What's New

What's New

Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Ian E. Wilson, elected President of the International Council on Archives

(OTTAWA, March 17, 2008) - Library and Archives Canada is very proud to announce that Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, has been elected President of the International Council on Archives (ICA). Mr.Wilson's two-year mandate will begin the end of July 2008, following the ICA Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The ICA is the professional organization for the world archival community, dedicated to promoting the preservation, development, and use of the world's archival heritage. With more than 1,400 institutional members in 190 countries, it brings together national archive administrations, professional associations of archivists, regional and local archives, and archives of other organizations as well as individual archivists. The aim of the ICA is to promote the management and use of records and archives and the preservation of the archival heritage of humanity around the world.

In response to the announcement, Dr. Allen Weinstein, the Archivist of the United States, said "I am delighted to offer my congratulations to my Canadian counterpart, Ian E. Wilson, the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, on his election as President of the ICA. We have forged strong bonds in the last few years and are in close collaborative contact on a number of partnerships, including an upcoming major exhibition on the Treaty of Paris. I anticipate that Mr. Wilson will build on the theme for the 2008 congress 'Archives, Governance and Development: Mapping Future society' during his term."

Mr. Wilson has been involved with Canadian archival communities for more than 30 years. He began his career at Queen's University Archives in 1967, later becoming Saskatchewan's Provincial Archivist from 1976 to 1986. He was appointed Archivist of Ontario in 1986, a position he held until 1999 at which time he became National Archivist of Canada. In 2004, with the creation of a new knowledge institution, Ian E. Wilson was appointed Canada's first Librarian and Archivist of Canada. Over the years, Mr. Wilson has published extensively on history, archives, heritage and information management and has lectured nationally and internationally.

"As the newly elected President of the ICA, I share with my colleagues a deep commitment to the vital role that archives play in our complex society," declared Mr. Wilson. "I look forward to working with the leadership team to ensure that archives throughout the world can achieve their full potential, and to protect their interests locally, nationally and internationally."

To find out more about the the ICA, visit www.ica.org.

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Information:
Pauline M. Portelance
Senior Media Relations Officer
Library and Archives Canada
(819) 994-4589 or (613) 293-4298

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