The University of British Columbia ACA Student Chapter (ACA@UBC) was founded in 2004, in response to a growing student interest to create a stronger archival presence at the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS). Since then, the Chapter has been actively involved in promoting students’ professional and personal growth in the archival community through a variety of activities and now consists of more than 30 members.
The Chapter is administered through a volunteer student executive, and succeeds in great part through the participation of its members. The Chapter’s ‘Peer Program’ matches first and second year archival students for peer mentoring and greater interaction between students. The Chapter encourages all interested students to participate, and promotes archival student interaction both within SLAIS, and across Canada and the United States. The Chapter has a close relationship with archival students at the University of Western Washington, and regional get-togethers are organized annually. In addition, students are encouraged to involve themselves in the professional community. This includes organized tours to local archival repositories, guest speakers, facilitated communication with professional associations and informal pub nights.
The ACA@UBC is proud to be hosting the 4th Annual International Symposium & Seminar, a three day event which brings together students, academics and professionals from all over the world to discuss current issues in the archival field. This event, held at UBC, attracts over 250 registrants. The 2012 Symposium will be held on February 17 with student seminars February 15-16. The theme for this year is “Unpacking the Digital Shoebox: The Future of Personal Archives.” For more information, or to register, please visit the symposium website: http://acasymposium.rezgo.com/details/28302/acaubc-2012-4th-annual-international-symposium/28302/2012-02-17.
The Chapter is always eager to hear from its members, and bi-weekly meetings provide a means for all students to propose new ideas.
The Chapter can be contacted through co-coordinator Alyssa Gallant at aca.slais@gmail.com.
Visit our website at http://www.slais.ubc.ca/people/students/student-groups/aca/index.html.
