| Inauguration of the German / Samoan Digitization Project | | |  | In the presence of His Highness, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese, Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, Her Highness Masiofo Filifilia, His Excellency Ambassador Thomas H. Meister, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Samoa, ministers of cabinet, members of parliament, members of the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests, the inauguration of the Digitization Project, implemented by the Archives Section of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, was held on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at Mailifa. | | After the opening prayer, given by Father Spatz Silva, the Honourable Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, Afioga Fiame Namomi Mata'afa, gave the inauguration keynote address. The preservation of German Administration records was first recognized in the 80s when the Government of Samoa was determined to preserve this oldest collection of archival materials. The copying of German Administration records was approved to be microfilmed, however due to high the costs of microfilming equipment and the process proved to be unsuitable for the climate of Samoa, digitization was considered as a great advantage. The Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Federal Republic of Germany the Government of Samoa as the Cooperation Partner on the 16th December 2008. Archives New Zealand has been signed on as the third Cooperation Partner to provide technical assistance. |   | The project aims to
• Preserve German Administration records by digitization; copy to be retained by the Government of Samoa, and copies provided to the Federal Archives of Germany and Archives New Zealand,
• Allow German Administration records in depositories in Samoa, Germany and New Zealand to le linked,
• Provide digitization equipment and skills to local staff to continue with other similar project in the future,
• Enable the archives to be more accessible in Samoa and worldwide,
• Generate academic interest for support of more work on the collection improving the description and translations,
The timeframe scheduled for this project is two years, with the option to extend for an additional two years. |  | |  | The funding for the project is being provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. The amount will cover digitization equipment and software, and also costs associated with providing technical advice on preservation and conservation and metadata related matters from Archives New Zealand technical experts. The Ministry of Education Sports & Culture, Archives Unit is progressing through with the following major tasks of taking digital images of all folios within the specified German Files Series List; allocation of metadata to images and progressive quality assurance by both the Samoan Archives project staff and Archives New Zealand staff. | | 
<AP Digital Consultancy Ltd. Andrew Pattengill | On behalf of the Government of Samoa, Afioga Fiame Namomi Mata'afa extended greatest appreciation to the Federal Republic of Germany for funding this significant project, which has enabled the preservation of important historical materials of Samoa; futhermore she acknowledged the role of the 3rd Cooperation Partner, Archives New Zealand, for the technical assistance provided. His Excellency, Ambassador Thomas H. Meister, stated the importance given to this project by the Federal Republic of Germany in Samoa. Her Highness Masiofo Filifilia finally cut the ribbon to the archive room where the technical equipment was presented by Andrew Pattengill. AP Digital Consultancy Ltd., representing Archives New Zealand. | | | | |
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