What would we be were it not for our rich history and the dedicated people who built the foundation for the province that we call home today?
History is the key to the present and the future and that's why it's an element worth celebrating.
As such, the Government of Saskatchewan announced this week - February 2 to 8 - today is Archives Week.
"Saskatchewan has a rich history and we owe credit to those in the archival community for helping to document and preserve that history for future generations," says Central Services Minister Nancy Heppner. "I am pleased to proclaim Archives Week to recognize the important contribution archives make to the province's culture."
"Historical texts, photographs, electronic records, films, audio recordings and other archival material have been key resources in the telling of our story," SCAA (Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists) President Cheryl Avery adds. "Ensuring this record is preserved and accessible is the responsibility of archivists across the province, and this week is dedicated to celebrating their work and the unique and irreplaceable evidence of our shared history and culture."
Archives Week is celebrated annually on the first full week each February in honour of Edmund Oliver. Born February 8, 1881, Oliver was the first professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan and is regarded as the founder of a meaningful archival collection for the province. Archives Week has been celebrated since February 2006, and has become an annual event to recognize the provincial archival community's efforts to preserve and celebrate the province's history.
"The past reminds us of timeless human truths and allows for the perpetuation of cultural traditions that can be nourishing; it contains examples of mistakes to avoid, preserves the memory of alternatives ways of doing things, and is the basis for self-understanding..." - Drew Bettina
