We are delighted to announce that Tony Ageh, Controller of Archive Development at the BBC, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at the ARA conference this year. Tony has held a number of roles in the media including head of product development at the Guardian, where he launched the Guide and Wired UK, and Controller, Internet, at the BBC where he co-created the iPlayer. Currently working on the BBC’s Digital Public Space project Tony will be talking about his vision for the future of the internet and the role that archives and cultural institutions can play in this.

Tony will be speaking on Thursday 30^th August. Also on Thursday are presentations about innovations in user services, the impact of technology on records managers and archivists, mould, managing environments, and the preservation of various media. Thursday afternoon sees the information marketplace and a number of break-out sessions where we will discuss a range of topics such as education, CPD, registration and PD 5454.

The full programme is at http://www.archives.org.uk/ara-conference/the-ara-conference.html where you can book for a day or the whole conference. The conference is being held from 29^th -31^st August at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, the perfect place for a conference and to enjoy Brighton itself. We hope to see you there.

Caroline Brown

Chair, ARA conference