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In the Field:  The ACA Blog

Contemporary archivists are engaged in a broad range of work within the field of archives. Whether through their work environment; through initiatives in the digital realm; through their involvement with communities to document, preserve, and provide access to their records; and through other outreach endeavours, archivists are involved in a variety of spaces. In the Field is a place for discussion about the wide range of issues encountered and raised in these spaces related to archives, archival education, and archival interventions. 
 
For more information on proposing or submitting a blog post please read and complete the submission form We look forward to reading your contribution! 
 
Catherine Barnwell, In the Field Editor 
The ACA Communications Committee


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  • 14 Mar 2024 12:28 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    From municipal and federal government to universities, from religious congregations to community organizations, archivists work in a variety of settings. This year, the ACA blog, In the Field, is setting out to talk to archivists across Canada about the unique joys and challenges of their work environments. We will feature a different type of archives each month, with the objective of showcasing the rich spectrum of archival work.

    This month we are featuring religious archives. In today’s post, the In the Field blog chats with Mary Flynn, Congregational Archivist for the Sisters of Charity – Halifax in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Q: Can you briefly tell us about your academic and professional path? What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice?

    Mary: I grew up in a small historic village in New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. I’m the descendant of Irish, Swedish, and English settlers to New Jersey and New York. From an early age, I’ve always been drawn to women’s histories and stories, and I count myself lucky that I’ve so far spent my career working with and for women.  

    I completed my undergraduate studies at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where I majored in French. I worked at the circulation desk of the university library for several years and loved it, so I decided to pursue a career as a librarian. I applied and was accepted to McGill University’s MLIS program. In my senior year of college, I had a practicum at the Moravian Church Archives, and I found the work so fascinating that on my first day of school at McGill, I switched from the library science stream to archival studies. Though it wasn’t my intention when I first moved to Quebec for graduate school, I ended up immigrating and staying in Canada. 

    Since that first practicum experience at the Moravian Church Archives 19 years ago, I’ve spent most of my career in religious archives. I started in my role as the Congregational Archivist for the Sisters of Charity – Halifax in January, 2014. The Sisters of Charity – Halifax is a community of Catholic women religious, commonly referred to as “Sisters.” Our administrative offices are in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but there are Sisters of Charity across Canada, the east coast of the United States, Peru, and Belize. In 2024, we are celebrating 175 years since the first Sisters of Charity of New York arrived in Halifax, which planted the seed for the present day Sisters of Charity – Halifax.

    Mary Flynn, Congregational Archivist, in the archives reading room, March 8, 2024.

    Q: What does an average day look like in religious archives?

    Mary: There is no average day! I’m a solo archivist so I handle everything that comes my way. Lately the bulk of my time has been dedicated to a few ongoing special projects, including our 175th Anniversary celebrations and writing a regular column in our newsletter, Charity Alive. I also answer research requests, primarily from our Congregational Leadership Team, Sisters, and staff, but also from outside researchers. The external requests are generally of a genealogical nature or are from former students looking for their old teachers. 

    Before our 175th Anniversary projects started last year, I was focusing on processing our backlog, especially our collection of photographs with no identification. Our audiovisual collection has been the most used record group in the archives over the past few years.

    Q: What is your favourite thing about working in religious archives? What are some of the challenges that are unique to religious archives?

    Mary: Even after a decade in my position, I still find the work rewarding and engaging. The congregation is very invested in their history and value the archives. The Sisters’ Motherhouse in Halifax burned down in 1951, completely destroying their archives, and it took decades to rebuild what they could of their records. If I had more free time, I’d research how this event has shaped the record keeping practices and relationship to history and collective memory in the congregation.

    Because of the Motherhouse fire, our archives isn’t as large as it should be, but our holdings include records from Canada, the United States, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Bermuda. The main ministries that the Sisters were engaged in were teaching, health care, and social services, but starting in the 1960s, the Sisters had more opportunities to expand their work into different fields. I’ve expanded my knowledge of Canada and the United States, social justice causes, and residential schools and truth and reconciliation through my work.

    We face the same challenges as many archives. Our Archives and Heritage Department has dwindled to one full time staff member (myself), and one part time Sister volunteer. The Congregation peaked in the 1960s with over 1600 Sisters. Now there are 180 left, with an average age of 83 years old. There’s no longer a focus on attracting new members but rather on creating plans to “come to completion” in the next 25 years. I feel the pressure to capture the stories of the elderly Sisters and their ministries before it’s too late. 

    On a personal level, the deaths of the Sisters can be very difficult to deal with. The Congregation has decreased by half since I started in my position. Over the past decade, I’ve formed many personal and work relationships with the Sisters and it can be emotional to deal with losses while still having to be professional and process their personal papers. The grief has been profound at times but it brings me comfort to know that their lives are documented in our archives.

    The Sisters of Charity – Halifax Congregational Archives and Heritage Department, 2017. Standing (left to right): Mary Flynn, Congregational Archivist and Sister Mary Palardy, Heritage Coordinator (RIP)Seated (left to right): Sister Christine MacDonald, Archives Volunteer and Sister Joan DeGrace, Archives Volunteer (RIP).

    Q: What do you wish the public understood better about religious archives? What do you wish other archivists understood about religious archives? 

    Mary: I wish everyone understood better that religious archives are a rich source of history, and contain records not just about the denomination or faith community that they serve. We have records about the 1917 flu epidemic, Acadians in Nova Scotia, rural hospitals in Alberta, safe housing for women survivors of human trafficking in Boston and New York City, and projects to provide clean water to communities in Peru and El Salvador, to name a few things. Having said that, religious archives do not have the same mandate as a public institution. Our archives exists to serve the congregation and can accommodate research requests from the public as I have time. 

    Religious archives are not in the spotlight as often as university, government, or municipal archives, so I appreciate the opportunity to share my work in an In The Field blog post.

    Q: Can you tell us about a project you’ve been working on lately? 

    For the past year, I’ve been heavily involved in the congregation’s 175th Anniversary projects. Every week for 175 weeks, we highlight a photograph from the archives on our Facebook page. A committee has created a list of 175 Sisters and ministries to highlight and I’ve been researching, fact checking, and providing photographs for the profiles: https://schalifax.ca/175years/

    It’s been a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not only the influential Sisters that led the congregation and its high profile ministries such as the Halifax Infirmary or Mount Saint Vincent University, but also the “unsung heroes”—the housekeepers, seamstresses, cooks, and cleaners that kept the congregation running behind the scenes.

  • 15 Feb 2024 4:10 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    From municipal and federal government to universities, from religious congregations to community organizations, archivists work in a variety of settings. This year, the ACA blog, In the Field, is setting out to talk to archivists across Canada about the unique joys and challenges of their work environments. We will feature a different type of archives each month, with the objective of showcasing the rich spectrum of archival work.  

    This month we are featuring community archives. In today’s post, the In the Field blog chats with Melissa J. Nelson, Founder and Creative Director of the Black Memory Collective.

    Q: Can you briefly tell us about your academic and professional path?

    Melissa: If you want to know my path, I have to take you back to my childhood. My parents are from Jamaica. My mother, in particular, instilled a deep love for history. She used to share folklore, oral traditions, stories, photographs. My mother was the family keeper of records. She passed that on to me. My love for history led me to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in History, with a minor in Sociology at Carleton University. I then graduated from McGill University with a Master of Information Studies. Understanding the past allows me to make sense of the present. 

    In 2020, I published my blog post “Archiving Hate: Racist Materials in Archives.” This was cited by several institutions in their statements of commitment to equity practices, including the Baker Library of Harvard Business School. This blog post led to a series of opportunities that inspired me to start a consulting business. I offer a range of consultation services on inclusive archival practices including research, writing, policy review, and training. I lecture and facilitate workshops on the intersections of race, racism, and the archives. 

    After I graduated from my Master’s program, I felt compelled to seek community. I was often the only Black student in my archives classes. So, I became intentional about connecting with other Black archivists. In 2022, I launched the podcast, Archives & Things, to make these conversations accessible to a wider audience. I discovered a vibrant and diverse community, but I often found my interviewees were unaware of each other’s work. I felt a deep need to bring people together. This past November, I founded the Black Memory Collective to create a network and build a community of practice around Black archiving in Canada. The founding members were brought together through my work on Archives & Things. This collective is part of a larger movement to reclaim, recognize, and celebrate Black memory and imagine Black futurities.

    Q: What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice?

    Melissa: Well, I didn’t know archival studies was an option. I didn’t know what was possible as an archivist. I met someone who was studying information studies and she encouraged me to look into it. I am so glad she did! I love being an archivist. For me, this work extends beyond the processing area. It’s about inspiring and generating change. It’s a liberatory practice. My work centers Black being and belonging in the archives to support collective healing and liberation movements. Black archival practices and memory work can transform our future. 

    Q: What do you wish the public understood better about Black archivists? What do you wish other archivists understood about Black archivists? 

    Melissa: I want people to understand that, for many of us, archival work is liberatory work. It’s memory work. It's our way of understanding ourselves and keeping the memories of Black people alive. It’s our way of challenging pervasive racism and bias in this country. We are not keepers of dead records. Our work is about Black life. We come to memory work in different ways. Those who joined the Black Memory Collective are artists, urban planners, architects, game developers, curators, journalists, museum professionals, and so much more.


    Q: Can you tell us about your plans for the collective? 

    Melissa: Right now, the Black Memory Collective consists of a private Slack group and virtual chats. I intend to have in-person meetings as well. These spaces will allow us to connect, socialize, and exchange ideas. We believe it is important to create safe and affirming spaces for Black people to just be. The dream is to have this work reach communities. We can have newsletters, partner with graduate programs, partner with archives associations, and have events for Black youth to inspire the next generation. I will continue to dream.

  • 22 Aug 2023 9:07 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    by Michael Carelse and Sophie Penniman

    Michael:

    My name is Michael, and I am in my second year of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies. I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2023 annual conference of the ACA as part of the Emerging Voices student session, where I presented a paper on the relationship between records management and social justice, using RCMP records retention and disposition as a case study. 

    Michael presenting at the Emerging Voices session. Photo by Sophie Penniman.

    ACA 2023 was a really great experience. I went into the conference grateful to have been accepted to present in the student panel and to have received funding from ACA to attend, but not exactly sure what the student panel would entail, or what it would feel like to be “sectioned off” with other students rather than to present as part of the general conference program. It ended up being the perfect conference experience, and I’m so happy to have been part of the student panel. I was surprised at how well attended the panel was, and how interested people were in hearing “what the students are thinking about.” I was also really interested in what my two co-panelists were presenting on, and it ended up being a really cool panel featuring three different perspectives on documentation, equity, and justice in the contemporary world. Al Cunningham Rogers proposed an archival approach to the appraisal and the preservation of graffiti in Toronto, and Adam Williamson explored issues related to the loss of cultural heritage objects in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both presentations offered new and generative frameworks for thinking expansively about different types of records, archives, and memory institutions. 

    Overall, I found the conference program fascinating, with presentations ranging from new ideas and theories, to reports on current initiatives in the field. I was particularly interested in one panel that gathered representatives from Library and Archives Canada, the National Archives of the US, and the National Archives of the UK, all presenting on current initiatives to engage critically with archives, to improve archival services and harness the affordances of new technologies, and to engage teachers in promoting archival education in schools. 

    In between sessions, the breaks and dinners were also a great opportunity to meet people, and I had the pleasure of spending time with fellow students, as well as professionals at every career stage, including some very friendly people from the ACA executive. My fond final memory of the conference is of my dinner table getting up to join the dance floor on the last evening of the conference, and I look forward to seeing many of those faces again over the years. 

    Sophie: 

    My name is Sophie, and I graduated from the dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies program at UBC this past May. Like Michael, I had the opportunity to both attend and present at the ACA conference in Charlottetown; I spoke in a session on accessibility for people with disabilities about my experiences as a neurodivergent archival student and the importance of widening conceptions of provenance to accommodate neurodiverse perspectives in records. 

    Sophie posing before their presentation at the session on Accessibility and Representation in Archives for People With Disabilities. Photo by Lisa Snider.

    One thing that struck me while attending the conference was the myriad ways that archivists conceptualize archival work to ensure it is relevant to all. As someone whose archival experience has largely come from a classroom context, I was very keen to hear more about how conceptions of archives are applied in real-world settings. From an archival outreach initiative at the University of Saskatchewan (presented by Ann Liang and Lindsay Stokalko) that creatively used a Gay Bob doll from their archives to promote user engagement with the Neil Richards Collection, to a presentation in the student session by Al Cunningham Rogers on the considerations around preserving graffiti in an archives, I was inspired by the wide range of ways archives can and do meet societal needs. 

    Something that also surprised me was how much I benefitted from the social aspects of the conference beyond the presentations and plenaries. While as an introvert I did find myself having to step back occasionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to connect with archivists across North America and beyond, working in a variety of contexts. I expected to network and have fun at the social events, but I found a lot of value in connecting with archivists from different generations, backgrounds, and employment settings.  

    From formal to informal settings, the ACA Conference resonated with me as a way to imagine and reimagine archival work with other people who share this passion. In all, being able to attend and present at ACA 2023: Belonging in Charlottetown was a wonderful opportunity as a recent archival graduate, and I’m looking forward to coming back in the future. 

    Michael and Sophie at a picnic at Beaconsfield Historic House in Charlottetown during the conference. Photo by Isabel Carlin.

    Michael Carelse is in his second year of UBC’s Dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies. He has worked as a Collections Assistant at the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, and as a Graduate Academic Assistant for InterPARES Trust AI. 

    Sophie Penniman is a recent graduate of the Dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies program at the University of British Columbia, which is located on the traditional lands of the Musqueam people. They currently work as a Graduate Academic Assistant on the InterPARES Trust AI project, which studies the use of AI in archives, and their interests include personal archives, constructions of identity through records, and storytelling.  

  • 22 Jun 2023 10:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The ACA 2023 Annual Conference is fast approaching! The ACA blog, In the Field, is featuring the profile of a few members who will be presenting at the 2023 conference. Today we are featuring the profile of Madelynn Dickerson, Head of Digital Scholarship Services at the University of California, Irvine and Christine Kim, OAC/Calisphere Service & Outreach Manager at the California Digital Library.

    Q: What is the title of your conference presentation? Tell us about it in 1 or 2 sentences.

    Madelynn & Christine: Our presentation is called “Aggregation and Curation in Digital Collections: Identifying Inclusive Practices and Partnerships with Community-Based Archives.” We will be sharing information about a research assessment project that we are doing as part of “Community-Centered Archives Practice: Transforming Education, Archives, and Community History” (C-CAP TEACH), a Mellon-funded initiative at the University of California. The assessment project aims to identify and describe best practices for the development of ethical and inclusive digital collections and exhibitions, while understanding barriers that community organizations may face in contributing collections to aggregators.

    Q: Can you walk us through your academic and professional path?

    Christine: Since starting my archival journey, I’ve been lucky enough to explore the many moving components in the ecosystem of library services. My prior experiences include processing (and digitizing) archival collections and leading student engagement activities at the University of California, Irvine, as well as coordinating community engagement for ArchivesSpace, an open source application used to manage and describe archival collection material. Since 2019, I have been at the California Digital Library supporting the Online Archive of California and Calisphere – two services that provide broad, public access to digital collections contributed by libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations throughout California.

    Madelynn: I have an academic background in literature and art history, and transitioned from full time contract teaching to librarianship about ten years ago. My first full time job was as evening circulation supervisor in a small academic library and from there I was pretty ambitious about gaining as much experience as I could across different areas of librarianship while simultaneously enrolled in an online MLIS program. I have been at the University of California, Irvine since 2018, where I started as the Research Librarian for Digital Humanities and History. I have been the Head of Digital Scholarship Services since 2020.

    A snapshot of the Calisphere website, the statewide aggregation of digital collections contributed by libraries, archives, and museums throughout California. Calisphere provides free access to unique and historically important artifacts for research, teaching, and curious exploration.

    Q: What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice? 

    Christine: As an undergraduate, I was a student in both film & media studies and history programs, with my interests intersecting at the representation of historical narratives in the media. So when I started my first internship at an archives, it was as if my interests glass slipper-ed into an actual tangible career path, but now adapted to explore how archival practices – and the visibility of firsthand accounts – influence the historical record.

    Madelynn: Archival studies was always something that was interesting to me, and I managed to pursue professional development and projects related to archives early in my career even though it wasn’t always directly related to my job at the time. For example, when I was working the night shift in circulation about 10 years ago, I wrote a CLIR Hidden Collections grant proposal after finding some materials stored in an old chicken coop on campus. The proposal made it to the final stages and ultimately wasn’t funded, but it was a great learning experience. Now as a Head of Digital Scholarship Services, I have formal responsibilities around digital stewardship in many areas, including digital collections.

    Q: What does the theme of the ACA 2023 conference, “Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects,” mean to you in terms of overall archival orientations and practice?

    Madelynn & Christine: The conference theme speaks to the importance of representation, particularly narratives that are often misrepresented or excluded in the mainstream historical record. Aggregation aims to increase discoverability of historical resources, and web usage analytics demonstrate that digital collection aggregation can amplify the visibility of records; however, whose stories do aggregation service models privilege, and whose stories are absent? How do we ensure aggregated materials maintain appropriate cultural context? Our assessment project and research are centred in identifying strategies to mitigate the disconnect, particularly with a focus on surfacing and shifting change to address the priorities expressed by community-based archives in an effort towards representative and inclusive aggregation and exhibition practices.

    Q: Can you tell us about your research approach and perspectives?

    Madelynn & Christine: Our assessment project is rooted in identifying pathways to support a representative aggregation of digital collections, surfacing the barriers to participation, and defining actionable strategies to responsibly surface historically excluded narratives. By extension, we are concerned with sustainable and inclusive approaches to digital exhibitions. We are working with a consultant to conduct this assessment and develop a guide for effective and meaningful collaboration with community-centred archives. Our approach involves data analysis of current participation in aggregation services, website analysis of aggregation service scope and policies, environmental scans, and interviews and surveys with community-based archives.

    Q: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s conference?

    Madelynn & Christine: We look forward to learning from colleagues about initiatives they are embarking on to facilitate belonging and inclusion in their archival practices! We are grateful for the opportunity to share a progress update on our research assessments and welcome ideas and feedback.

  • 20 Jun 2023 11:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    L’édition 2023 de la conférence annuelle de l’ACA approche à grands pas! En prévision, le blogue de l’ACA, In the Field, publie des entretiens avec quelques conférenciers au programme cette année. Aujourd’hui nous vous présentons Simon-Olivier Gagnon, doctorant en archivistique au département des sciences historiques de l’Université Laval.

    Q: Quel est le titre de votre présentation? Parlez-nous de votre sujet en une ou deux phrases.

    Simon-Olivier: Les archives d'en bas en France et au Québec, du singulier au(x) collectif(s), de l'individuel au(x) commun(s).

    Avec les collègues du projet de recherche Autres archives, autres histoires : les archives d’en bas en France et au Québec mené conjointement entre le Québec (Université Laval) et la France (Université d’Angers), nous discuterons des relations entre archives et pouvoir ainsi que des modalités d’émergence, d’affirmation et d’animation de projets d’archivage alternatifs.

    Q: Pouvez-vous nous présenter votre parcours académique et professionnel? 

    Simon-Olivier: Pendant mon parcours en sociologie qui s’est terminé avec une maîtrise portant sur Michel Foucault et le souci de soi, j’ai travaillé dans diverses radios communautaires au Québec, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, en France et en Écosse. Mon expérience au sein de ces radios m’a amené à m’intéresser à leurs archives, et ce, dans le contexte particulier d’anniversaires commémoratifs. La thèse que je réalise actuellement s’intitule « Archives et radios communautaires : concevoir une archivistique communautaire ». Il est possible de suivre le cours de mes recherches et mes publications via mon carnet de recherche.

    Q: Qu’est-ce qui vous a amené.e à vous intéresser au domaine de la théorie et de la pratique archivistiques?

    Simon-Olivier: Je crois que tout a commencé avec ma pratique de l’échantillonnage musical (sampling) et de la réalisation de musique instrumentale de hip-hop (beatmaking). Pendant des heures, à la fin de mon adolescence, j’écoutais des vinyles pour repérer des extraits de mélodies à découper et à actualiser dans un montage sonore. Après mes études en sociologie, j’ai voulu revenir à ce type de rapport aux documents sonores et à leur interprétation. J’aurais pu me diriger en recherche-création, mais j’ai voulu me former à la discipline archivistique avec tous les enjeux sociaux, culturels et éthiques qui s’ensuivent.

    Q: Le thème de la conférence 2023 est Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects. Qu’est-ce que ce thème signifie pour vous en lien avec la pratique et les axes de recherche en archivistique? 

    Simon-Olivier: Les liens archivistiques ne sont pas visibles à l’œil nu, ils méritent d’être révélés, exposés, mis en scène. C’est ce que nous avons réalisé dans le projet 2012 : Mémoires à faire, un projet portant sur les archives du Printemps québécois. Dans le cadre de ce projet collectif, nous avons, à notre manière, contribué à restituer au public certaines archives (radiophoniques, sonores, textuelles, etc.) de ce mouvement étudiant. C’est ainsi par notre intervention archivistique que des liens archivistiques se sont révélés entre une communauté de documents et des producteurs.

    Les cinq épisodes du balado 2012 : Mémoires à faire sont disponibles sur différentes plateformes d’écoute et sur Internet Archives. Les archives pertinentes au projet, comme des tracts, des affiches, des photographies, ont par la suite été disposées dans deux vitrines, dans les locaux de L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres ainsi que dans celles de notre diffuseur CKIA-FM Radio Basse-Ville.


    Photos prises à l’occasion de la marche d’écoute collective, le 24 septembre 2022. Crédit photo: Débora Flor.

    Q: Pouvez-vous nous parler de vos approches et de vos perspectives de recherche? 

    Simon-Olivier: Mon rapport aux archives vient de gens qui sont animés par une passion : ce sont des amateur·trice·s, des non-professionnel·le·s, des chercheur·e·s indépendant·e·s, des dilettantes qui manipulent des documents et qui finissent, somme toute, par sauver des pans entiers de l’histoire. Ces gens-là, qui demeurent trop longtemps et trop souvent dans l’ombre, jouent un rôle quant à la mémoire de la société civile, des organismes communautaires et, plus largement, des mouvements culturels contestataires et de la contre-culture. Je m’intéresse à la figure que j’associe à « l’archiviste ad hoc », aux gestes de cette figure, au sein des radios communautaires et universitaires.

    Pour plus d'informations au sujet du projet : 2012: Mémoires à faire | Facebook

  • 15 Jun 2023 10:25 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The ACA 2023 Annual conference is fast approaching! The ACA blog, In the Field, is featuring the profile of a few members who will be presenting at the 2023 conference. Today we are featuring the profile of Shadreck Bayane, Records Specialist at the Botswana Investment & Trade Centre.

    Q: What is the title of your conference presentation? Tell us about it in 1 or 2 sentences.

    Shadreck: Titled “Access to information for visually impaired people: Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist the cause?” my paper will be delivered through a panel discussion. It examines key issues of accessibility to records and information for people with disabilities (visually impaired) when or if AI is deployed as a possible assistive technology.

    Q: Can you walk us through your academic and professional path?

    Photograph of Shadreck Bayane

    Shadreck: My professional journey dates back to two decades ago when I joined the Botswana National Archives & Records Services as an Assistant Records Officer in the Attorney General Chambers and Office of the President, respectively, after graduating from the University of Botswana with a diploma in archives and records management. I worked with revered technocrats (high ranking government officials) whose wisdom and sense of duty rubbed off on me and sharpened my intellectual pedigree from that early stage of my career.

    I have since spent the better part of my career in the corporate sector with an archival science degree, after working for the Government for a year. I am a certified records analyst and currently work for the Botswana Investment & Trade Centre (BITC) in Gaborone, Botswana as a Records Specialist – having previously worked for the Botswana Public Officers’ Pension Fund (BPOPF), Public Procurement & Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) and Botswana Savings Bank (BSB) in the same capacity.

    I also serve as an International Correspondent for the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM)’s Newsletter, covering areas outside USA and Canada.

    Q: What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice? 

    Shadreck: Prior to my dive into archival studies, I had a short stint in the law enforcement field – working with legal documents. When I was contemplating what to study at the university, a friend suggested the records management course, which struck a chord with my records experience. The rest, as they say, is history.

    Q: What does the theme of the ACA 2023 conference, “Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects,” mean to you in terms of overall archival orientations and practice?

    Shadreck: As part of my preparations for presenting at the conference, I recently attended a PWD (people with disabilities) function whereat a question was asked as to how the rest of us can contribute to economic empowerment of people with disabilities. In the instance of archival practice, I understand this question, as read with the ACA conference theme, to be calling upon us in the profession to perform our functions and research in a manner that promotes inclusivity, diversity, and connectivity of the people we serve.

    So, the ACA’s view of belonging as a fundamental human need is apt, and relatable.

    Q: Can you tell us about your research approach and perspectives?

    Shadreck: My research is currently focused on archives, digitization, and artificial intelligence, and the interest is bolstered by my current participation in the international scholarly project InterPARES Trust AI where the resources and expertise are world-class. I am a strong proponent of impactful research which contributes to both the academic body of knowledge, and the practical advancement of society – with a particular concentration on our marginalized communities.

    Q: What are you mostly looking forward to at this year’s conference?

    Shadreck: No doubt it is going to be an interesting and successful conference. Take a look at the credentials of speakers, venue, activities, the messaging around the event, and the vibe. Alluring! I look forward to joining a diversity of archivists and other allied stakeholders from all corners of the universe as we feast on the archival discourse.

  • 13 Jun 2023 10:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The ACA 2023 Annual conference is fast approaching! The ACA blog, In the Field, is featuring the profile of a few members who will be presenting at the 2023 conference. Today we are featuring the profile of Adam Williamson, a 2nd year master’s candidate at the University of Toronto’s iSchool.

    Q: What is the title of your conference presentation? Tell us about it in 1 or 2 sentences.

    Adam: The title of my presentation is “Empty Buildings and Burnt Records: Cultural Destruction and the Threat to Ukrainian Identity during the Russo-Ukrainian War.” The somber title reflects my exploration of the Russo-Ukrainian War’s impact on Ukraine’s cultural sector and what that means for Ukrainian identity. I make comparisons with the former Finnish province of Karelia during the Winter War (1939-1940) to draw parallels to better understand the impacts on Ukrainian identity. 

    Q: Can you walk us through your academic and professional path? 

    Adam: I am currently going into my second year as a Master of Information candidate at the University of Toronto. Prior to my master’s, I studied history at Brock University, which influences my research interests concerning archives. Professionally, my career has taken me in many interesting directions ranging from Parks Canada and the CRA to a research assistant at Brock University for a digital oral history archive. Currently, I am back at the federal government working for the National Research Council as an Information Management Policy Advisor. 

    Phorotograph of Adam Williamson

    Q: What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice? 

    Adam: For me, it was my exposure to oral history and digital archives as a research assistant that pulled me into the archival world. Listening to people’s stories, helping preserve them, and understanding their importance for the community’s identity connected with me. The role of identity in archives stuck with me as I continued to explore research about it. Without that first experience, I wouldn’t have found myself in the archival field. 

    Q: What does the theme of the ACA 2023 conference, “Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects,” mean to you in terms of overall archival orientations and practice? 

    Adam: In my mind, it raises the important questions of how archives should serve their society, who they represent, and who falls through the gaps. This can be seen in discourses on community archives, both in terms of where they fit in the archival community and as a response to historical and current archival gaps. Archives help build community bonds through a sense of self, and this raises the question of what is the best way that archives can help build these bonds based on the communities they serve. I don’t have any answers, but I believe attempts to answer these questions are central to shaping and improving archival best practices.

    Q: Can you tell us about your research approach and perspectives? 

    Adam: Two major challenges shaped my research approach: my inability to read Ukrainian and the length limitation on the paper. To overcome this, I opted to select three case studies that had English-language articles written about them and used them as snapshots for the larger picture I was exploring concerning the Ukrainian cultural sector. I also decided to make comparisons to Finland during the Winter War to draw parallels and contextualize what is happening to Ukrainian identity in the short term. Underlying all of this was my use of archival theory, including the concept that archives, and other cultural institutions, are a powerful force in helping a society anchor its sense of self through the memories they hold. One perspective I brought, likely due to my history background, is that while the conflict is the result of modern politics, the question of Ukrainian identity has roots that run centuries deep.

    Q: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s conference? 

    Adam: Just attending is exciting, as this is the first academic conference I will be attending, let alone presenting at. The great thing about this conference’s theme is how it allows archivists to have different interpretations of what exactly is meant by belonging in an archival context. This is what I am looking forward to: seeing how emerging and professional archivists approach this theme and taking their perspectives with me as I continue developing as an archivist.

  • 9 Jun 2023 10:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    In celebration of the International Archives Week theme “#ArchivesUnited,” the ACA Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee has coordinated with Canadian professional archival associations to present a special series of blog posts. This series will run on the ACA blog, In the Field, from June 5-9 and aims to uplift the work of our colleagues across Canada by showcasing new initiatives, providing transparent solutions to key issues, and identifying exciting opportunities for collaboration.

    C’est avec plaisir que l’Association des archivistes du Québec contribue à l’initiative de notre partenaire, l’Association canadienne des archivistes, à l’occasion de la semaine internationale des archives 2023. Nous vous partageons un résumé des activités de l’Association de la dernière année, plus particulièrement l’avancement de nos orientations stratégiques 2021-2023.

    Donc, les orientations stratégiques 2021-2023 de l’Association ont été adoptées à l’automne 2019. Elles se découpent en cinq grands axes stratégiques, soit :

    • La promotion et la communication
    • Le membrariat
    • Le développement professionnel
    • Les partenariats et la collaboration
    • La gouvernance

    En premier lieu, l’axe Promotion et communication vise à faire connaître l’archiviste comme un expert de sa discipline engagé dans sa société.

    Pour favoriser l’échange et le partage d’information auprès de nos membres, nous avons adopté une politique et un plan de communication ainsi que mis en valeur la réussite professionnelle de nos membres sur nos plateformes de communications (Maude Charest pour sa collaboration à la mise en scène de la pièce de théâtre Grosse-Île, 1847; Normand Charbonneau, fait Officier des arts et des lettres et récipiendaire du prix Jacques-Ducharme; Cédric Champagne, pour son élection à la présidence du Forum des Associations professionnelles de l’ICA, etc.). De plus, un souci particulier a été investi concernant nos interventions publiques et de lobbyisme sur les sujets d’actualité touchant la discipline archivistique, par exemple en réagissant à différents dossiers (la participation au comité consultatif sur la modernisation de la Loi sur les archives et de ses documents afférents ou à la publication d’un dossier sur la gestion de l’information dans une revue destinée à des gestionnaires municipaux).

    En second lieu, l’axe Membrariat vise à dynamiser, soutenir et valoriser notre communauté archivistique.

    Afin d’améliorer l’attractivité du membrariat, le sentiment d’appartenance et la fierté des membres, des capsules vidéos promotionnelles sur les avantages d’être membre de l’AAQ ont été produites, le tirage d’un abonnement aux membres présents aux assemblées régionales annuelles a été fait et des actions de sollicitation auprès des étudiant.e.s et nouveaux.elles diplômé.e.s ont été multipliées. Également, la trousse d’accueil destinée aux nouveaux membres fut renouvelée ainsi que la diffusion en exclusivité d’enregistrements d’évènements virtuels (conférence, table ronde). Aussi, lors du congrès annuel de l’Association, nous avons reconnu la solidarité des membres ayant renouvelé leur cotisation depuis plus de 10 ans.

    En troisième lieu, l’axe Développement professionnel vise à assurer le développement des compétences et l’accompagnement des membres et des gens intéressés à la pratique archivistique.

    Ainsi, une plateforme de formation à distance, Azimut, fut lancée en septembre 2022, permettant la tenue de formations se déroulant sur plusieurs semaines, complémentaire aux activités de formation existantes. Une veille des formations disponibles a été effectuée tout en continuant de sonder nos membres et non-membres afin de connaître leurs besoins en formation. Également, notre programme de mentorat, soutenant l’intégration au marché du travail de nos membres, se poursuit.

    En quatrième lieu, l’axe Partenariats et collaboration vise à maximiser les partenariats et la collaboration dans le respect de nos valeurs et au bénéfice de l’AAQ et de nos membres.

    L’association a veillé à consolider ses partenariats associatifs et institutionnels tant au Québec par des échanges avec le Regroupement des archivistes religieux (RAR), le Réseau des services d’archives du Québec (RAQ), qu’au niveau international en signant des ententes et réalisant des activités avec l’Association des archivistes français, l’Association des archivistes franco-belges, l’Association des archivistes suisses et le Conseil international des archives. De plus, l’Association a également lancé son programme de bénévolat AGIR (volet supervision de stage et volet accompagnement professionnel auprès d’organismes à but non lucratif – à venir).

    En dernier lieu, l’axe Gouvernance vise à moderniser la structure de l’AAQ en adéquation avec les autres orientations.

    Ainsi, nous avons procédé à une analyse SWOT de l’Association afin de cerner notre champ d’action et de démarrer les réflexions sur nos valeurs. L’Association a aussi veillé à réviser et actualiser ses guides administratifs.

    En résumé, bien que la pandémie de COVID ait ralenti la mise en œuvre de certaines activités, elle a également amené de nouvelles opportunités touchant nos cinq axes stratégiques. Nous remercions nos membres pour leur soutien et nos bénévoles pour leur temps et leur énergie.

    En terminant, nous espérons que vous avez passé une bonne semaine internationale des archives!

  • 8 Jun 2023 12:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    by Cameron Hart

    In celebration of the International Archives Week theme “#ArchivesUnited,” the ACA Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee has coordinated with Canadian professional archival associations to present a special series of blog posts. This series will run on the ACA blog, In the Field, from June 5-9 and aims to uplift the work of our colleagues across Canada by showcasing new initiatives, providing transparent solutions to key issues, and identifying exciting opportunities for collaboration.


    In 2022-23, despite continuing challenges, SCAA continued to show our commitment to refining and improving our services for all our members, which include individuals and institutions from across the heritage field. The inclusion of several Working Groups to the Boards this past year reflects this commitment.

    The Indigenous Working Group replaced the Diversity Working Group, which involves Indigenous members to steer the group, and the chair acts more as a support role in providing resources. A mandate for the working group is still being worked on. Initiatives are in place to encourage new First Nations/Metis organizations to join SCAA, including the continuation of the waiver of institutional membership fees. Future initiatives around examining archival practices, particularly those regarding outdated language used in archival description, are another of their priorities, along with connecting with the Council of Nova Scotia Archives to discuss their Reconciliation framework, particularly their environmental scan of membership. An SCAA Board Member is a co-chair of the “Response to the Report of the TRC Commission Taskforce” of the Steering Committee on Canada's Archives in response to Call to Action #70. The framework document was released in 2022.

    The Revenue Working Group was part of SCAA’s 2020-24 Strategic Plan. A group was formed to investigate other forms of self-generated revenue, so as not to wholly rely on the generous funding of the SaskLotteries/SaskCulture, which is approved through the 2023-24 fiscal year. The group is reviewing membership dues and will look to include a variable institutional scale as well as introduce a retired/student/non-salaried category. Another potential source is the publication of one of SCAA’s public awareness projects, the Unforgettable: Extraordinary Items from Saskatchewan’s Archival Collections book project. This coffee-table book includes articles by archivists and researchers along with photographs of items found in Saskatchewan’s archival collections.

    As work continues with the MemorySask database, a MemorySask Working Group is being established and they will review and refine policies and procedures to make MemorySask a more powerful tool to research portions of the Saskatchewan history and culture.

    Our Archives Advisor has been limited in site visits due to the pandemic, but the Advisor has begun to travel again, and the addition of Zoom videoconferencing has enabled them to hold many of these meetings virtually. Their activities go beyond site visits, though, and the following is a sample.

    Archives Week is an annual event held by SCAA. Activities in February 2023 saw the return of in-person events for many members, and so saw the return of the Archives Week grant program. Institutions holding Open Houses, exhibits, workshops, etc. could again get small grants from SCAA to promote and support their events. SCAA continued to help create YouTube videos to help institutions promote themselves.

    The administration of our Institutional Grants Program saw 18 applications submitted from SCAA member institutions this year. These included requests for preservation, digitization, and general archival work, but also support for projects to help make archival collections more accessible to the public. After adjudications a total of just over $38,000 was distributed to institutions.

    SCAA’s Professional Development and Travel Subsidies saw individual members supported to attend virtual workshops, conferences, webinars, or other educational offerings.

    The SCAA facilitates and encourages learning in the archival field by offering Educational Workshops and presentations throughout the year. In addition to basic archival practice presentations by our Advisor, additional subjects of interest were presented by experts in the field. The workshops and presentations this past year included:

    • A presentation about “Reconciliation through the Treaty Relationship” by Annie Battiste of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.
    • A webinar was led by Lisa Snider (consultant) for institutions contributing to the MemorySask database.
    • A multiday workshop on preservation of physical material was presented by Iona McCraith, former AAO Preservation Consultant.


    The SCAA Board of Directors in 2022-23 is:

    President: Mark Vajčner, retired University of Regina, Archive & Special Collections

    Vice-President: Donald Johnson, Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan
    Treasurer: Jeremy Mohr, Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan
    Directors: William Shepherd, Swift Current Museum
    Stevie Horn, Saskatoon Public Library History Room
    Erin Grant, Métis Nation Registry of Saskatchewan
    Sheldon Krasowski, Office of the Treaty Commissioner
    Crista Bradley, University of Regina, Archive & Special Collections

    SCAA is a proud member of SaskCulture, and gratefully acknowledges funding from Sask Lotteries. SaskCulture and SCAA’s support reaches lands covered by Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10; traditional lands of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Lakota, Nakota and Saulteaux peoples, as well as the homeland of the Métis.

    About Cameron Hart: After graduating in history and political science from D'Youville College, in the US, in 1996, he attended UBC's SLAIS (now iSchool) in 1997-99. In 1999 he moved to Saskatchewan on contract, and in 2009 became the full-time Archives Advisor for the SCAA, a position he continues to hold.


  • 7 Jun 2023 12:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    by Katrina Swift, Archives Advisor for the Council of Archives New Brunswick

    In celebration of the International Archives Week theme “#ArchivesUnited,” the ACA Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee has coordinated with Canadian professional archival associations to present a special series of blog posts. This series will run on the ACA blog, In the Field, from June 5-9 and aims to uplift the work of our colleagues across Canada by showcasing new initiatives, providing transparent solutions to key issues, and identifying exciting opportunities for collaboration.

    With rapidly changing formats and the widening distribution of news media, tracking the history of provincial news publications has reached a critical juncture.

    On October 18th, 2021, with this pressing issue in mind, the Council of Archives New Brunswick (CANB) hosted a New Brunswick Newspaper Forum with collecting institutions (museums, libraries, and archives) from across New Brunswick to discuss current collecting and preservation practices and challenges. The meeting also looked at ways to move forward in a coordinated manner in the area of newspaper collection and preservation in the province.

    Institutions in attendance highlighted the need to have information from New Brunswick newspapers accessible in one place. The closest thing the province had was the New Brunswick Newspaper Directory, which was originally a 1996 book/directory created by Helen Craig but had subsequently been built into an online database hosted by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB). However, the directory had fallen into disuse and was in desperate need of revision.

    The solution decided upon at the meeting was to update the New Brunswick Newspaper Directory and improve the online database so that it was more easily searchable and accessible. Thus began the New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project. The goal of this project is to centralize all known information and holdings of newspapers published in New Brunswick from the earliest publication (the Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova Scotia Intelligencer in 1783) to the present day. It is a collaboration between CANB, PANB, and the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Libraries, with the support of many libraries and archives across the province, country, and continent. The data collected on newspaper holdings will be of all formats – hard copy/print, microform, and digital – and will be collected and staged on the New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project website, hosted by UNB Libraries.

    Over the past several months, the team working behind this project has been reaching out to institutions across the continent who had previously been known to hold historical New Brunswick newspapers, from small museums to the Library of Congress, to verify data to accurately reflect which institutions still hold what papers. Along with this work, institutions are being asked to add any of their additional newspaper holdings. The next phase of the project will involve doing a call-out to institutions province-wide. This way, all holdings not previously captured in the New Brunswick Newspaper Directory will be represented.

    This project will be of key use to libraries, archives, museums, and researchers working in the field of New Brunswick studies. It will also identify and flag provincial newspapers worthy of digitization to improve access to these amazingly rich sources.

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