If
archives guard the memory of people
through their documents and make
possible the knowledge of the
past, the archives that contain
information on human rights violations
contribute to the promotion of
a more democratic political culture
and the prevention of future forms
of authoritarianism.
In a society such as ours, where
there is still work to be done
in the search for Truth and Justice,
the archives that preserve the
history of resistance and struggle
constitute a tool that provides
documents and resources in a permanent
manner and reinforce work towards
memory.
This was our conviction when,
within the objectives of Memoria
Abierta, we proposed to increase
the possibilities of the use of
the archives of the organizations
that compose Memoria Abierta.
After an analysis realized in
2001 on the documentary collections
of the organizations, we began
the work of preservation, classification,
and cataloguing of the documents,
with emphasis placed on agreement
and cooperation between organizations
and the fundamental decision to
divulge their collections, facilitating
access to them.
Today it is possible to consult
a database that gathers more than 27,366 records of documents pertaining
to the four member organizations
of Memoria Abierta that possess
archives. In this way, we centralize
in a common database the information
relative to the documents while
keeping them located in their
natural places, the human rights
organizations that produced them.
The number of documentary registers
in the catalogue increases periodically.
 How we work |
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We are conscious of the
fact that it is fundamental
to improve the conditions
of access to the documents
in order to carry forward
our work for memory, but
we know at the same time
that the work is not over
in the organization of our
own documentary sources.
For this reason, we simultaneously
work on different tasks:
| • |
We provide
the identification of
personal collections
and become aware of
the importance of their
donation and/or digitalisation
to facilitate access
to them. |
| • |
We collaborate by
advising and contributing
to the organization
of other archives. |
| • |
We work on the digitalisation
of those historically
significant documents
to make their online
consultation possible. |
| • |
We work towards and
collaborate in the promotion
of a legislation that
would favour an increased
access to information. |
| • |
We participate in
events that contribute
to the discussion on
themes of archivist
politics and the advance
in matters of conservation
and public access of
sensitive documentation. |
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How We Work