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In Profile : Bruce Ibsen
This is the first in a series of profiles of Alberta's archivists, conservators and the like. It is fitting, then, that our first victim be Bruce Ibsen of the City of Edmonton Archives, since Bruce has only recently returned from a big adventure.
I dropped in on Bruce on the morning of the Whyte Avenue conflagration that destroyed several beloved heritage buildings. There was Bruce, the proverbial four-handed short order cook, serving up the same photographs and clippings to three media crews simultaneously and smiling all the while. His colleagues were all at the ASA privacy workshop discovering, to their dismay, how much more difficult our access responsibilities will be starting in 2004. (see related article in this issue). Unable to get my interview, I then emailed Bruce and he graciously replied. Editor
G'day:
Now that the smoke has cleared, sort of, I hope you might be able to answer some questions for the newsletter. This way, you are less likely to be misquoted than with the fire chasers you were busy with when I dared to visit. And, of course, some chap took your desk away, right in the middle of everything. . .
Hopefully, this will not be like the National Lampoon interview with Dan Blocker of Bonanza fame. Any help in this regard (ie. answers!) would be appreciated and, of course, I could sure use this as soon as possible! Thanks. Don
Dear Don:
Sorry it's taking a while to get this back to you; every bloody time I sat down, a cursed researcher appeared. . . Please feel free to edit, change and alter in any attempt to make me appear smarter!
Cheers. Bruce
How did you come to be offered this opportunity?
It was a dark and stormy night, when the Captain asked the Archivist to tell a tale, so he began. It was a dark and stormy night when the Captain asked the Archivist to.... enough, enough.
One day an interesting posting popped up on Arcan-L. I noticed it was from the University of New England, so I read on thinking, "I have a friend in Boston, wouldn't it be interesting working there?" To my surprise the New England was not in the USA, rather in Australia, New South Wales to be exact. So I did a quick Google search to see where this university was located. As it turns out it was in a city named Armidale, halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. We have friends who live in the Gold Coast of Australia and I thought, "Mmmm, that might be interesting as well". So I submitted my application electronically and lo and behold I was short-listed and a satellite interview was arranged at the Telus Centre in Edmonton. The interview was an interesting experience in itself, and surprise, surprise, they offered me the position of University Archivist.
What was most strikingly different about your work in Australia?
We were eighteen hours ahead of Canada, so I knew the future. Quite honestly I didn't notice any striking differences between working in Canada or Australia. The archives was not as busy as in Edmonton, so I was afforded an opportunity to actually read articles in archives publications and not be constantly interrupted.
What were the major challenges for you in you position and in fitting in to Australian society?
Getting use to having beets on sandwiches and being known as the "foreigner" at the Archives. Initially, attempting to expand my general knowledge of Australian history and more specifically New England local history. The New England region has been settled by Europeans for over 150 years and is steeped in history. The locals are very proud of their accomplishments and the local historians very keen to publicize and promote their history. There is a close association between the New South Wales State Archives and the University of New England Archives. The UNE Archives is a regional repository for State Records and therefore there is an operational responsibility to State Archives. Therefore, one had to balance the needs and requirements of State Archives with those of the local history societies and the University. Being in a smaller city, Armidale's population is around 20,000, was difficult for my family initially. However, over time we adjusted and began to enjoy the slower pace that country towns offer.
Based on your experience, what unites us as professionals?
You mean aside from tweed coats? It was relatively easy to adjust to the operational requirements because we all are doing the same type of work. Along with that, we all seem to face similar challenges, lack of resources, not enough staff, and we seem to be able to meet the needs of our researchers/clients in spite of these obstacles. There is a similar passion and appreciation of the past and the need to responsibly preserve the records. And we all drink like fish.
What was the funniest / strangest thing or researcher that happened to you in your work?
We had a regular researcher who was related to a local highwayman named "Captain Thunderbolt", a.k.a. Fred Ward. In the area Captain Thunderbolt was regarded by some as a New England version of Ned Kelly (stay tuned for the release of a new movie about Ned Kelly, starring Heath Ledger ). Captain Thunderbolt was eventually killed by Police in a shootout, we even had a photo of the deceased lying on a slab in the morgue. The researcher contended that Thunderbolt never died in the shootout, his brother did, and that's who is buried in his grave in the town of Uralla - just down the road from Armidale. The researcher believes Thunderbolt escaped to Canada and one day while I was working he came in and was very excited. He thought he had located the real Thunderbolt's grave in of all places, Edmonton! He had corresponded with members of the Alberta Genealogical Society, located in the same building as the City Archives in Edmonton! And I was well acquainted with the people at the AGS he was corresponding with. So even though I went more than 10,000 kms, I couldn't escape the AGS!
Is there anything about Canadians that would give us an edge in Australia?
The women love our accents! I think the Canadian archival profession is viewed very positively in Australia. We are regarded as world leaders in the profession, and therefore our reputation precedes us to a degree.
What are archivist' salaries like? How are archivists perceived by the public? Resource allocators?
The salaries are similar to Canada, and the cost of living, aside from housing prices, much the same as Canada. I mentioned early the resource allocation similarities. University archives in Australia are very constrained at the moment, due to lack of resources. This flows back to an overall funding issue with universities in general. The State Archives in NSW managed the State Records Centre and stored records for a fee. That records storage business allows them opportunity to provide funds throughout the State to the various regional repositories. And professionally, you still get the same blank look when you tell a stranger what you do for a living. "Oh, Archivist? That's nice, it must be fascinating, zzzzzzzz."
Privacy issues loom large on our horizon. How would you characterize approaches to privacy in Australia?
Privacy and protection of personal information is constantly part of the work in a university setting. There was a very contentious issue in Queensland over destruction of records, access and privacy several years ago. The debate is still raging and the Queensland State Archives has had a very difficult time. Privacy, copyright, access to records are all very important issues in Australia, as they are here in Canada
What about the "F" word? How is the concept of fonds applied or not applied there? Any other concepts which we would be familiar or unfamiliar with?
Though they don't use that "F" word, the concept is very similar. There doesn't seem to be the drive to implement something like CAIN in Australia. Though at several universities, UNE included, there is a project driven by historians to have more material available on line. If the project, which is still in the experimental stage, moves forward, there will be a greater need to have more consistent descriptive rules in place.
What was the most positive outcome of your experience?
Meeting and working with people from our profession in another country, and having the opportunity experience a different lifestyle.
How did your family manage there?
My family loved their time in Australia. Surprisingly enough, my sons enjoyed going to school, having to wear uniforms, playing cricket instead of hockey. We all thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of going to the beach, having our birthdays outside - all our birthdays are in the late fall, winter or early spring, and having beets on our sandwiches.
Why are there so few advance green traffic signals in Edmonton and what do you personally intend to do about this problem?
The city has deep connections in the auto repair business; any sensible traffic plans could significantly cut into revenues, and ultimately affect the Archives.
Any closing words?
AUSSIE-AUSSIE-AUSSIE ----OI - OI - OI!!
Thank you Bruce; over to you, Pamela.
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