Harper And The Death Of Knowledge And Historical Perspective
by Michelle Lovegrove Thomson on May 2, 20122 comments
I have just started a new position at a non-profit art museum, so due to time constraints I am not able to cogently rage against the recent cuts to Library & Archives Canada, National Archival Development Program, and the federal Community Access Program.
Suffice it to say, the Harper Conservatives are determined to obliterate:
- transparent record-keeping;
- maintenance of historically important institutional records;
- access to information through free computer terminals, as well as on-site research in library and archives institutions;
- preservation of national cultural and heritage documents; and the list could go on.
The knowledge workers of Canada are organizing: A group of archivists in Edmonton are hoping to convene an “Archivists On to Ottawa” trek, modelled after the 1935 On to Ottawa Trek of unemployed workers who marched to Ottawa from the West to demand work in the midst of the Depression. The CAUT launched the Save Library & Archives campaign a month ago, and the CLA has issued an activist toolkit urging members to protest the axing of the Community Access Program.
The fight to preserve, maintain, and access records has just begun, and you can bet there will be more actions to follow. Please follow the links and sign up to show your support of these essential historical, cultural, and politically necessary institutions and programs.
Dalhousie Univserity Library has blogged about how these cuts will affect their facilities.
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2 comments
Michelle on May 2, 2012 at 10:55 am. #
Archives Association of Ontario regrets to inform its membership that all programs and services have been placed on hold until we have further information. This includes the services of the Archives Advisor, Preservation Consultant, and Archeion Coordinator. Programs that are also affected include any upcoming workshops of the Professional Development Committee. ” – AAO President Danielle Hughes announcing new provisions to handle cuts.
David Reddall on May 10, 2012 at 6:17 am. #
This is an important post. The cuts gleefully inflicted by the Harper regime are symptoms of a disturbing affliction: disdain for knowledge and the informed, critical inquiry that it generates. It ought to be obvious that the aforementioned are prerequisites for the flourishing of democratic political life. Alas, it would seem that the Harper regime is completely indifferent to these considerations; one might well contend that said regime has contempt for them. Contempt for the culture of democratic institutions is the norm under Harper, as the record amply attests. Who would vote for these philistines and demagogues, I wonder?