Special Interest Section on Personal Archives

Special Interest Section on Personal Archives (SISPA)

Personal Archives: The Archives of Private Individuals

We invite your participation in the Special Interest Section on Personal Archives. This is a forum to discuss the different approaches to archival procedures called for when dealing with individuals and their archives. SISPA comes from the realization that a great many issues surrounding personal archives are not fully comprehended, thus the members feel urged to explore in depth the topic of personal archives and the approaches to the individual life within archives.

Background

The SIS grew out of a session at the 2001 ACA Conference in Winnipeg which dealt with personal archives in various repository settings. The response in the post-panel discussion was so dynamic and it came from such a diverse group of archivists that the panel members were drawn to create the SIS.

Section members manage the archives of individuals within their work environments and work in a variety of archival settings, including government, university, and corporate repositories. The section also invites participation from scholars and practitioners in other disciplines and students who are interested in issues surrounding personal archives.

SISPA received formal recognition by the ACA Board of Directors in November, 2001. Catherine Hobbs is Chairperson and Heather Dean is Secretary of the Section.

Purpose

The purpose of the SIS is to:

  • provide a forum to discuss the issues surrounding acquisition and management of personal archives; realizing that personal archives overlap with the purview of the other interest sections, but that when dealt with as a whole, personal archives provide a new set of associations and issues.
  • form a base of expertise and provide ACA members with information on issues relating to personal archives.
  • create resources for those interested in personal archives, such as the bibliography.

Goals and Objectives

The Goals and Objectives of this Section are:

  1. To provide a forum for discussion for members of the ACA with a primary interest in personal archives.
  2. To identify the topics of common interest and the concerns regarding personal archives in the Canadian archival community. To open dialogue on the issues and practices of dealing with personal archives in Canadian archival institutions. To promote discussion of these issues through member participation in the AGM; through organization of conference sessions; through publications such as the Bulletin, the Web Site and Archivaria; through special initiatives and projects; and through continued communication with the Chair and the Secretary.
  3. To encourage discussion and learning about the different issues for different types of personal archives and to encourage sharing of coping strategies, institutional tools and approaches to aid archivists in their everyday work acquiring and maintaining records from private individuals.
  4. To plan and recommend future directions of the SIS based on present concerns or issues raised by the membership.
  5. To attract new members with an interest in personal archives to both the Section and to the ACA overall.

Contacts (click on the name of the individual to send her/him an e-mail message)