In the Canadian archival system, in the past, ethnic
communities were not encouraged to establish their own archives
because they were considered to.lack the resources required for
sustaining professionally acceptable archives. In recentyears
public archives have come to emphasize preservation of their parent
bodies' archives, and consequently fewer resources have been
available for preservation of private archives, including ethnic
archives. There is evidence that some ethnic communities are
concerned to preserve their archival materials. This thesis
examines the.efforts of Japanese-Canadian communities to preserve
archival materials bearing-on their historical experiences.
A case study using the method of focussed interviews of
Japanese-Canadian communities in seven cities revealed the
substantial will to preserve archival materials. The study
discovered that, while Japanese Canadians have been and are being
rapidly assimilated to the larger society, cultural interests and
the need for the sense of identity persist and are renewed by each
generation. Under these circumstances, community leadership sees
archival activities as an integral part of the community
activities. The case study also revealed strengths and weaknesses
of archival activities in those communities. Closeness to records
creators through formal and informal networks within the
communities provides community archives with distinct advantages.
These archives can easily identify and locate materials of
continuing value. They also have easy access to contextual
information on records and their creators. Weaknesses were
identified in defining acquisition policies and financial
resources. Contrary to concerns of some archivists and
researchers, most respondents are aware of the need to abide by
professional standards, and they are also willing . to make their
materials available to the general public.
Based on the findings of the case study, several
recommendations are offered. Preservation of ethnic archival
materials should be clearly recognized as a responsibility to be
assumed by both public archives and ethnic communities. To carry
out this responsibility effectively, planning and cooperation among
different archives and communities are essential. Ethnic
community-based archives, on their part, should follow the accepted
principles and practices, especially in the area of acquisition, so
that they function as a legitimate part of the Canadian archival
system. Networking among ethnic community archives is also
recommended in order to reveal relationships among their holdings.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/4286 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Tsuruta, Sayuri |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
Page generated in 0.003 seconds