Nancy Marrelli 

Highlights

Leading Canadian copyright expert and archival advocate; accomplished university archivist (Concordia), board member for the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) and the Italian-Canadian Archives Project (iCAP).  

Professional Career 

Nancy Marrelli began serving as head of Concordia University Archives in 1983. Over the course of more than three decades, she introduced a comprehensive preservation management program, initiated numerous outreach projects that attracted the attention and enlisted the support of university administrators, implemented a fully functioning records management program, and acquired extensive and important private archives documenting the Montreal jazz and visual arts communities. Her eclectic published work reveals some of Quebec’s diverse musical and cultural history (most notably the Italian, Irish, jazz music and dance communities). Marrelli retired in 2010, at which time Concordia University appointed her as Archivist Emerita. She has since then taken a leadership role in the Italian-Canadian Archives Project (iCAP), serving on the board and also as Archivist of the Archives Center of the Italian-Canadian Community of Quebec, which is part of iCAP. She has also played an active role in the InterPARES project led by Luciana Duranti. 

Contributions to the Profession 

Nancy Marrelli’s contributions to the Canadian archival community include her work in copyright, disaster recovery and planning, preservation management and the preservation of audio-visual records. She has shared her considerable expertise and experience on these complex topics by serving on committees, reporting at meetings, writing articles, teaching workshops, presenting at conferences and public events, participating in interviews and exhibits, and appearing before federal government hearings. Marrelli has served for a number of years as the Special Advisor on Copyright for the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA), and is also on the CCA Board of Directors; she has facilitated numerous workshops and conferences relating to copyright in this role, and has also represented the CCA at the 2018 parliamentary review of federal copyright legislation. Fluent in both French and English, Nancy also has been active in her home province of Quebec at the civic and provincial levels. She has helped to coordinate various archival activities as well as promote archives and their use, through organizations such as Le Groupe d’archiviste de la region de Montreal, St. Mary’s Hospital Centre, the Montreal Council on Jewish Culture, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Association des archivistes du Quebec, and the Reseau des archives du Quebec.  

Honours, Awards and Recognition 

• ACA Fellow, 2012 

Further Information 

• “ACA Inducts Newest Fellow.” The [ACA]Bulletin. 36, no. 4 (Aug/Sept. 2012): 4. 
• “One for the Books: Concordia’s Head Archivist Steps Down after 45 Years of Service,” Laura Beeston, The Link, September 21, 2010 https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/one-for-the-books  

Photo credit: https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/one-for-the-books 

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