Introduction

              There are several critical stages in the life of an electronic record when its authenticity is most at risk. There are also challenges in preserving this electronic information for future users. Two articles that were published in Archivaria, the Journal of the Association of Canadian Archivists, deal with these topics. Moments of Risk: Identifying Threats to Electronic Records by David Bearman was published in 2006 and investigates "events in the life of electronic records and archives constituting "moments of risk", and "what aspects of the record need to be protected" (p. 43). Jacques Grimard's 2005 article, Managing the Long-term Preservation of Electronic Archives or Preserving the Medium and the Message, argues that "electronic information must be maintained through a global approach that preserves both the medium and the message" (p. 153). Both of these articles deal with the archival preservation of electronic records, and both recognize the difficulties inherent in keeping electronic information usable for the long term.


        The Publication:

Issue 62 Fall 2006

Issue 59 Spring 2005

Archivaria, a peer-reviewed journal, is devoted to the scholarly investigation of archives. It is the most authoritative journal in its field in Canada. Practitioners and academics in the field of archives publish in, and read Archivaria.






        

         Authors:

P-1     David Bearman

         David Bearman graduated from Brown University in 1971. He received an MA from the University of Pennsylvania in History & Sociology, and a PhD from the University of Toronto. He is the former Deputy Director of the Office of Information Resources Management for the Smithsonian Institution, and is currently the Founding Partner and President of Archives & Museum Informatics in Toronto. Bearman's consulting firm specializes in developing business models for archives and museums that utilize new information technologies. He has been responsible for heading the development of national information systems for archives, and for guiding national policies in the area of electronic records management (Archives & Museum Informatics, 2011).

    

P-2      Jacques Grimard

      Jacques Grimard, who died October 27, 2007, was an associate professor at the University of Montreal where he taught Archival Science. Dr. Grimard's career was devoted to the management of archival institutions, including the Library and Archives of Canada, and the National Archives of Quebec. During his life, Grimard served as Secretary of the International Conference of The Round Table on Archives, and chaired several committees of the International Council on Archives. He was the author of many books and articles on history and archival science (ICA Newsletter, 2007).