Samipya 2006 Vol 23 Ank 03 04

SR No.: 535841
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: R P Mehta, R T Savalia
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan
Publication Year: 2006
Total Pages: 110
Language: Gujarati
Classification: Magazine, India_Samipya, & India
File Size: 9 MB

Page 18

relevance for the military strategies in future. And under the circumstances the archivist will have no less role to understand and manage these records.
The mission of the archivist of tomorrow will be multifarious. He will be the custodian of many a records which do not come under his control for preservation in present times. In our country for instance, with the exception of Goa Archives, the custody of judicial archives still elusive for him. The time is not far when the judges in temples of law will have to devote some time for the judicious retrieval of the proliferating recor which are lying sometimes uncared for centuries. In coming decades, with the rise in crimes and punishments, the courts will have to give verdicts in favour of the archivists. Unthought of, unimagined social change that is going on in the country today resulting into welfare activities will in course of time will expand the dimension of the archival field to such an extent that this specialized data collection will create new type of specialists. There will have to be date banks of land records and registrations. The tremendous explosion of the population resulting into expanding census operations will create a new data base which will attract the attention of genealogists and population experts who in fact will be archivists in the garb of scientists. The architectural records, civic and municipal archives, environmental records, space exploration records relating to genealogy and hearldry radio and TV recordings, video discs, (though they are not lusting today, in future they may be in better material) optical digital discs, graphic documentation will require qualified archivists who will be in a position to take a realistic approach towards modernisation of archival infra-structure with a view to develop archival programmes so as not to discard the potential resources for optimum utilization. The Archivist of the future will not be a mere keeper of records but a guardian of the rich heritage for the benefit of the world village of tomorrow.
Another important aspect which we cannot afford to ignore is coming up of the institutional archives. The educational and commercial activities are growing today with such a rapid speed that the institutional archives will compete with the public archives. The institutional records and business records will go on accumulating to an alarming proportion, for which the trained archivist will have to go on a rescue mission. The archival operations may shot up to such a proportion that the public archives may seek the help of the universities or the institutions to deposit their holdings there, under a network system. Or the institutions themselves may from a consortium to manage their own records with their own archivists trained in non-traditional methodologies as per the demands in our country. If we desire to equip the 'Archivist of Tomorrow', we will have to do a lot of introspection right now. The first and foremost objective of ours should be to have an archival legislation in the country. We cannot preserve the archival heritage of the country without uniform legislation which is long overdue. In fact, it deserves utmost priority and as much attention that is given to safeguard the cultural heritage. If we visualize to broaden the functions and the role of the archivist, in the coming century in contrast with the traditional archivist we will have to sound him about the sound archives, music archives, records of literature, history, drama and
The Mission of Archivist
૧૩