When taking office as Archivist of the Society in 1996, our confrere Ivan Page was instantly struck by the uncommon wealth of our heritage. With good reason he was also concerned for the risk our Archives were running. A moment of inadvertence was all that would be required for a treasure to disappear forever. Contact was therefore made with 'Informatique et Bible' (Computer Science and Bible) in the Abbey of Maredsous, Belgium.

A feasibility study on conservation and computerisation of the collection stored in the Archives resulted in the signing of a contract in 2002.

In the space of five years there would be:

--Computerisation of Inventories with an index of markers
- Computerisation of the minutes of the General Council
- Computerisation of Rapports annuels (Annual Reports)
- Computerisation of conclusions to General Chapters
- and microfilming of all stored diaries

Work began in January 2003. It was decided to deal with the conservation of the diaries as a priority. There are around 2,000 journals of very varied formats and thickness, representing anything between four to five hundred thousand pages.
There are four work phases: verification of the inventory of the diaries, digital photographing of the journals, transfer and reduction of digital images onto microfilm (carried out in a laboratory in the USA) and inserting the microfilm place finders into the Inventory.

 

By countless journeys to and from Maredsous and Rome, Brother Poswick, OSB, and Miss Yolande Juste (Photo above), I&B, (Computer & Bible) have already completed some 91,230 digital photos to date, representing about 55 % of the task.

"Here is a photo taken from Journal 3 of the diary of Mpala (Congo) 1900-1935. I thought the first page from 1905 would be appropriate for 2005, a hundred years on."

In 2005, they plan to complete 75% of the photographing of the diaries and the microfilming of 60 to 70 % of these images. The implementation of the recording of the minutes of the General Council, conclusions of General Chapters and Inventories of the Archives would also be begun.

Finally for 2006-200,7 it will be a matter of finishing the photographing of the diaries and their transfer onto microfilm. However, there will also be the correction and creating of interlinked databases of the Inventories, Annual Reports, minutes of the GC and conclusions of General Chapters.

The Archives of the Society will then be accessible to readers, but at different levels. A part will be available to the general public on the Internet. Another will be accessible to confreres on the Intranet and a small, more confidential part will be reserved to a few members of the Society.

Needless to say it is an unmistakably Benedictine task!

Georges Jacques
General Assistant

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