The Archive of the Republic of Niger at the B.U. African Studies Library

[John Hutchison]

Dear BUNAN Members and all Alums of the Boston University Program in Niger

In the latest Camel Express, newsletter of the Friends of Niger, you may have read about the Archive of the Republic of Niger that the Boston University African Studies Library is preparing to establish to accomodate the needs of Nigeriens, Nigerienists, CONUSA, and all friends/Friends of Niger. I see this is a unique opportunity for all of us to establish a legacy that will enable us to share the amazing variety of the artifacts and documents that demonstrate the richness of our experiences in Niger and in the Sahel Region of Africa. If you read the article you will observe that Boston University has established a mechanism for announcing the items that we would like to contribute, and signing a form enabling Boston University to display them on the internet as part of the archive. 

I am pleased to note that a number of you have already submitted a form to the BU African Studies Library announcing your intention to contribute to the archive. In order for us to be able to secure and guarantee the longevity of this unique chance, it is important that more of us demonstrate this kind of interest by submitted the form and expressing our intention to make our heritage part of the Archive of the Republic of Niger.

When I went to a Chad reunion 2 years ago, one volunteer came with her collection of artifacts from Chad, wondering what to do with them since she knew that her children were not interested in them. Well we now have the opportunity to submit items like letters and photographs promptly and have them be part of the artifact, and also documents and publications, and photographs of our artifacts in anticipation of a time when the physical objects might be brought together in some forum worthy of their importance.

I am writing to appeal to you to seize this opportunity and become an official contributor to the Archive of the Republic of Niger. This is important to all of us.

Below you will find a copy of the article from the Camel Express that appeared in December of 2013. There you will find information on how to become a part of the Archive of the Republic of Niger.

Sincerely,

John P. Hutchison

FON Board Member

From the Camel Express:

The Archive of the Republic of Niger at Boston University African Studies Library of Boston University’s Mugar Memorial Library

By John Hutchison and Frances (Beth) Restrick

The African Studies Library at Boston University’s Mugar Memorial Library is now preparing to begin contacting stakeholders interested in contributing to the Archive of the Republic of Niger (AREN), which was proposed by Professor John Hutchison to Frances (Beth) Restrick, African Studies Librarian and to S.E. M. Maman Sidikou, Ambassador from the Republic of Niger to the USA. AREN has now been approved. The partners anticipate holding an opening ceremony some time early in 2014 in the presence of Ambassador Sidikou.

Thus far, there are about 30 items in hand to start the archive, these are donations from John Hutchison and Jamie Thompson. Thus far, all donations are printed works, as well as 4 maps of Niger, and an older National Geographic issue (Nov. '65) with an article on Niger. 1. Digital Archives: One of the limitations to creating a digital archive is copyright. Most of what has been donated so far was formally published, and thus it will be necessary to review all of them to see what would be possible to digitize and what wouldn't. Even if they couldn't be digitized, we could still have a bibliography with a detailed listing all of those titles. However, if people contribute their own notes, photographs, etc. and agree to sign Boston University’s Deed of Gift, they are essentially giving us permission to put them up on the digital archive. The library has an Institutional Repository: OpenBU (http://open.bu.edu/xmlui/) which is where everything would be stored and it is open access, searchable via Google. In Open BU there would be a large, archival quality file saved as well as a more standard JPG, much smaller that would be hopefully more accessible to someone on a computer in Africa. They are still working to try to get streaming of audio, video, etc. in order to save people from having to download things. 2. Correspondence: People may want to donate their correspondence relating to Niger to other archives, for example former Peace Corps volunteers may decide to donate materials to the Peace Corps Digital Library. That said, correspondence would nevertheless be welcomed for digitization and inclusion in AREN’s digital archive. Also welcome are field and research notes, illustrations, maps, photos, etc. 3. Artifacts: A photo library of artifacts would make the most sense at the moment. The librarian Beth Restrick will set something up so that people can submit photographs online (or through the mail for scanning). Restrick notes that “once we know the types of artifacts people have, we could possibly make a decision about whether to pursue things further.” 4. The next step: An outline of this proposal for the structure of AREN was presented to the Meeting of the Board of the Friends of Niger on the 3rd of November 2013, and it was approved by a unanimous majority of the Board.

Hutchison and Restrick have developed a contributor’s form for AREN that will be used to get people's contact information, find out about their willingness to participate and what materials they have to contribute. This form is available in a pdf format that can be printed and mailed in via the post, as well as an online format. Here is how to access the online form through the Mugar Library of Boston University where AREN has its own url: Submission Form (including a link to Boston University’s Deed of Gift form and other information):

http://tinyurl.com/NigerArchiveSubmission

--
John P. Hutchison, Professor Emeritus
Boston U. African Studies Center
232 Bay State Road
Boston MA 02215

Alliance Dalaba-West Newbury
511 Main Street
West Newbury MA 01985
phone: 978-476-3078