UWI St. Augustine library acquires Eastern Caribbean Folk Recordings

Author: DAVID CUFFY

Title: UWI receives Alan Lomax and JD Elder Collection
Date Published: Wednesday, June 20, 2012
URL: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-06-20/uwi-receives-alan-lomax-and-jd-elder-collection

Abstract:

The article records the acquisition of the Alan Lomax and Jacob D Elder Collection of Folk Recordings by the Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The acquisition of these materials comes at the 50th anniversary of when the field recordings were made in 1962 by Alan Lomax, with assistance from JD Elder. The contents of the acquisitions are described and some background information on Lomax and Elder (the collectors) are provided.

Details of the ceremony celebrating the handover to the institution are described including the location of the event. Also mentioned is a concurrent event, the Caribbean and Latin America three-day 57th annual Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials  (SALALM) hosted by the UWI campus libraries, National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) and the Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT). A few details about the conference are provided including the mission of SALALM. 



Excerpt:

A symbolic handing over of The Alan Lomax and Jacob D Elder Collection of Folk Recordings to the Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies (UWI) took place at Theatre 1, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain, on Monday evening.

The event, A Cultural Journey—An Evening of History, Music and Dance, was in honour of participants from the Caribbean and Latin America attending the three-day 57th annual Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials  (SALALM) hosted by the UWI campus libraries, National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) and the Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), which began at Hilton Trinidad and Conference on June 17.

SALALM’s primary missions are the control and dissemination of bibliographic information about all types of Latin American publications, and the development of library collections of Latin America in support of educational research. This year is the 50th anniversary of the field recordings made in 1962 by Alan Lomax, with assistance from JD Elder and according to Dr Rosita Sands of the Lomax Archive, it is a sweeping survey of the music of 12 islands, inclusive of Grenada, Anguilla, St Lucia, St Kitts/Nevis, Carriacou, Dominica, Martinique, St Barthelemey, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago.

Barbados Archives urged to digitize

Author: (JH)
Title: Digitise records
Date published: June 4, 2012
Source: The Barbados Advocate
URL: http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=25110

Abstract:
This article reports on comments made by a historian, Dr. David Browne, who delivered a public lecture as part to celebrate Archives Awareness Month 2012. At that event, Dr. Browne makes a number of comments, remarks, observations and suggestions, some of which are documented by the reporter. One such suggestion was that the Barbados Depart ment of Archives needs digitize its records to keep up with modern technological advancements, despite unavailability of resources. Browne articulates that access and preservation of archive materials are important to researchers, and makes suggestion about businesses needing to practice good record keeping and that schools need to create School Archives in similar ways that they have school libraries.



Excerpt:

THE BARBADOS Department of Archives must reposition itself for the modern era and the technological advancement that comes with it.

This observation was made recently by Dr. David Browne, who was delivering a public lecture on the topic “Preserving Archives as Evidence” in the 3Ws Oval. The lecture was hosted by the Archives Department and the West Indies Federal Archives Centre in celebration of National Archives Awareness Month 2012.

Acknowledging the current challenges which exist and which have existed for quite some time, namely the unavailability of resources, he said that access and preservation of this material is critical, particularly as it relates to persons seeking to carry out research on a given topic.

“More and more, information and documents are [being] produced digitally and stored in this fashion. I understand that the Archives Department was looking at the digitisation of records [and] that is the way to go.”
His comments came as he also questioned the purpose of record-keeping, whether it is for the use of researchers or just for posterity, otherwise known as the community memory.