Background

At the 2007 ACA conference in Kingston, Ontario, one of the conference sessions focused on the potential of archival holdings to provide evidence of changes in our natural environment over time. Martin Comeau, Charlotte Woodley and Sharon ? presented papers which underlined the need for archivists to understand how their work can be integral to climate change research. The discussion generated from this session created enthusiasm for a special interest section devoted to the topic. The Climate Records and Information Special Interest Section, or CRISIS, was subsequently formed and approved by the ACA Board on July 23, 2007.

CRISIS held its first annual meeting in Fredericton, NB, June 13, 2008.

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives of the Climate Records and Information Special Interest Section will be to:

1. Provide a forum for discussion for ACA members who are responsible for or have an interest in climate or environmental records.

2. Establish goals relating to climate or environmental archives and the planning of projects of interest to committee members.

3. Focus attention on growth and development of archives holding climate or environmental records.

4. To organize an annual meeting and encourage the development of ACA conference sessions which address environmental issues from an archival perspective.

5. To establish relationships with organizations and entities outside the archival community in order to raise awareness of archival relevance to environmental issues, and provide a basis for partnering.

Contact information

Chair of CRISIS: Leah Sander, leah.sander@lac-bac.gc.ca