Seminar – The International day for universal access to information

Register for the International day for Universal Access to Information, the first session of the seminar series in Records Management & Archival Sciences

The seminar series will run under five themes which will take place throughout the academic year. Captains of industry, digital technology experts as well as relevant practitioners and professionals will be invited to engage in conversations on records management and archival science in the Arabian Peninsula. Issues to be discussed include Records & Archives as enablers of knowledge economies, AI & Records and Archives, Audio-visual Heritage Management, Digital Preservation Strategies, Universal Access to Information, Archives & Climate Change, the future of galleries, libraries, archives & museums as the backbone of UAE’s Cultural Heritage. Overall, the seminar series explores the current trends and patterns in records management and archival science.

Abstract
In this digital economy, information has become the new oil that fuels growth and development in all areas of our lives. Recognising information as central to the socio-economic development and transformation of people, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi will hold a seminar on the significance of access to information on Wednesday 28 October 2022. Critical conversations will be held among professionals, practitioners, academics and students in commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to the Information declared by UNESCO in 2015. In line with this year’s ‘Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2022’, discussions during the seminar will focus on artificial intelligence, e-governance and access to information. This event provides a platform to have conversations on access to information and artificial intelligence, covering both benefits and risks, against the backdrop of good governance principles.

About the speakers

Dr David Fricker is President ICA (2014-2022) and a former Director-General of the National Archives of Australia (2012- 2021). Prior to his term at the National Archives he worked in management positions within the government and corporate sectors, including as Deputy Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and as Managing Director of his own consulting company, specialising in Information Strategy. He is a Vice Chair of the UNESCO Memory of the World International Advisory Committee. In August of 2022, David commenced a role with the National Library and Archives of the UAE, as Special Adviser to the Director-General

Dr Proscovia Svärd is a newly recruited Associate Professor at the History Department of Sorbonne University of Abu Dhabi. She is also a Research Fellow at the Department of Information Science, University of South Africa. She was prior to joining Sorbonne University and Associate Professor at the Department of Information systems and Technology, Forum for Digitalisation in Sundsvall, Sweden. She has previously worked as Senior Lecturer at the School of History and Contemporary Studies at Södertörn University, Stockholm. She was between 2016-2017 a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the School of Interdisciplinary Research and Post-graduate Studies, University of South Africa. She has worked as an Archivist at the Nordic Africa Research Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, Research Administrator for the Program on Post-Conflict Transition, the State and Civil Society, Project-Co-ordinator for a Nordic Documentation Project on the Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa (www.liberationafrica.se). She completed her PhD at the University of Amsterdam. She has a Licentiate Degree in Computer and Systems Sciences, BA and MA in Archives and Information Science from Mid Sweden University, Sweden and a BSc in Media and Information Science from Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests include; enterprise content management, records management, information culture, e-government development, public sector information (PSI), long-term preservation of digital information, truth and reconciliation commissions and their documentation processes, the role of archives in enhancing accountability and transparency in government institutions, information access and the link to democracy and development.  She is the author of the book by Elsevier entitled “Enterprise Content Management, Records Management and Information Culture Amidst e-Government Development

Kindly note that this event will be photographed and videographed

Please fill-in the registration form below to confirm your participation on campus