IOC and UN exchange knowledge on archiving

In June, members of the IOC’s Records Management (RM, part of IKL) and Historical Archives (HA, a unit of the Culture and Heritage Department) teams visited the United Nations (UN) premises in Geneva to exchange views and expertise with their UN counterparts. The study visit, organised by IOC Senior Information Manager Johanna Helmlinger, included a tour of the UN Library and Archives, a historic institution which has pioneered research and international understanding since its founding in 1919 as the Library of the League of Nations.

The Library and Archives are the official repository of all documents produced or held by UN Geneva that have enduring historical or administrative value. Archival fonds and collections include those from the UN Geneva Archives, the League of Nations and international peace movements, and private papers. The archival fonds and collections’ description and the digitised archives can be consulted through the UN Archives Geneva platform. The entire collection comprises 15 linear kilometres of archives and records.

At the IOC, the responsibility for the life cycle of documents is shared between the RM and HA teams: RM takes care of the documents in the first 10 years, and HA looks after the conservation of documents with patrimonial value after that period.

The IOC group also enjoyed a private tour of the non-public archive rooms, as well as the UN Museum, which highlights the history of the League of Nations and the United Nations. The museum has regular exhibits featuring documents, artworks, books and other artefacts from UN Geneva's historical collections, as well as those borrowed from other institutions and private collections.

Sufficient time was also dedicated to exchanging information on each other’s archiving practices, including technical tools.

Long-established relationship

“The IOC and the UN share some essential characteristics,” said Johanna. “Both work towards an ideal, and both are of an international nature. They also place significant importance in their history. These similarities are relevant to our field of work, and it was very enriching to exchange our visions on digital archiving, as well as other methods and tools currently used. We also shared observations on what we could do differently and how to improve archiving processes with the exciting new technology available.”

Hermine Diebolt from the UN’s Archives Management Unit, who looks after the League of Nations and international peace movement archives in Geneva, said of the collaboration with the IOC: “The International Olympic Committee and the Archives Section of the United Nations in Geneva have always maintained very cordial professional ties for at least 30 years (we have traces of it in our archives!). The exchange of knowledge that we had the opportunity to carry out in June was very useful and will be followed, we hope, with a visit to Lausanne by the UN Geneva Archives team.”