UNESCO has issued a new call for nominations seeking proposals for inscription on its Memory of the World International Register.
The Memory of the World, established in 1997, is the documented, collective memory of the peoples of the world – their documentary heritage – which in turn represents a large proportion of the world’s cultural heritage. It charts the evolution of thought, discovery and achievement of human society. It is the legacy of the past to the world community of the present and the future.
Much of the Memory of the World resides in libraries, archives, museums and keeping places across the globe and much of it is now at risk. The documentary heritage of many people has become dispersed because of accidental or deliberate displacement of holdings and collections, “spoils of war” or other historical circumstance. Sometimes, practical or political barriers hinder access, while in other cases deterioration or destruction are the threats. Calls for repatriation of heritage deserve sensitivity to circumstances as well as justice.
At present, a total of 245 collections submitted by 98 different countries, 3 international organizations and one private foundation are inscribed on the International Register of the Memory of the World Program.
Objectives
- To facilitate preservation, by the most appropriate techniques, of the world’s documentary heritage.
- To facilitate preservation, by the most appropriate techniques, of the world’s documentary heritage.
- To increase awareness worldwide of the existence and significance of documentary heritage.
Nomination Guidelines and Assessment
Nominations should ideally be submitted through the National Commissions for UNESCO or the Memory of the World National Committees in the countries where they are located. Proposals should be based on fact that the most important criterion for inscription on the Register is the universal significance of the documentary heritage.
Nominations are posted on the Program’s website and illustrations, such as photographs or slides (TIFF, GIF, JPEG formats), and sound recordings (real-media) can be included to help describe the proposal. As the images submitted may often be used by the Memory of the World Secretariat in publicity materials, an authorization for their reuse for non-profit purposes should also be included.
Assessment for inscription on the Register is determined by a panel of experts, the Register Sub-committee and the International Advisory Committee (IAC) whose recommendations are forwarded to the Director-General for final decision.
Last date for submission of nominations is March 31, 2012
For more information, visit this link.
