Lt. Governor Francis in DC to Advance Territorial Archiving Efforts
Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis left the territory today to travel to Washington, DC to meet with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) officials regarding the digitization of the territory’s historical records. Francis is scheduled to meet with David Ferreiro, Archivist for the United States’ National Archives and Records Administration, on Wednesday, September 28. He will be joined by Ingrid Bough, Territorial Director of Libraries, Archives and Museums, and Susan Lugo, Territorial Coordinator for Archives. Mr. Asbjørn Hellum, the Danish National Archivist and Director General of the Danish State Archives will be in attendance.
The Virgin Islands delegation hopes to engage NARA in a collaborative effort with the territory and Denmark to digitize the historical records of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands). Presently, Denmark plans to digitize its archived holdings of the records of the Danish West Indies in anticipation of the 2017 centennial celebration of the transfer of the islands to the United States. Denmark has also committed to assist the Virgin Islands in digitizing its territorial records over the next several years. NARA presently holds Danish West Indies records for the period 1627-1917 in its collections. A collaborative digitization project of the U.S., Denmark and VI would make it possible for the first time in almost 150 years to reunify the historical records of the Danish West Indies and make this significant collection available to the public.
Francis, having overseen the Recorder of Deeds Office, a division of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor which contains significant historical data, is familiar with the challenges of preserving archival documents. He looks forward to meeting with NARA and Danish archivists to discuss the benefits and challenges of the joint digitization project. “It is important that we explore every opportunity to make information available about the history and ancestry that has influenced our culture and community. It is a vital learning tool in our quest to understand and share knowledge of the diverse owners and cultures of our past,” he said.
The meeting with NARA continues discussions begun at the satellite meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Section on Genealogy and Local History (IFLA-GENLOC) that was recently held on St. Thomas. At that meeting, Lt. Governor Francis met with library, archive and information professionals to discuss best strategies for record preservation and ensure public accessibility to historical documents.
