In order to assist in meeting the needs of Member States, particularly developing countries, in the specialized areas of Archives Administration and Records Management, the Division of the General Information Programme has developed a long-term Records and Archives Management Programme - RAMP.
The basic elements of RAMP reflect and contribute to the overall themes of the General Information Programme. RAMP thus includes projects, studies and other activities intented to :
- develop standards, rules, methods and other normative tools for the processing and transfer of specialized information and the creation of compatible information systems ;
- enable developing countries to set up their own data bases and to have access to those now in existence throughout the world, so as to increase the exchange and flow of information through the application of modern technologies ;
- promote the development of specialized regional information networks ;
- contribute to the harmonious development of compatible international information services and systems ;
- set up national information systems and improve the various components of these systems ;
- formulate development policies and plans in this field ;
- train information specialists and users and develop the national and regional potential for education and training in the information sciences, library science and archives administration.
During the third RAMP consultation (Helsinki, 13, 15 and 20 September 1986), the participants expressed the hope that ways and means could be found of facilitating the access of archivists of all levels to the mine of information, knowledge and know-how contained in the studies and guidelines of the RAMP series which cover all aspects of archives. These studies and guidelines examine the challenges as well as the problems relating to archival theory and practice, training, and the use of informatics and the new media in the exercise of the profession.
Therefore it seemed useful to collect the main guidelines within a single textbook : RAMP Reader, in the hope of providing all those interested : teachers, young archivists, isolated archivists particularly in developing countries, with a handy reference tool in which they will find grouped together the varied ideas and experience of leading archivists from all over the world. For senior archivists, we hope the Reader will offer another opportunity for the exchange of experience.
Comments and suggestions regarding the study are welcomed, and should be addressed to the Division of the General Information Programme, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris. Other studies prepared under the RAMP programme may also be obtained at the same address.