Statement: Bacik Calls for Debate on Future of National Archives

Labour Seanad Spokesperson for Justice, Arts Sports & Tourism
Wednesday, 28 April 2010

BACIK CALLS FOR DEBATE ON FUTURE OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Speaking in the Seanad today, Senator Ivana Bacik welcomed the announcement that the Natural History Museum would be re-opening this week, but went on to say:

“It is great to see the Natural History Museum or ‘Dead Zoo' - as it is affectionately known - re-opening, so that we will have the restoration of a wonderful resource for the people of Dublin. But in the context of its re-opening we need to examine how we treat our historical records and our museums more generally.

“I have spoken in the Seanad before about the need to value our heritage by maintaining the integrity of institutions like our National Archives, and I have expressed criticism about the proposed merger of the National Archives into the National Library. This proposal has met with immense opposition from expert archivists and historians and there has been no evidence produced to provide a coherent rationale for the merger.

“The proposed merger was the subject of a conference in Trinity on 10th April entitled ‘Archives in Crisis' – I hope that the Minister for Culture will pay heed to the opposition expressed by the experts there about the proposal, and that she will not proceed with this ill-conceived scheme.”

ENDS.