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INFLUENCE WITH INTEGRITY

24th International RMAA Convention
9 to 13 September 2007, Wellington - New Zealand

 

Preview of Presentation - Kirsten Thorpe

Kirsten Thorpe

Student, Masters programme.
Faculty of Information Technology
Monash University
Caulfield East, Victoria
Australia

Kirsten Thorpe will be presenting on Meeting the recordkeeping needs of Indigenous Australians: the Role of Education and Research on Tuesday

Access to current Indigenous Records is critical

For Indigenous communities, access to current records and archives is critical to re-establishing community and family links, establishing identity and land rights. There are other claims, too, for example repayment of wages held by Aboriginal Trust Funds, and the recovery of Indigenous knowledge. Effective recordkeeping and archiving in Indigenous organisations and communities is also vital. Culturally appropriate recordkeeping training and education for Indigenous people, and research partnerships with Indigenous communities are essential components in achieving these objectives.

The speaker will present an overview of related initiatives at Monash University including the Monash Indigenous Archives Scholarship and research being undertaken by the Monash Centre for Organisational and Social Informatics, for example the Australian Research Council-funded Trust and Technology project.

The Trust and Technology project relates to building trusted archival services for Koorie oral memory. It was designed to address the challenge of archiving records of Koorie oral memory that is transmitted via the spoken word. Much of the knowledge transmitted was, and is, needed for the continuing survival of Koorie communities.

This challenge involves:

  • Working with Koorie communities that are seeking archival solutions that recognise cultural and community differences.
  • Understanding and reinforcing the role of oral narratives and memories as sources and methods of transmission of Koorie knowledge and as an integral part of the collective archives.
  • Recognising the limitations of existing archival systems in relation to representing and preserving Koorie knowledge that has hitherto been transmitted orally.
  • Linking recordings of oral narratives and memories to other forms of records of Koorie people, including archival and institutional records.
  • Designing trusted systems and services that embrace Koorie frameworks of knowledge, memory and evidence.

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