Listen to Carol Small’s presention to Middlesex County Council, March 14, 2023
… on behalf of the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives. We continue to encourage Middlesex County Council to help preserve our local history.
The committee called CEMCA recommends that a Middlesex County committee study the issue. CEMCA can offer experts in the field to help. There are local people dedicated to this project. People are ready to help with funding and fundraising, finding available grants etc. Always know we are there to help.
Committee to establish a Middlesex county archives.
This is not a short-term project. It will take time to assess what will work best for our County. There is no cookie-cutter. Each Archives throughout Ontario is unique to its region and its heritage.
We need to do an inventory. What do we have worth preserving for future generations? Let’s discover the breadth of records at the various levels of government (lower and upper tier); what’s available in other institutions (such as Western or Archives of Ontario); and what is currently in the care of volunteer operated historical groups within the county.
Just like our family archives, we have to decide what is worth keeping. Some paper records get described and filed away safely. Other records may be digitized.
There’s lots to it, and the committee called CEMCA recommends that a committee study the issue. CEMCA can offer experts in the field to help. There are local people dedicated to this project. People are ready to help with funding and fundraising, finding available grants etc. Always know we are there to help.
Both Lambton and Elgin have excellent archival programs and are a credit to their respective counties. While different, their goals are the same. Visiting both sites will be very informative, and I hope you will encourage fellow council members to attend the outings to become more aware of these worthwhile services. It all takes time, but the process does need a beginning and that time is now. f