of information legislation in the United States, and the 30-year waiting period in Britain. Canada also had the 30year wait, but departments could allow access before that time, he said. Dr Smith said that New Zealand, was in danger of losing or destroying much of : its historical record unless : steps were taken to improve ! the status of its archives. Apart from staff at the national archives in Welling-

ton and the Alexander Turnbull Library there were not enough archivists hi New Zealand. New Zealand was becoming increasingly aware of its sense of nationhood and this was a positive stimulus to make greater efforts to preserve records, photographs letters and other historical material. Groups such as museums, universities and public lib-

raries were attempting to save material, but no separate budget existed and a low priority was accorded to record collection, storage and analysis. Dr Smith will give a public lecture at the museum tomorrow evening, during which he hopes to learn from the Christchurch public what they feel about the! present system of archives in New Zealand.