Cataloguing for Xmas

It’s been so long since my last post. This is partly because I have nothing interesting to say, archival or otherwise, and partly because I’ve been busy. Xmas is almost here and my plans for this week have gone awry. I wanted to be cataloguing and instead I’m checking digital files.

Why is there never time to catalogue?

For me, Xmas itself should be quiet and full of food, wine and TV. New Years will be louder. I’m travelling up north where I hope to visit ruined medieval monasteries, read many books and drink much. It's gonna be really cold.

NY resolution #1: do more cataloguing

Ain't technology amazing?

I have taken a toddling step closer towards the 21st Century. I have used bluetooth technology to move images from my phone into the computer. So, here they are. Images from around London taken over the past year:

Eric Ketelaar giving the 2nd Jenkinsonian Lecture

"authentic Japanese tapas" sign

the amazing Park Chan-wook talking at the London Korean Film Festival

Planned regional closures at the National Archives of Australia

When the TNA announced budget problems earlier this year their coping strategy included limiting opening hours and having dirtier windows (as well as firing people – I don’t want to suggest bad things aren’t happening). The Australians, being on a much larger geographical scale, are responding to budget difficulties by planning to close 3 of their regional offices: Darwin, Adelaide and Hobart. The NAA’s Director-General, Ross Gibbs, put up a statement today on their webpages. In it, he notes that: “The decision to close the Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart offices was based on the knowledge that they could not endure any more budget cuts while still maintaining the high level of service that they are known for.”

Personally I don’t see how no service at all is better than one that includes, for example, fewer opening hours and more grime on the glass. But the bit that worries me is this: “we are considering the future of the records in these locations. Some of the records may be relocated to our repositories in Sydney or Melbourne, while others may be relocated locally under a memorandum of understanding arrangement with other sympathetic local cultural heritage institutions.” In a democratic society it doesn’t seem right that the government off-loads responsibility, including the costs, for public records. Also, what “local cultural heritage institution” is going to have the funds and space to take on this extra material?

Stories straight to your mobile

From an article in the Times on the possible demise of storytelling (put up by the American listserv – thanks guys) I discovered Keitai Shosetsu, novels written for, and sent to, the mobile phones of Japanese mobile phone owners, and the Centre for Future Storytelling.

These need further investigation.

Old diaries in blog form

I haven’t been paying much attention for the past couple of weeks. In general that is. But, I have been avidly reading these two blogs: Voyage of the Vampire and My Diary and my secret.

Quite a few archives are doing this sort of thing, posting old diary entries in real time in blog format. It’s brilliant.