The notice by North Dundas Township to withdraw from the Dundas County Archives project is a positive move for all involved. The archive, which was formed nearly a decade ago, has been long overdue for not only an adjustment but a course correction.
The project was hastily put together by the South Dundas and North Dundas councils of the day. Its leadership by then South Dundas Mayor Evonne Delegarde and North Dundas Mayor Eric Duncan saw a great idea rushed into existence before the 2018 election period. In that haste, much of the foundation for the archive lacked definition or clarity – including the overall mission of a county-wide archive.
For a jointly run archive representing two neighbourly but distinct municipalities, the location in Iroquois was not ideal. Imagine living in Chesterville or Morewood and having to drive not only into another township to access your community’s historical information – but nearly an hour away to do so. That is the opposite of convenience.
Municipalities are required to have an archive for municipal records. This archive has collected and saved a great number of paper artifacts that may have been lost to the dumpsters of time. But it also became a dumping ground for unwanted things. Archives are not normally set up for physical items like antiques, but without a clear mission statement, these types of donation requests were common – but an archive is not the same as a museum.
From the get-go, the archive was under-resourced by its municipal supporters. Instead of a full-time archivist, penny-pinching by councils and the archive board limited that to a part-time role. Having a board that contained special-interest group members added to the complexities. Space is also an issue. As the collection grew, the space in the former school could not be expanded to keep up, especially with other uses for half the building being explored.
North Dundas’ withdrawal is South Dundas’ chance to reshape how our history is preserved. The relocation of half the collection will give the archives more space to preserve this history. Having space is not enough, though. Now is the chance to also reaffirm our commitment to having an archive. This means having the board that oversees the archive be a committee of council, so that its mission reflects the entire community and not just individual groups. It means having a full-time archivist to implement this renewed commitment to South Dundas’ history. And it means having a very clear mission statement and purpose for the archive.
Our history is important and defines much of our community. Done correctly, this change is a rare opportunity to reshape how we preserve our past. We should seize it while we can.
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