International events: 8th European Conference on Digital Archiving in Switzerland

The 8th European Archives Conference will take place in Geneva (Switzerland) from 28 - 30 April, 2010.

Designed to define the current and future challenges of the profession, the conference is being organised by the European Regional Branch (EURBICA) and the Section on Professional Associations (SPA) of the International Council on Archives (ICA) as well as by the Swiss Federal Archives. The International Scientific Committee, responsible for the programme of the conference, decided to choose digital archiving as the general theme for this 8th edition. They wished to innovate by focusing on the function of archives – the archiving – and no longer on the institution. The conference programme will therefore be structured around the challenges and opportunities represented by digital archiving today.

As part of an effort to increase the active involvement of young professionals in the ICA’s activities, the Scientific Committee decided to involve them in the development of the conference programme. To this end, the Swiss Federal Archives organised a pre-conference aimed at giving a voice to fifteen young professionals. Originating from nine European countries, these young people met for a brainstorming session in Bern on 4 and 5 September 2008. The conference organisers feel it is important to address the new generation of archivists to benefit from their creative potential and their ability to look at the subject from a new angle. These young people have grown up in a «digital environment» and have a clear awareness of its impact on their profession.