Last year, the International Cartographic Association (ICA) celebrated its 60th anniversary. This milestone called for a professional approach to documenting and preserving records of our mature organisation and its rich heritage. In response, the ICA Executive Committee approved the formation of the ICA Working Group on the History of ICA at their meeting in Ghent in November 2019.
In brief, the Terms of Reference (ToR) focus on three broad areas:
- ICA Archives – to build the Association’s archives and records
- ICA Chronicle – to document ICA activities and achievements
- ICA Hub – to provide support and expertise on matters relating to ICA
We are interested to hear from anyone who is willing to share their ICA archives and collections – documents, records, official correspondence, publications, photographs, conference materials, promotional brochures, and any other items of relevance. In particular, we are seeking your help with collating a full set of Minutes from the ICA General Assemblies. This task seems to be particularly challenging; we are currently missing documents from the:
- 5th General Assembly held in Moscow in 1976 (we only have a brief report)
- 7th General Assembly held in Perth in 1984
- 8th General Assembly held in Morelia in 1987
- 9th General Assembly held in Bournemouth in 1991
We would appreciate hearing back from anyone that could help us in completing the set.
Since the Working Group is still at its formation stage, we are looking forward to welcoming new members that can support our work, particularly in fulfilling Terms of Reference. If you are interested, please visit our website and get in touch.
Igor Drecki
Chair, Working Group on the History of ICA