A regional symposium on managing activity documentation and local authority archives in the digital transformation era occurred, Monday, in Constantine, bringing together officials from five eastern provinces.
Hosted by the National Institute for Staff Training of Local Authorities in the eastern capital, this gathering, coordinated by the Directorate General of National Archives under the presidency alongside the Ministry of Interior and Local Authorities, assembled leaders, executives, and sector experts across five eastern provinces.
Cataloging existing holdings, arranging their preservation, structuring archival departments, and establishing a national data network formed the main focus of this event, alongside another equally crucial priority regarding assessing and safeguarding pre-1962 records, which represent a vital portion of administrative and historical memory within local governments.
The primary ambition lies in discovering and implementing optimal strategies to format, preserve, and enhance these collections while supporting the digital evolution of municipal administrations.
Opening proceedings were led by provincial governor Kamel Eddine Kerbouche, alongside National Archives Director General Mohamed Bounaâma, as well as a representative for the Minister of Interior and Local Authorities.
During introductory remarks, the governor stressed the urgency of updating document management frameworks, viewing this as a pivotal lever for public administrative modernization, public service continuity, and institutional memory retention. He particularly urged improving storage conditions for documentary collections, advancing inventory and processing tasks, reinforcing specialized staffing, and expanding training while adopting tailored digital systems.
The executive leader of the City of Bridges also emphasized converting event insights into concrete recommendations and tracking mechanisms to enhance local authority operations and fulfill digital modernization standards.
Cataloging and Safeguarding Pre-1962 Holdings
The national archives director general highlighted, during his presentation, the historical and cultural significance of Constantine, which possesses archival holdings reflecting deep identity and legacy through diverse historical eras. Visiting the ancient metropolis, he underscored the necessity of capturing present records while safeguarding institutional memory and state achievements.
He further outlined main directives of a joint national initiative between the presidency and the interior ministry, designed to catalog and elevate local authority records, construct a national archival information network, and upgrade document retention tools. This project demands increasing specialized human capital alongside establishing better organization for archival functions inside local offices.
Occurring alongside celebrations for the 72nd anniversary of the November 1, 1954 independence struggle launch, this event fits within a broader national initiative aimed at diagnosing local authority archival conditions, uncovering gaps, and assessing departmental requirements. The gathering also places management of pre-1962 materials front and center. It draws heavily upon plans to draft a national archive map for local authorities, crafted to provide a comprehensive overview of collections maintained across provinces and municipalities, alongside material and human resources deployed for management.
Worth noting, this initiative planned across nine provinces forms part of a regional seminar schedule started in September. During a prior session conducted in Algiers, attendees notably advocated establishing a public institution responsible for governing provincial and municipal archives.