Miss Blyden Miss Blyden , one of the early Christmas drinks, is made from the fruit of the Prickly Pear

The Prickly Pear (Opuntia Vulgaris) originated in Mexico, where

it was first farmed for food and medicine some 5,000 years ago.

The indigenous Indians still fry or boil the flat stems and use

them as vegetables. By the time the Spaniards arrived in Mexico,

the Prickly Pear was well established in traditional medicine there.

During the 17th century the Spaniards took the Prickly Pear and its uses over to Europe.

It is now grown in hot, dry areas in Italy, France and Spain, where it is held in high

esteem. In Africa it is planted to discourage lions. The fruits are eaten and the stems of

spineless types are used in soap making.

Recent research at the University of Lyon in France shows that when eaten, there is a

reduction in the levels of glucose and insulin in the blood as well as a lowering of levels

of cholesterol and body weight in obese and diabetic patients.

In the Virgin Islands, the fleshy stem has been put to many uses: washing hair, eye bath,

to treat high blood pressure, as a poultice for insect bites, backache and inflammation of

the abdomen. A heated pad of the stem placed on the soles of the feet with a cold cloth

on the head, eases tension immediately.

The Inkberry Christmas Tree Before the advent of importing the Christmas tree from

North America to the Virgin Islands, up to the 1950s

folks .turned to their own environment for Christmas decora-

tions.

The Inkberry Tree, also known as the „Fishing Rod‟ tree was

popularly used as the Christmas tree in these islands. Cutting

the tree was great fun. One or two members of the household

would have „eyed‟ a particular tree in the nearby hillside,

several weeks before it was ready for cutting. It had to be

the right height for the front room, and the number of

branches on which to hang the decorations of tissue and

November/December 2010 Volume 4, Nos 11 & 12

Inside This Issue

Our Traditional Christmas Symbols....….page 1 Local Author, Andria Flax……………..……..page2 Christmas Symbols Cont’d……....………...page 3 Cayman Ministry Breaks FOI Law……......page 4 ECM + e-gov = Power! ….……………..…...page 4 Winners of volunteering project …..…...page 4 UK Gov Web Archives…..……………….…...page 4 Archives and Records Management Legisla-tion Highlights………….…….…………………..page 5

Awardees in the Deputy Governor History Research

Programme 2010

Will to be announced during this month!

The theme is : Researching and Writing Biographies

Launched in 2007, the objective of the History Research Programme is to encourage and

promote local history research and to acknowledge the efforts of Virgin Islands resi-

dents.who participate in the Programme

Look out for the 2011 theme and become involved in this worthwhile

project!!

Welcome to our final issue for 2010! There has been a

lot going on here at the Archives and Records Manage-

ment Department over the past year and as we look

forward to 2011, We‟d like to share with you some timeless icons of Virgin Islands cul-

ture with which many of our more senior community members will identify more readily.

Now, while there are some younger members of our community who may need a Ghost of

Christmas Past experience to fully appreciate why these symbols have such significance to

Virgin Islands heritage, we believe that some simple explanations of the symbols and their

significance should suffice.

We will concentrate on five symbols: (1) The Guavaberry Liqueur (2) Miss Blyden

(3) The Inkberry Christmas tree (4) The Century Plant Christmas Tree and (5) Serenad-

ing.

The Guavaberry Liqueur

The Liqueur is made from berries of the Guavaberry plant

THE Guavaberry plant is in the same family as the Guava, grows to about 55 feet and has

small conical leaves. The fruit, which grows in bunches, ripens in hues of black and yel-

low, usually in the autumn (September-October). It is a small pulpy fruit which carries a

strong aroma. The plant thrives best amongst dense growth in or near guts.

It is legend that while overhauling their estates one day after the September rains, two 18th

Century planters were attracted by a pungent aroma. They followed the scent and found

that some berries steeped in their dislocated pulp, had collected in the crevice of a rock. It

is said that when they tasted the liquid they fell on their knees, turned their eyes heaven-

wards, made the sign of the cross and blessed the spot! They thought that they had found a

winery and therefore the secret had to be guarded.

However, months later, while passing through one of the villages,

the planters were again attracted by the same aroma. The villagers

were preparing for the festive Christmas Season. „Want some guava-

berry, Sar? One of them asked the taken aback planters.

In the days when a „zinc pan full‟ of berries (about three gallons) was

sold for seventy-five cents, stewed guavaberry, a preserve used for

filling pies, was quite popular. Nowadays, the fruit is almost exclu-

sively used for the drink. Each family concocts the best recipe and

serves the brew at Christmas time.

Our Traditional Christmas Symbols

Christmas Gift Suggestions and Quotations

ARM News, Volume 4, Nos 11 & 12

‚To your enemy, forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart,

to a customer, service; to all, charity; to every child, a good example; to yourself,

respect.‛ Oren Arnold

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day; we try to crowd into it

the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like

to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift

along the holidays—let them overtake me unexpectedly—waking up some fine

morning and suddenly saying to myself: why this is Christmas!‛ Ray Stannard

Baker, pseudo. David Grayson (1870-1946), Author, journalist

‘’Blessed in the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.‛

Hamilton Wright Mabie (1845-1916), Author, essayist and critic

‚Make Christmas the keeping-place for memories of innocence< and then share

them with others,‛ Adapted from Joan Mills.

‚I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christ-

mas songs and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and

peace to this world.‛ Norman Vincent Peale, (1898-1993) Protestant religious

leader, author

‚Mankind is a great, an immense family< this is proved by what we feel in our

hearts at Christmas.‛ Pope John XXIII

‚Christmas—that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so

intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas

may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remem-

brance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.‛ Augusta E.

Rundell

‚Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.‛ Charles Schulz

(1922-2000) Cartoonist ‘Peanuts’

‘’As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.’’

Eric Sevareid (1912-1992), Newscaster

‚Christmas renews our youth by stirring our wonder. The capacity for wonder

has been called our most pregnant human faculty, for in it are born our art, our

science, our religion’’

Ralph Sockman (1889-1970), Religious leader

‚Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm

circle of family and friends‛. Margaret Thatcher (1925- )Political leader

“Snapshots of the Past”:

Own a piece of local history. Get your auto-

graphed copy at the special holiday price of $20 until December 31.

Supplies are limited.

Nicknamed ‘Papel’ (the

Spanish word for paper)

by her father, the late

George Norman, from her childhood

days, Andria Flax is never without at

least a piece of paper and a pencil to

easily jot down something worth re-

membering. Andria, born in Road

Town, Tortola, has been writing poetry

for ‘donkey years’, although she took a

lengthy hiatus to dedicate quality time

to her family. Encouraged by her min-

ister, Fr. Ronald Branche of the St.

George’s Episcopal (Anglican) Church

and several other individuals within

the territory, she has been reciting her

pieces during church services and

concerts for many years, yet she baulked every time the idea was put to

her to publish her anthology.

After receiving a telephone call recommending that she visit an exhibi-

tion of old pictures hosted by the Archives Unit of the BVI Government

on the last day it was held in April, 2009, Andria (called Andy by her

friends) was filled with emotion when she viewed for the first time, a

set of picture of her maternal grandparents and other family members,

most of them of blessed memories. The pictures, taken in the 1950’s by

international photographer, Fritz Henle, depicted the humble life on

Peter Island and they effectively sidetracked Andria from her poetry, at

least for several months.

She later told her husband that she felt moved to write about life as she

had known it while spending countless vacations on that island as a

tribute to her people, the Cay People, as they were called. Less than

one year later, on 15th April 2010, she launched her maiden book, ‘The

Way We Were.’ Her detailed account of these happy times, which also

documents her growing up days at lower Main Street, Road Town, was

well embraced by the entire BVI community.

Having successfully stepped out on a sturdy limb of faith, book #2,

‘Sharing the Vision - The Prayers, Promises and Poems of Andria D.

Flax’ became a reality barely six months later, on 7th November, 2010,

when it was launched during the Remembrance Day Service at the St.

George’s Episcopal Church. This collection contains poems touching a

wide range of subjects, including religion, our rich BVI cultural heri-

tage, love and social ills affecting our community, as well as tributes to

individuals who have touched the author’s life in some meaningful

way.

Andria’s passion is reading; her hobbies include sewing, collecting shot

glasses, piggy banks, turtles, BVI memorabilia, CDs of her favourite

music and vintage LP records. She considers herself a top notch cook

and is proud of her disk jockeying skills, gained over a span of four

years when she hosted a radio show on a local radio station.

Andria, who retired after thirty two hectic years in banking, was lured

back to the workplace where she has switched her career field to hu-

man resources. Married to Ellsworth for what she calls thirty wonderful

years, she is the proud mother of Dwayne, Lyle and Chantal, and the

equally proud grandmother of Serenity and little Alex. She resides at

Whispering Winds at Russell Hill, Tortola. - J. Flemming

Local Authors

Spotlight:

Andria Flax

Page 2

Inkberry Tree Cont’d

Because of the spines, great care had to be taken in the cutting, getting the tree into the

house and steadying it in a wooden tub or tin container that once held kerosene oil, lard or

soda biscuits. The tree was grounded in its container with rocks around which crepe paper or

cloth was draped. The entire exercise sometimes occupied several members of the house-

hold, who often recalled the events of the day or even of the last decorating, as they

worked. The bluish shinny berries naturally highlighted the green branches whose spines

were ready holders for little candles.

The Inkberry is a spiny deciduous shrub, usually five to ten feet tall but could also grow into

a twenty foot tree. It grows in dry areas and is characterized by long, slender, stiff, horizon-

tal branches. Leaves vary in shape from elliptic to nearly round to spatulate. It has solitary

white flowers and bears a berry with several rounded seeds in blue or black pulp, which was

also used as ink, hence the name „Inkberry‟. Fishermen carved the rigid stems into fishing

rods from whence that local name also derived. Though not as prolific, the Inkberry still

grows on the slopes of hillsides in dry areas around the Islands.

The Latin name is MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE) Randia aculeata L.

The Century Plant

About the Century Plant

The Century Plant (Agave Americana) is an agave originally from Mexico but is

now cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has a spreading rosette, about

8 feet of grey-green leaves up to 6 feet long, each with a spiny margin and a heavy

spike at the tip. Its common name derives from its habit of occasionally flowering

only once, but when it does, the spike with a cyme of big yellow flowers, may reach

up to 25 feet in height. The plant dies after flowering, but produces suckers, which

continue its growth. The average life-span is around 25 years.

Historical Uses of the Century Plant

Pre-Columbian Uses: If the flower stem is cut

before flowering, a sweet liquid called aqua miel

("honey water") gathers in the heart of the plant.

This may be fermented to produce the drink

called pulque, which may then be distilled to

produce mescal. The leaves also yield fibres,

known as pita, which are suitable for making

rope, matting, and coarse cloth ‘Corritor’ and

‘Pope’. The latter, because of the towering,

majestic poise of the stalk and flowers. A local

poet immortalized the plant in the poem enti-

tled the Celebrated Pope in which its cultural

uses are described.

Guy Fawkes Night: The dried stalk was tradi-

tionally used in some villages to intensify bon

fires on Guy Fawkes 5th of November Night,

also called ‘Pope Night.’ Villagers would scan

the hillsides for a ‘choice’ plant to cut on the day

before the event. The stalk was planted in the

ground and securely held in place with rocks. It

was then padded out with fire thrash and wood to ensure a lasting, lashing, yelping

blaze when the fires were lit around seven at night to burn ‘Guy Fawkes’. The

celebration attracted quiet competition in some areas as groups went around in-

specting the height and breadth of each bon fire.

Christmas tree: Although the plant was not really used as a Christmas tree in

homes, civic organizations, because of its height and grandeur, decorated the tow-

ering dried stalk for public ceremonies at Christmas time, in the early 1980s.

Store décor: The dried flower stems possess an artistic charm on which stores and

restaurants draped and displayed their wares.

Fence: The sheer volume and strength of the plant make a formidable fence when

planted around the periphery of a land plot used for pasture

or cultivation. Such fences were commonly used up until the 1960s.

- V. Penn Moll

Christmas Symbols Cont’d ARM News, Volume 4, Nos 11 & 12 Page 3

Christmas Serenading and Carolling – An Enduring Virgin Islands’ Tradi-tion

The tradition of serenading and carolling at Christmastime is still strong in the

Virgin Islands. Serenading has its roots in the revelry of African slaves, when

anyone with a musical instrument joined a group to entertain the masters with

singing and playing of made-up songs on Christmas Day. Banjo, guitar, dried

gourds, bongos, drums, washboards, and other improvision, still make alluring

music. Refreshments are still an important part of the tradition and serenaders are

served with Guava-

berry liqueur, sweet-

bread, tart and ham.

‘Good Morning, Good

Morning, Ah come fuh

meh Guavaberry’ and

‘Mama Bake yuh

Johnny Cake Christ-

mas Comin’, are two

popular ditties, which

serenaders include in

their repertoire.

Carolling, a later deri-

vation, is the singing

of religious hymns or

songs associated with

Christmas by choirs

formed from local

churches or groups of

friends, sometimes

accompanied by a

band. The carollers begin before midnight on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve

and go from house to house in chosen villages, singing until dawn. They are

usually compensated with donations of money, drinks and food, depending on

the size of the group.

Some band names associated with serenading and carolling over the years are:

The Happy Family Band (Cane Garden Bay); Serenaders; Carrot Bay Carollers

(Carrot Bay); Band of Unity, Band of Love, Joyous Singers (West End); Band of

Faith, (Long Trench); Band of Unity (Fahie Hill, Long Trench); Band of Great

Britain, Band of Love (Myers, Harrigan); Voice of Love (St. Thomas); Women's

and Girls' Leagues; Youth Club; and Maxwell Thomas Christmas Fungi (East

End).

Historical Perspective: Slaves were allowed to celebrate openly and had a chance

to rest and express themselves creatively. In the Caribbean, three days were al-

lowed – Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. (In some American

States they were

allowed up to 10 days).

At Christmas, the usual meal of salt fish and ground provisions was replaced with

a feast of beef and pork with increased rum rations for making punch.

Celebrations began on Christmas morning when groups went up to the Great

House to sing made-up songs to the Planters. In the evening, dressed

extravagantly and armed with drums and other musical instruments, the slaves

played music and danced on the lawn in front of the Great House.

It was a celebration of identity and artistic expression and a means of social

interaction and a release of stress from discontentment. It was also a nostalgic

reminder of their African heritage and traditional folkways. The revelry

continued until 10. PM; it was in that expression that serenading originated.

Some individuals associated with serenading and carolling in the Virgin

Islands over the years are:

Dennis Callwood, Emma Romney Erickson, Gwennie Romney Richardson,

Daphne Blyden, Rosetta Denville, Marva Benjamin Martin (West End)

Glen Kwabena Davies (St. Thomas/Tortola)

John Ivan Cline, Alphonse Smith (Cane Garden Bay)

Continued on Page 5

Social Media

ARA announces winner of the National Archives vol-unteering Project of the Year 2009

The UK based Archives and Re-cords Association (ARA) has an-nounced the winner of its first Ar-chives Volunteering of the Year Project Award, a national award which highlights volunteering op-portunities, the important roles volunteers play in their local com-munity and the way The Archives works with volunteers.

The winner, the Suffolk Records Office, ‘making a difference volun-teer Cataloguing Backlog Project, involved 69 volunteers helping to catalogue 33 collections including a photographic archive of most par-ishes in Suffolk.

As a result, the backlog of catalogu-ing- one of the major factors pre-venting the use of its holdings has been reduced. It has made collec-tions more accessible for leisure and formal learning, increased public access to collections and improved volunteer procedures and opportu-nities. For example, the volunteers increased their knowledge of the history of Suffolk; they developed their cataloguing and indexing re-search as well as their IT skills. They also made available collections that were of much interest to local com-munities, families and individuals. The project was one selected from 14 applications across the UK, by a panel of judges.

Government Records

Instant History: Labour’s 13 years in power captured on the web

While it may take decades before

many government documents see

the light of day, the UK government

Web Archives already contains

more than a billion documents-

instantly available to the public-

which together comprise a compre-

hensive digital records of Labour’s

time in power.

The Web archive captures some of

the most dramatic moments of

recent times including government

Web sites’ response to national

emergencies such as swine flu and

the heightened security threat

following 2006 plot to bring down

several aircraft in mid-flight.

Since 1997 there has been an explo-

sion in Web usage and govern-

ment began using the new technol-

ogy to distribute more of its infor-

mation online. But there was a

serious risk that this valuable his-

toric record disappearing into

cyber graveyard. The national

Archives started archiving web

sites since 2003 and now trawls

more that 1,500 government Web

sites there times a year, capturing

and preserving their contents for

the digital archive of the future. ..

the records can be viewed at

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

web archive.

Cayman Ministry breaks

FOI law

The information commissioner re-

cently made her first ruling over a

government ministry that broke the

Freedom of Information law after it

failed to follow the proper process.

The Ministry of Community Affairs,

Gender and Housing made a decision

not to handle an application made by

CNS about the minister‟s expenses

and benefits as an FOI request and

simply ignored it, replying in an unof-

ficial email some 60 days after the

FOI was submitted. In her ruling

Jennifer Dilbert said the seriousness of

this failing and the way the request

was treated was “of paramount impor-

tance”. She said it represented a total

disregard for the law and processes

and a “trampling of an applicant‟s

rights” to have a request handled

properly.

Find out more at:

http:// www.caymannewsservice.com/

headline-news/2010/11/23/ministry-breaks-foi-law

Professional Press Records Management

ECM + e-government = Power to the People

In the November/December 2009 issue, we informed you of the imminence of the use

of ECM (Enterprise Content Management) in Government. Although in that issue it

was called Electronic Content Management, the concept refers to the use of various

technologies and methods to enable management of Government’s records and

information assets. ECM encompasses the capture, management, storage, preserva-

tion and delivery of content and information necessary for Government to improve

internal operations and customer service.

Capture

Movement of content – paper, electronic or otherwise – into a repository for reuse,

distribution and storage.

Management

Using various tools and techniques to transport content around Government and the

monitoring of those tools and techniques to ensure they are effective at fulfilling

Government’s obligation. Among these tools and techniques are:

Document Management

Records Management

Web Content Management

Collaboration across Government

Workflow and Business Process Management

Storage

Where and how content is stored securely with the means to access it for general

current use.

Preservation

Where and how content of enduring value is stored long term for archival purposes

Delivery

Essentially, getting the right content to the right customer via the right device/

medium.

Along with the passage locally of the Archives and Records Management Act 2010 in

July, Cabinet has agreed in principle to seek consultation that will begin the process

of examination of business processes within Ministries and Departments. This will be

done with a view to acquiring and reengineering many of the technical and non-

technical components necessary to implement ECM. Furthermore, such consultation

will work to help establish an Information and Computer Technologies (ICT) Policy

which will provide a framework for e-government in the territory; a task being coor-

dinated by the Premier’s Office which recently hosted an ICT adviser from the Com-

monwealth Secretariat to assess the territory’s e-government readiness.

What all of this means is that the Virgin Islands Government is moving closer to

putting to better use its investments in education, training and computer and IT

infrastructure. More specifically, it heralds the potential for enhanced inter-

departmental collaboration and cooperation that should allow faster and improved

service delivery by Government to its customers. To those who have been waiting for

this type of change, this is good news!

To ensure success of ECM - and hence e-government - there are four main keys to

helping all stakeholders realise ECM value:

1. Understanding the organizational vision, strategy, and business context of

one’s respective work area.

2. Designing the ECM systems for value, change, and adoption by putting people

first.

3. Implementation with an eye on the overall customer experience.

4. Adaptation, evolution, and support to make adoption pervasive.

More will be said about these in the future, but for now, bear in mind that ECM is

much more than adoption of new technologies to complete business processes.

Rather, ECM is about improvement of services by empowering service providers to deliver those services to their customers more effectively.

Christopher Varlack

Volunteer Today!

www.nationalsarchives.gov.vg

ARM News, Volume 4, Nos 11 & 12 Page 4

Put Your Name in the Annals of History

Do you have on old Virgin Islands book, map, post-card or any other publication about the Virgin Islands that you would like to donate to The Archives? Please contact us! All donors will receive an acknowl-edgement from the Deputy Governor, free copies of our Newsletter, a chance to become a registered friend, your name inscribed in a book plate to be pasted in your donation, forever, and name inscribed in the National Archives Donations Register.

Christmas Symbols Continued from Page 3

Benjamin Callwood, Sonny Scatliffe, Abraham Leonard, Elizabeth Donovan,

Iona Dawson, Egbert Donovan, Velma Chung (Carrot Bay)

Rosanna Smith (Meyers, Harrigan)

Wellington (Tunny) Callwood, Ishma Frett, Christalia Frett, Edwin Scatliffe,

Harry Fahie (Fahie Hill, Long Trench, Belle Vue)

Elton Georges, Elihu Rhymer, Maxwell Thomas (Road Town/ East End)

Artwork by Joseph Hodge

Researched by V. Penn Moll, J. Flemming-Henry and Christopher Varlack

While not yet in force, the passage of

the Archives and Records Management

Act 2010 represents a significant mile-

stone in the field of Information Man-

agement in the territory. It was noted in

our last issue that many people are still

somewhat confused as to what consti-

tutes a “record”. Although the Act

specifies quite clearly what is a record,

there are still specific types that refer to not only the ownership of the record, but the age,

usefulness and value of the record as well.

With regard to ownership the Act mentions private, public and Virgin Islands records. For

more on this see the article in our September/October 2010 issue — Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The

Archives Act, 2010 is Passed . However, with regard to the age of a record, its usefulness

is primarily based on how frequently it is being used for business purposes of the creating

agency. The more use it gets, typically, the more current it is; but as the frequency of its

use diminishes, so does its currency. Therefore, the Act recognizes, that there are current,

semi-current and non-current records. Let‟s take a closer look at what these mean.

Current

The Act does not specifically define the term “current” in the Preliminary section; but does

make reference to “current Virgin Islands Records”. According to the Records Manage-

ment Procedures Manual for the Public Service, “current records” are „records regularly

used for the conduct of the current business of an agency, institution or organization and

which, therefore, continue to be maintained in or near their place of origin.‟ This usually

refers to records that are used daily and remain in the creating office/agency for quick and

easy access. However, unless the business use of those records is for many years, such as

Human Resource records that can span the entire career of an employee working with

Government or some other employer, then it is usually sorted during a records survey or

census and is classified as semi-current.

Semi-Current

Now, the Act does define semi-current records: “records rarely required for the conduct of

current business including files and other assemblies on which action has not been recorded

for at least five years.”

Furthermore, the Act speaks directly to the responsibilities of various individuals with

regard to semi-current records. Sections 19 and 20 inform of the responsibilities of the

Director of the Archives and other responsible officers (the head or acting head of a public

office) with regard to semi-current records. Related to this is where the term “Record

Centre” is defined in the Preliminary Section. The definition mentions that such a centre is

for the storage, maintenance and use of semi-current records pending their ultimate dis-

posal.

It is useful here to recognize one very important thing: DISPOSAL, WITH REGARD TO

RECORDS, DOES NOT MEAN TO DESTROY. The reason for noting this is because

some people don‟t make clear distinctions between the meanings of words or don‟t recog-

nize that within a certain profession/area of practice that words don‟t mean the same as

may be generally thought. In this case, disposal means simply moving from one place to

another. In the absence of a definition that is spelt out in the ARM legislation, this is im-

portant to bear in mind.

Non-Current

If one considers that the term “non-current” is not defined in the Archives and Records

Management Act, then it too becomes important to bear in mind . Based on the information

set out from the preceding 2 definitions, “non-current” should not be too difficult to guess.

“Non-current” records as defined by the Records Management Procedures Manual for the

Virgin Islands Public Service are „records no longer needed for current business.‟ These are

not just records that have been closed, but records that are appraised for enduring and

archival value provided they are not scheduled for destruction.

Basically, this means that non-current records may or may not be actual archival material.

The term “archives” (with a lower case „a‟) in the Archives and Records Management Act

is defined as ‟records, usually, but not necessarily non-current records, of enduring value

selected for permanent preservation.‟ As such, especially in the case of Government Re-

cords, it is important to appraise the value of the records during their life cycle to determine

if they merit transfer to the Archives (with an upper case „A‟ ) Department for permanent

preservation.

Now, it is at the point of being non-current or archival or both that one might expect the

value of a record to diminish totally. However, if after being closed, a record is determined

to have archival value and is preserved within the Archives for posterity, then, although

without currency, it still has value; and the value is usually of a nature for research, histori-

cal analysis and education.

So, does this mean that records, once they lose currency and become archives, lose value?

For some this may be the case - especially for people who care very little about history or

researching the past. But for researchers, historians, academics and others interested in

looking into what was once current, the information becomes more valuable because it

serves as a means of writing books and scholarly articles, producing electronic media

documentaries, settling decades old land disputes, discovering family history and the like.

For many people, especially overseas, these activities are their livelihoods or hobbies.

Usually this is because the laws of those countries provide for such activities and the heri-

tage sectors of society are supported by legislation and policies that place priority on the

preservation of records with enduring value.

Fortunately, for a growing number of Virgin Islanders, research is becoming more a way of

life, and will continue to do so because national attention has been given to the importance

of records throughout their lifecycle. By defining in a legal context when records are cur-

rent, semi-current and non-current, the Archives and Records Management Act gives better

guidance to those responsible for the care of records. More than that, it establishes parame-

ters that Government, the private sector and private individuals can use to ensure that the

heritage and culture of the territory are given greater priority since there is now a territorial

standard, amongst others, that gives what many look at as just dusty old files fit only to be

cast aside, a chance to live on and inform future generations what was done today.

- Christopher Varlack

Page 5 ARM News, Volume 4, Nos 11 & 12

Highlights:

Archives and Records Management Act 2010 -

Records Currency and Value

Just off the press!!

The 2011 Calendar of Virgin Islands Architecture Published by the Friends of the National Archives The photographs illustrated in the calendar take us back to the time

when the islands still had many of the original charms like horse-back

riding, horse-drawn carts, native sloops, immaculate beaches, un-

spoilt scenery, a thriving agricultural economy and a vivid architec-

ture of balconies, verandahs, fretwork and sober colours.

It is an invaluable cultural and historical document and it is attractive

designed as well . It will make

an inexpensive present for

friends and family.

Available at $10.00 from the

Archives and Records Man-

agement Unit and the 1780

Sugar Works Estate Museum.

Get your copy today!

Vision Statement

Inspired by the need of all Virgin Islanders to appreci-ate the vital role of records in a democratic society, the National Archives and Records Management Unit seeks to use traditional and modern technologies, along with cooperative partnerships between the Gov-ernment, private sector and wider community, to lead and transform information management so that the history, heritage and culture of the Virgin Islands come alive and grow in importance, relevance and accessi-biity for present and future generations.

Win a National Archives Prize!

Tell us the story surrounding the date of any important event which occurred in the Virgin Islands before 2000. If it is not already in our Today in Virgin Islands History database it will be entered for the Today in Virgin Islands History radio pro-gramme, and you will win a National Archives prize, which will be announced in the media. Call us today at telephone 468-3701 ext 3044, 2562, 2365, or 3092 or email your story to infoarchives@gov.vg .

Friends are Invaluable - Become a Friend of the Archives today!

Are you part of an Organisation which could help us obtain funding to assist the building of the Archives Repository and Records Centre? Or do you know of any funding agency which can assist the building project? We need all the help we could get. Become a Friend today! Why not enroll now? The objective of the Friends is: To pro-vide support for the National Archives as required. Contact: The National Archives Phone: 284-494-3701 Membership Secretary Fax: 284-468-2582 Friends of the National Archives Email: vpenn-moll@gov.vg c/o Deputy Governor’s Office Road Town, Tortola

Archives and Records

Management Unit

Deputy Governor’s Office

Upstairs Burhym (Civil

Registry) Building 49 de Castro Street,

Road Town, Tortola, VG1110

Tele: 1 284 468 2365

Fax 468 2582 Email: vpenn-moll@gov.vg

www.nationalarchives.gov.vg

www.dgo.gov.vg

Editor Verna Penn Moll Contributors Christopher Varlack Jennifer Flemming-Henry Renee Farrington -Pickering