They go almost unnoticed. They are, however, essential players in the cultural milieu. The duty offers a series of portraits of shadow trades, through the confidences of professionals who practice them or have already practiced them. Today: archivists.
After a year spent teaching, François David decided to change course and become an archivist. “After studying history, I had studied to become a teacher. I was fascinated by knowledge and its transmission, but the classes were too noisy and disturbing for me. Teaching wasn’t for me. I was looking for another place, quieter, where I could transmit something. I liked primary sources, documents. It seemed to me that there was a lot to do on this side. For years, François David has been archivist and assistant curator at the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec (BAnQ).
With a background in history, he then left to study archival science. “I quickly understood that the job of an archivist was not as lonely as I thought and as people in general imagine! Many think that we are alone, with our heads in boxes, in the third basement, in the dark… This is not at all the good portrait! There is an important part of teamwork. This implies continual relations with other archivists, but also with specialists of all kinds, lawyers, computer specialists, librarians, according to the difficulties posed by a particular collection.
Archives were a man’s world for a long time. ” This is no longer the case. Since a long time. As an aside, one of her colleagues even points out that in many places women are, in fact, in the majority.
François David will first work for two years in Africa. Then, back in Montreal, he was hired by a private archives center which notably brought together all the archives of the historian in a cassock Lionel Groulx as well as of certain great figures of 20th century nationalism.e century. All of this will end up being integrated into the kilometers of paper managed by BAnQ.
Know the business
“In an archivist, knowledge of databases is of course important. It is necessary to know the search tools specific to each place. But there is also the acquisition of documents, then the transmission of knowledge, through contact with sources. “Often, we are the first to see a lot of things, to know how important this or that is. »
The times have changed. “With the old archivists, it was very different compared to now. The public came up against private preserves to which the archivists had the keys. Because archivists in the past wore many hats. They were authors, historians, genealogists… What hat did they wear when asked for a document? Some kept information to themselves, in a sort of boys’ club where elevator returns were frequent. »
François David cites as an example Pierre-Georges Roy (1870-1953), the former “chief archivist of the government of the province of Quebec”. “He offered documents to some friends. There was favoritism. We see it in the correspondence of Lionel Groulx. In exchange for documents or services, Groulx wrote favorable reviews of the texts produced by Roy. That’s how it worked… Not anymore! »
At the National Archives, he says he is delighted to have had to discuss with all sorts of actors in history when acquiring their archival collections. “I had the privilege of discussing with Jacques Parizeau the content of his archives. People said of him, without knowing him, that he was a cold bourgeois. On the contrary ! I met someone simple and accessible, who was very interested in what we were doing. Beyond his thoughts or his positions, Mr. Parizeau was an extremely interesting man. And it wasn’t complicated. The question of his archives was settled in half an hour. He simply wanted to know the main principles. He knew his place in history. He knew his documents had to be preserved. It was the same with Lucien Bouchard, he recalls. Of former minister Claude Castonguay, he also remembers “a man of great stature, sensitive to the importance of public service”.
Are the archives only the reservoir of the memory of such great figures? ” No ! Absolutely not. But it is certain that acquisitions are very much influenced by what is happening around us. For example, we acquired the archives of a family of Lebanese immigrants. The letters that the wife wrote to her husband are so powerful! It gives another look at Quebec. »
Become known
Unfortunately, many documents escape the vigilance of archivists. Quite simply because people imagine that it doesn’t matter to understand the society that brought them. Everything is thrown away too quickly. “Certainly a lot of education still needs to be done about archives, about their importance. It is also somewhat the work of archivists. Archives must make themselves known. For him, the profession is one of the public services that it is important to defend and make the most of.
For a long time, the archives were much frequented by genealogists. “It’s less the case now. Resources are online for those interested. Those who come want to go further. They want to unravel mysteries, try to understand what their loved ones were doing in such a place, at such a time. » The archives also allow a return on oneself on a larger scale. “Take the case of the Duplessis orphans. After certain procedures, it was possible for some to access their files, to discover, for example, that their mother was their aunt. Sometimes, as archivists, we witness this. It’s more than touching. The same is happening now with the issue of residential schools and aboriginals. Archives are important. »
Are there ever weird moments? ” Oh ! Yes… For example, a gentleman had come to find a document attesting to his divorce, at the time when he wanted to remarry. There had been several official exchanges on this subject. We had them. But the final documents had never been completed. At the time of remarrying, he discovered it! Archives are also used for this. Government archives are very important in a society. »
What future ?
Is the profession of archivist destined to disappear in the age of digitization of everything and nothing? ” On the contrary ! The profession is changing, but it will stay. More than ever. ” Why ? “Take for example the case of photographs. We live in a time when there is a great appetite for images. The power of digital has multiplied the appetite for photographs. The archives of course hold photographs in quantity. And people are asking for more than ever. However, the question of rights and the management of the flow of these documents requires personnel. “New needs have arisen. The demand now far exceeds our ability to meet it. »
The role
“We are the guardians of a cultural heritage. You have to see the quantity of films, documentaries, plays and books that would not exist without the use of archives. François David has spent more than three decades surrounded by ancient documents. He plans to retire next spring. For him, however, the past remains unquestionably “a job with a future”.