Research On Transformation And Development Of Public Archives Of Canada(1912-1987)

In 1867,Canada ended its history as a British colony in North America,established dominion of Canada and began to develop independently.Its archival work began to reach a turning point.In 1871,the Canadian Parliament approved the establishment of the "Archives Branch of the Department of Agriculture" by the Ministry of Agriculture.The earliest organizational source of the Public Archives of Canada was established.Due to Canadian special colonial historical background and specific social development environment,the development process of the Public Archives of Canada is unique.In 1912,Canadian first archival act The Public Archives Act of 1912 was promulgated,and the concept of "public archives" came into being,indicating its new stage of development.The introduction of the National Archives of Canada Act in 1987 marked another new stage of development for the National Archives of Canada.The "Public Archives" has been transformed into "National Archives" and the country's significance has been further enhanced.Compared with other countries,the development process of the Public Archives has the following characteristics:the government's records management function started late,prioritized the development of cultural functions;emphasis on private records collection,public and private both collect,the concept of "total archives" went through the development process.Based on two major changes of the Canadian National Archives,carrying out research on its intrinsic transformation and development is of great significance to the in-depth understanding of the development system of the Public Archives and its advantages.Through combing the historical data of the Public Archives and summarizing related work to fully understand its transformation process,this paper mainly addresses the following questions:What stages of the Public Archives have experienced during 1912-1987 and what elements they experienced?What is the reason for the transformation?What are the implications for the transformation of China's comprehensive archives into public archives?The full text is based on the constant balance between the cultural functions of the Public Archives and the government records management functions.It analyzes the history of the transformation of the Public Archives and divides the establishment of the Public Archives System into three stages:the embryonic stage(early 20th century to 1940s,emphasis on cultural functions and neglecting the government records management functions;the formation stage(1950s to 1960s),the unification of cultural functions and government records management functions;the consolidation of the development stage(1970s to 1990s),government records management functions continue to increase,and the decentralization of cultural functions is evident.Subsequently,based on an analysis of the three stages of development,the transitional elements of the Public Archives over the past century have been summarized:the transformation of archival thoughts,the transformation of archival resources,the transfornation of service objects and methods,and the transformation of centralized and decentralized systems behind acquisition policy transformation,archival career transformation;Analysis of the causes behind the transformation of various elements of the Public Archives:internal factors(construction of national identity,promotion of important national figures,etc.),external factors(war,foreign archival work);and finally put forward the reference to the transition to publicity to our country.It is of critical importance in maintaining the balance of all aspects during the development of the archives.The imbalance tends to cause a series of problems for any party.This is also reflected in the analysis of the transformation and development of the Public Archives.