ARST 593G(3) Seminar

Offered on an irregular basis

PREREQUISITES:

ARST/LIBR 500, ARST 510, ARST 515, ARST 516, ARST 520, ARST 540, ARST 573, ARST 587

GOALS: To introduce you to issues pertaining to local governance and to records-keeping and archives at the local government level. To give you a set of analytical tools for understanding records creation, maintenance and use in other institutional settings, public and private.

OBJECTIVES:

• To provide an introduction to public administration theory, particularly as it pertains to governance at the local level.
• To examine broad historical trends in the development of local governance in Canada .
• To examine the legislative context in which local governments function.
• To examine the ways in which local governments govern and how this process affects records creation, maintenance and use.
• To examine the role of local government archives in preserving and providing access to public records.

CONTENT:

• Introduction to the field of public administration scholarship, especially organization theory and institutional theory, and its applicability to the study of local governance.
• Introduction to the origins and historical development of municipal governance in Canada .
• Introduction to boards, commissions, regional districts and other instruments of local governance.
• Examination of the constitutional position of Canada ‘s local governments and the delegation of powers from upper to lower levels of government.
• Examination of B.C.’s Community Charter, incorporation acts (including the Vancouver Charter) and other legal instruments affecting local governments in British Columbia and other provinces.
• Detailed examination of the structure and functions of the City of Vancouver municipal government and related boards (Park Board, Library Board, Police Board, Board of Variance, etc.).
• Detailed examination of the types of records produced by the City of Vancouver and how they reflect administrative change over time.
• Introduction to records management at the City of Vancouver . Comparison with records management programs at other major cities.
• Introduction to the City of Vancouver Archives. Comparison with archives of other major cities.
• Exploration of the impact of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act on the City of Vancouver; the role of the Manager of Corporate Information and Privacy; FOIPPA and the City of Vancouver Archives.