Functions and Roles of Local Public Archives

「지방기록물관리기관」의 기능과 역할

In this paper, local public archives is referred to the public archives of provincial governments and metropolitan city governments as defined in the public Records Management Act. Under the Act, as professional archives, the local public archives preserves records designated as permanent preservation which the local government and its sub-agencies created or received to conduct public business. The Act also allows local public archives to establish an appropriate basic plan to manage its holdings as well as to oversight its sub-agencies. The Act stipulates that the local public archives are to be established in all provinces and metropolitan cities. The local public archives shall preserve archival heritage safely and utilize use of the recorded information as defined in the Article one of the Act. The local archives shall respect the principle of provenance. It is expected that the local archives shall strengthen local archival promotion campaigns which necessarily reflect unique local circumstances. However, as the Act just recommended the establishment of local public archives not to force as a mandatory procedure, it resulted in a flow of some confusions and misinterpretations. Despite the act was proclaimed two years ago, the local public archives are not yet established, not to mention that no preparatory works are on the way. To establish the local public archives effectively which meet local residents needs and demands, provincial governments and metropolitan city governments should proceed a well-prepared preparatory works plan considering the steps to transform them into the local public archives when they establish agency records centers. The first step in this process is to reach at a common consensus on the functions and roles of the local public archives which accommodates local residents needs and demands. Secondly, by analyzing the functions of archives to be established, an estimation of needed human resources, facilities, equipments, organization, budget appropriation, and local rules should be performed. Otherwise, the establishment of decent local archives is a far remote future. One of the methods to proceed this project systematically is to establish a local research institute for the local archives and cultural studies which would be put under the local university authority while consulting with local governments, local civil organizations, local historical and cultural societies. It is very undesirable to stress too much upon administrative efficiency when concerned parties discuss the functions and roles of the local public archives. They must keep in mind that when the functions to collect and use historically valuable records are active then administrative efficiency can be raised as well as accountability. Collecting and arranging historically valuable records is a short-cut way to promote accountability and develop local political culture. The local public archives is a valuable community historical center and an effective medium to facilitate historical speaking and writing among local people, something more than a simple public archives. Then our campaign for the establishment of local public archives can be a meaningful political cultural movement.