At the invitation of the Government of Belize/Belize Archives and Records Service (BARS), Dr Stanley H. Griffin, Head of Department, visited the Central American nation to review archival operations, finalize training opportunities and to engage with information, memory, and heritage stakeholders of the Belize Archives. Dr Griffin met with the following institutional leaders:

• Mr Kevin Montero, Director of the Belize Archives,
• Rolando Cocom, Director, Institute for Social and Cultural Research, National Institute for Cultural Heritage
• Mr Delmer Tzib, History Programme Lead, Department of Literature, Language and History, University of Belize
• Ms Lusiola Castillo and Ms Felene M Cayetano, Chief Librarian and Principal Librarian, respectively, Belize National Library Service and Information System (BNLSIS): to discuss training needs of Belizean Librarians
• Mr Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, BELTRADE, lead agency for digital transformation in the Government of Belize (re the capacitating of BARS for digital archiving)
• Dr. Vincent Palacio, President of the University of Belize, as well as Deans and Heads of Department of the University of Belize regarding archival education and records management development in the university.

Additionally, Dr Griffin conducted an undergraduate class for students in the BA History programme, entitled, “Belizean Memory for Belizean History: Safeguarding the Past Through Cultural Documentation”, in which students considered various methodologies for researching cultural memory and writing community history.  In the afternoon, Dr Griffin delivered a public lecture entitled, Belizean ‘Wheel of Memory’:  Expanding the Vision of Caribbean Archives” to a large and captive audience.

Several initiatives have been conceptualized and planned to renew and deepen the relationship between the DLIS and information and memory institutions in Belize.