I have this idea that most people doesn’t know very well what an Archive is. There is this vague idea that it is the kind of place where you can find old papers, and if you search well, you may find something of interest. But it also seems to me that most people don’t think of going into an Archive unless they need their grandfather’s birth certificate or the house plan.
Truth is Archives are fantastic places especially if we are equipped with a little bit of curiosity and if we don’t limit ourselves to Google or Wikipedia...
Last week I assisted to a lecture about community archives, which aren’t more than collections built by the people of a given place, in which people are actively involved in building their memory from their own point of view, with the help of archivists. And while I was hearing Dr. Jill Barber talking about the work she has been doing in Hertfordshire I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to get people more involve archives in Portugal. I thought we could pick old local pictures and maps and work with schools to explore the places where kids live, and to understand through their voices, what they think of those places; the same way, we could talk with the aged population and collect their histories. Yes, it does implies to find the right strategy, lots of work, perseverance, enthusiasm and monetary funding that doesn’t always exist. Of course there are obstacles, but wouldn’t it be also a way to preserve the Archive? Of showing its value? It kept me thinking…
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