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Archive of the Benevolent Society of Natives of Catalonia (Havana)

Documentary fund of the Societat de Beneficència de Naturals de Catalunya in Havana

Aware of the importance of the documentary heritage generated over these years, in October 1992, the Society began organizing its historical archive, the Pompeu Fabra Archive. The space houses its holdings, the holdings or collections deposited in the entity by individuals and by other associations of Catalan emigrants that have since disappeared.

Initially, the project began under the technical advice of Father Joan Florensa, director of the provincial archive of the Pious School of Barcelona. At that time, the service was directed by Mrs. Luisa Ribot and since 2015 the historian, Mrs. Idania Esther Rodríguez, has been involved, who to this day continues to lead the task of preserving the documentation as well as its dissemination.

Book of Minutes of the Catalan Centre. Photo: Juan Alonso
The result of this effort was the publication in 1996 of an inventory of the archive , which identified the different collections that were conserved, as well as the lines of action that have governed the activity of the SBNC throughout its history.

In addition to its own documentary collection, it preserves:

  • The documentary collection of the Catalan Centre , deposited at the time of its dissolution in 1965.
  • The musical collection of the Orfeó Català (1911 and 1959).
  • The magazine Vida Catalana , a publication through which all the events that were held and that could be of interest to Catalans spread throughout Cuba were advertised.
  • The background of the Ermita de Montserrat , Social Pantheon.
  • And, a significant number of documents from public limited companies deposited by members of the Catalan colony who, at one time or another, maintained a link with the entity.
Newspaper archive of the SBNC in Havana 2014 Photo: Juan Alonso

From 1999, the SBNC, sensitive to the fragility of the documentary legacy it guarded, began a project to digitize the historical archive’s collection with very limited resources. From July 2010, collaboration began with Archivists Without Borders (AsF) Spain on the aforementioned digitization project.
AsF’s collaboration has been to provide conservation materials, financial resources, advice and training.
The priority has always been to guarantee the long-term conservation of the documentation, facilitate its access, increase its dissemination inside and outside Cuba and finally increase security by depositing a digital copy in the National Archive of Catalonia.

Documentary fund of the Societat de Beneficència de Naturals de Catalunya in Havana

Images of the cooperator Sara Folch who traveled to Havana as a member of the Casals Catalans project and member of the AsF Board (2013-2017), to participate in the project advising and training Ms. Idania Esther Rodríguez in the tasks of digitization with a camera, in 2014. Photo: Juan Alonso

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Organization

Archivists Without Borders, according to their Statutes approved on January 21, 2008, it is a non-profit association made up of members (full-time, affiliated and institutional) that is structured around its governing bodies. These bodies are:

The General Assembly , made up of all members of the entity, constitutes the highest decision-making body for AsF’s actions.

The Board of Directors , which is the executive body that represents and develops the decisions made by the General Assembly.

Archivists Without Borders-Spain is part of the international network Archivists Without Borders International .

 

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