Scope and Content Monthly ACA Newsletter
March 2025, Volume 6, Issue 3 |
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Click here if you are having trouble reading the newsletter.
Scope and Content will be published May 1, 2025. If you have any comments or feedback, please contact the Communications Committee.
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This month, I spent some time meeting with the leaders of two of our sister associations. On March 20, I met with Hannah Hibbert, President of the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA). Given the reciprocal membership agreement between the ACA and the ASA, and the fact that Hannah and I are fairly new to our roles, we thought it important for the two of us to meet. We did not set a formal agenda but used the time as a chance to get to know each other and chat about our experiences doing archival work in Canada and Australia. We also discussed our upcoming conferences (the ASA Conference is being held in Warrane/Warrang/Sydney from November 10-12) and the fact that both of our associations are celebrating our 50th anniversary! We plan to meet regularly and hope to identify some opportunities for our two associations to collaborate in future. Given the time difference between our two countries, this may be difficult, but it is certainly not impossible. On March 28, Angela, Gillian, and I met with President Derek Mosely, Vice President Mario Rameriz, CEO Jacqualine Price Osafo, and Assistant Director of Governance Jill Burgos of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Council. At this meeting, we reiterated our support for the SAA and our American colleagues who seem to face attacks daily. When asked what assistance the ACA could offer, the message was simple: amplify the SAA messages so that the Canadian archival community stays informed about what is happening. With that in mind, I urge our members to read the SAA Statements about the various affronts to archivists and cultural heritage workers in America. This page will be updated regularly as more statements are made. We will continue to meet with both the ASA and the SAA fairly regularly to strengthen our relationships and look for opportunities to collaborate with and support one another. Anna Gibson Hollow ACA President
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On the day this issue of Scope & Content comes out we will be in the midst of the Spring Priorities and Planning meetings. These meetings along with the ones mentioned by Anna in her message from the President bring to mind how important it is to have a community.
It can often feel that we are all working in isolation from one from one another. When those opportunities come to connect we realize how much support we can give one another. Even just being able to talk "archives" with a group that understand the language can be so invigorating. The 50th anniversary of the ACA will be celebrated all throughout this year's annual conference in Ottawa. This year of all years, there seems a special significance to being there.
The Program and Host teams have been working tirelessly as well as the Secretariat to ensure this conference will be one to remember. It will be a great opportunity for old connections to be renewed and for new connections to be formed.
Angela Fornelli ACA Vice-President |
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ARCHIVES: PILLARS OF INFORMATION AND HERITAGE
Joint Statement
Canadian Council of Archives
Association des archivistes du Québec
Association of Canadian Archivists
(CCA-AAQ-ACA)
Key messages
- Any changes to national, provincial, municipal and/or other local archives will have negative repercussions for citizens to exercise their rights
- The revision of the museum and heritage policy, as well as issues related to copyright, the CUSMA agreement and artificial intelligence are of direct concern to the archival community.
- With the increase in digital information and documents, it is essential that archives across the country have the resources they need to play their vital role in the preservation and access to trustworthy data and effectively support citizens and organizations.
Under normal circumstances, archives are crucial partners in helping a multitude of sectors meet their information needs: the heritage sector, education, media, business and various levels of government, corporate, non-profit, and community-based organizations. Today, in a time of profound change and upheaval, archives play a vital role in enabling the public to understand, access, and make sense of our collective histories, which serve as the foundations of our country, our society, and identities. For archives to continue to fulfill their mission to preserve and make available documentation about these shared histories they must be recognized, protected and funded accordingly.
On the eve of a change in administration, the changes to government agencies and organizations raise major concerns for Canada's archival and heritage community. As a sector that is easily forgotten during this process, our community struggles to get the attention it needs in reform projects of this magnitude.
The Canadian archival network, which includes more than 800 institutions, represents an indispensable heritage infrastructure. Its value is measured not only by the number of its institutions, but also by the remarkable way in which these institutions have been able to meet the challenges of the last 30 years.
In a holistic approach, and on behalf of their respective members and communities, the Canadian Council of Archives, the Association des archivistes du Québec, and the Association of Canadian Archivists (CCA-AAQ-ACA), want to strongly reaffirm that this important archival network is an essential link helping to preserve and provide access to Canada’s heritage for all Canadian citizens. Just as a house must rest on a solid foundation, communicating our collective memory and enhancing access to our heritage requires unwavering support for archive services.
As archivists, information professionals, and records managers, we must vigorously express and reaffirm our common concerns to all policymakers. We must also highlight the critical needs of our community to pursue our collective mission to ensure that Canadian citizens and organizations have access to the information they need to assert their rights, fulfill their obligations, and reinforce our cultural identity.
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Canadian Council of Archives (CCA)
Yves Lapointe, President
Jo McCutcheon, Executive Director
https://archivescanada.ca
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Association des archivistes du Québec (AAQ)
Cynthia Viau-Mainville, President and CEO
Joëlle Derulle, Director of Operations
https://www.archivistes.qc.ca/
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Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA)
Anna Gibson Hollow, President
Gillian I. Leitch, Executive Director
https://archivists.ca/
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Keep your ACA Member Profile up to date! We kindly ask all our members - both new and longstanding - to take a moment to log into the Association of Canadian Archivists website and update their member information. Keeping your profile current helps us stay connected and ensures you receive the latest updates, resources, and opportunities from the ACA community. Your engagement is key to our collective success!
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Nominations and Awards Committee (NAAC)
The Nominations and Awards Committee (NAAC) is now accepting nominations for both the Board of Directors and for ACA awards.
Board of Directors
The NAAC is seeking nominations for the following ACA BoD positions that are up for election in 2025:
The deadline for nominations is close of day PT, April 7, 2025. Nominations can be submitted through the Nomination Form.
See the ACA website for more information about the nomination and election process. Full descriptions of the Board positions and the commitment required for each elected position are also available on the ACA website. See also the ACA Nominations and Elections Policy.
Online voting will open June 4, 2025 at 12:00 am ET, and close at 11:59 pm PT on June 17, 2025. All members in good standing will receive an online ballot via email. The term of office for these positions will begin following the AGM on June 18, 2025.
Awards
NAAC is also inviting nominations from the Canadian archival community for the following honours:
The closing date for nominations is April 14, 2025, 11:59 PT / April 25, 2025, 2:59 am ET. Nominations can be submitted through the Nomination Form. Information on each award as well as the nomination process can be found on the Honours and Awards page.
Questions about Board of Directors elections or awards should be directed to Alice Albarda, Chair, NAAC.
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Membership Committee
For mentors and mentees from last year, please remember to complete the survey that was sent to you. Your responses help to strengthen the program and ensure its continued success. |
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Reminder that Early Bird registration closes on April 15, 2025! Prices will increase after April 15, but registration will stay open until May 31, 2025. See the Conference page for additional opportunities to sign up for social events, workshops, and the Annual Dinner/Dance (separate from conference registration).
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Call for Photographs – past ACA conferences and events
Do you have any images of past ACA conferences or events? The 2025 Host Team is looking for images to help celebrate ACA’s last 50 years during the upcoming conference in Ottawa. Any questions or photographs can be emailed to Host.Team(at)archivists.ca.
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The ACA has negotiated with some hotels in Ottawa for preferential room rates for ACA congress attendees. These hotels are located in the downtown area, and are linked by public transit to Carleton University’s campus. Visit our hotel list for more information. All reservations are the responsibility of the individual conference attendees. Hotels in the blocks are on a first-come, first-served basis. There are a limited
number of rooms available in each block, and the block will be released to
the public at least a month prior to the conference. |
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ACAF Silent Auction
Calling on all ACA creatives! With the conference only a few months away it is time to start thinking about the ACA Foundation’s silent auction. Do you have anything wild or wonderful you could donate? Please help support the Foundation’s work advancing education for students and professionals in the archival sciences, record keeping and information management. If you have any questions or have ideas for prizes, please contact Kyle Pugh at treasurer(at)archivists.ca.
Prize submissions can be made here. Bids for items will open on June 9, 2025 and online bids can be made up until auction close on June 12, 2025.
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You could win this cute ACA 50th Anniversary Bunny in our silent auction! |
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Call for Film Submissions!
Does your archive have any footage of classic university sport rivalry, vintage college promotional film, influential academics speaking, or shots of historical student life?
The Sound and Moving Image Special Interest Section (SMISIS) is accepting submissions of archival footage for the Film Bytes event at this year’s ACA conference. This year’s event theme will focus on archival films showcasing the history of Canadian colleges and universities.
Deadline for submissions: May 2, 2025
For information or to arrange submitting film footage, contact the conference host team at Host.Team(at)archivists.ca.
You can find details about Film Bytes and other conference social events here. |
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Invitation: Join the PAAC Open House Meeting on May 8
The Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee (PAAC) cordially invites ACA members to join our virtual committee meeting on May 8, 2025 from10-11 am PT/1-2pm ET.This open house meeting is an opportunity for all interested in PAAC to learn more about the committee’s work and upcoming initiatives. PAAC will also be seeking new members; if you are considering volunteering for PAAC, we welcome you to attend to ask questions and learn more. To join the PAAC open house meeting, please email aca(at)archivists.ca for the details.
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ACA Hashtag Party
You’re invited to the ACA Hashtag Party!
What is it?
On the last Thursday of every month, the ACA Social Media Team organizes a hashtag party, which takes place virtually on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. There is a different theme for each month, which we announce on social media and ARCAN-L in advance. On the day of the party, you can share materials in your collections related to that theme, tag us and use the hashtag, and we’ll re-share your post. The goal of the parties is to engage more with institutions across Canada, see what kinds of materials other institutions have, and promote weird, fun, and interesting items from your own collections.
What’s next? The next ACA Hashtag Party will take place on April 24, 2025, and the theme will be #ArchivesPerformance. For this party,we’re looking forward to seeing records related to performances of any kind in your collections: theatrical, musical, and more!Share your materials on the day and don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag so we can re-share your posts.
We are also looking forward to celebrating with you for the rest of the year. The dates and themes for all following ACA Hashtag Parties in 2025 will be:
Keep an eye on future issues of Scope and Content and on all our social media accounts to learn more about what each of these themes mean!
For any questions or feedback, or if you have initiatives that you would like the ACA Hashtag Party to support, please email us at communications(at)archivists.ca.
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Technology and Archives Special Interest Section
Can't wait to talk about archives and tech this June at TAATU (The Archives and Technology Unconference)? You’re in luck! Come join the Spring TaASIS Community Meetup to chat about archives and tech, share project updates, and work with your peers to identify and define community solutions to ongoing tech bugbears.
The TaASIS Meetup is totally participant-led and will provide a dynamic space for SIS member engagement and support. Check out the event page to register and review the draft agenda. To suggest an item for the upcoming meeting, please email Allie, TaASIS Chair, at TaASIS.Chair(at)archivists.ca
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54th Annual Conference - Association des Archivistes du Quebec
ACA Members are invited to attend the 54th Annual conference of the AAQ at member rates. The conference is in-person at Sherbrooke, from the 21st of May to the 23rd. Early bird rates end Friday April 4th. Use the code 2025 ACA.
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Carr McLean Discount Available for 2025
The Carr McLean
10% discount is available for both Individual and Institutional ACA
members for the entire membership year. This discount can be applied to
any order over $100 and is non-transferable. Contact the ACA Secretariat at executive.director(at)archivists.ca for the new discount code that will remain effective until December 31, 2025.
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Conference Planning Committee
The Conference Planning Committee needs volunteers! Are you interested in the long-term planning of the ACA’s conferences and assisting the Program and Host Teams’ work? For more information, please contact Max Otte, CPC Chair, at conference.planning(at)archivists.ca.
Chair Positions Open for ACA Special Interest Sections
We are currently seeking passionate and dedicated volunteers to chair two of our Special Interest Sections: Government Records (G.R.S.I.S.) and Environment Special Interest Section (E.S.I.S.).
As a Chair, you will play a key role in leading discussions, organizing events, and advocating for best practices within your section. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact, collaborate with fellow archivists, and contribute to the advancement of our profession.
If you are interested in volunteering for one of these important roles, please contact John Richan at DAL1(at)archivists.ca with a brief statement of your interest and experience.
ACA Financial Review Committee (FRC)
The ACA’s Financial Review Committee (FRC) is looking for volunteers for a two-year term. The FRC is responsible for reviewing financial policy, budgets, and safeguarding the financial assets of the Association. These positions are open to all members. If you're a financial whiz, or hoping to hone your budgeting chops, we're happy to have you join us!
If you have questions, please contact Kyle Pugh at treasurer(at)archivists.ca. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up using the Volunteer Form. Please note, all volunteers with the ACA are required to abide by the ACA's Volunteer Code of Conduct.
ACA Governance Committee
The Governance Committee needs volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up using the Volunteer Form. If you have any questions, please contact Shamin Malmas at shamin_malmas(at)sfu.ca.
Emerging Professionals and Student Special Interest Section
Are you a student in an archives-related program or new to the profession? Do you have an interest in growing your professional network and engaging in a supportive environment? Join our team in re-establishing the Emerging Professionals and Student Special Interest Section. We are currently looking for ACA members to help develop and implement the Special Interest Section in its earliest stages. Students and emerging professionals are integral to the ACA and the broader archival community, and this is a great opportunity for you to assist in creating a supportive space.
For more information or to express your interest, contact Carolyn Smith at Carolyn.Smith(at)dal.ca. We look forward to bringing back this Special Interest Section in the 2025/2026 year!
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In the Field: The ACA Blog
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In Case You Missed It:
“Preserving South Asian Canadian Heritage: The South Asian Canadian Digital Archive” by Thamilini Jothilingam, Digital Asset Archivist at the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of Fraser Valley.
In the Field is currently preparing to launch new initiatives in 2025 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ACA. Stay tuned for more information about ways you can get involved in engaging with the history of archives in Canada!
If you’d like to submit a blog post, please read and complete this form. We look forward to your contribution!
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All proceeds raised through the ACAF store go towards advancing education by providing publicly available scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to post-secondary students, graduates and professionals to be used for training in the fields of archival science, record-keeping and information management. Support the Foundation with this very stylish swag! Visit the ACAF store here for these items and more! Available for pick-up at the ACA conference.
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15 oz ceramic mug "Archives are the gift of one generation to another." $15 + tax and shipping
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Combination package - all the swag
18 oz double wall vacuum tumbler; 15 oz ceramic mug; recycled cotton tote bag; and bamboo case sticky notes!
$75 + tax and shipping
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SAA – Archivists of Religious Collections section
Join the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Archivists of Religious Collections Section for a “Lunch and Learn: Introduction to ArchivesSpace” with Meaghan O'Riordan of the Moravian Archives.
The webinar will take place at 12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET on April 9, 2025. You can register here. Note that the webinar will be recorded.
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Practicing NAAB Appraiser (PNA) Masterclass
Reminder that the National Archival Appraisal Board (NAAB) & Canadian Council of Archives are offering HYBRID training in the monetary appraisal of archives. The upcoming “Practicing NAAB Appraiser (PNA)” Masterclass session, hosted by the University of Victoria Archives, will be taught by Joanna Aiton Kerr, Vice-Chair of the NAAB Board of Directors and Provincial Archivist of New Brunswick, and Simon Rogers, archivist and Chair of the NAAB Board of Directors. Participants will be able to attend both in-person and remotely. The “Practicing NAAB Appraiser (PNA)” Masterclass will run on April 28, 29, 30, and May 1 from 9:00 am- 3:00 pm PT / 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm ET. Registration deadline is April 21, 2025. This Masterclass offers participants increased understanding of monetary appraisal processes and supervised opportunities to improve their skill in undertaking effective archival monetary appraisals. On the final day of training, participants will inspect archival material for their summative assignment, performing a monetary appraisal and writing a report due on May 15, 2025. Upon successful completion of the assignment, participants will become eligible for designation as a Practicing NAAB Appraiser. To participate, you should be a mid- to late-career or retired archivist, historian, librarian, museum curator, specialized dealer or other heritage professional and meet the minimum requirements as outlined on the registration page. The Victoria session will be delivered in English only. For additional information, click here. Otherwise, you can register here.
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Congratulations, Shelley Sweeney! We extend our congratulations to Shelley Sweeney, who recently received a King Charles III Coronation Medal from MP Ben Carr. The medal was established to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada through outstanding community service. Her work with the establishment of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and expanding collecting at the University of Manitoba to community and marginalized groups, among other activities, was recognized at the ceremony on March 3, 2025.
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Les archives religieuses avec M. Richard Lougheed, archiviste aux Archives de la Société d’histoire du protestantisme franco-québécois Les archives religieuses sont un patrimoine encore méconnu, dont la richesse est fréquemment sous-estimée. En lançant ce cycle de conférences, nous souhaitons palier à cette situation et faire découvrir le patrimoine des archives religieuses ainsi que son domaine associé. Dans le cadre de ce cycle, différents archivistes dont le travail porte sur les archives religieuses seront amenés à présenter notamment leur parcours, leur travail au quotidien et ses enjeux, ainsi que leur centre d'archives, incluant ses principaux fonds et leur importance respective. Notre quatrième invité, M. Richard Lougheed, archiviste aux Archives de la Société d'histoire du protestantisme franco-québécois, interviendra le mardi 15 avril à 19h-21h ET / 16h-18h PT, en ligne, sur Microsoft Teams. Vous pouvez vous inscrire ici.
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Religious Archives with Richard Lougheed, Archivist of the Archives de la Société d’Histoire du Protestantisme Franco-Québécois Religious archives are an underused heritage whose riches are often underestimated. In this series of lectures, we hope to raise awareness and help people discover the heritage of religious archives and their associated fields. In this series, different archivists whose work focuses on religious archives are invited to talk about their careers, their day-to-day work and issues they face, as well as their archive centres – including their main collections and their respective importance. Richard Lougheed of the Archives de la Société d’Histoire du Protestantisme Franco-Québécois is our fourth guest and will be giving his presentation virtually on Microsoft Teams on April 15, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm PT. You can register here.
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Call for Papers - Tábula Journal Wars, armed conflicts, immigration and wild borders, climatic and natural disasters. The media reports on these contingencies often present apocalyptic facts and images with speculation about their repercussions in geopolitics.Through a close examination of news sources, traces of those who have suffered can be found even when overshadowed by more tempting journalistic targets – by looking through the photographs, oral testimonies, and other firsthand records accompanying them. Public sentiment often veers toward libraries and books when thinking about the cultural losses brought about by destruction, abandonment, or acts of hatred and violence against spaces of institutional knowledge. But the greatest threat to a community’s ability to rebuild can be the disappearance of records, the destruction of archives, and the legacies around identity, rights, and property that they protect. For its 28th issue, Tabula is calling for original papers on the following topics: - Documentation of human conflicts: wars, armed conflicts, immigration, wild frontiers;
- The media in conflicts;
- The elimination of documentation during conflicts;
- Documentation of climatic and natural disasters;
- Documentation of climate change;
- Archival planning in the face of human and natural disasters;
- Disaster recovery in archives;
- The role of digitalisation in emergency and disaster management;
- Essential institutional records;
- Vital personal and collective records;
- Oral and photographic memory of disasters;
- The protection of documentary collections;
- Essential records for surviving disasters;
- Violence against records and archives;
- Violence against the truth: disinformation;
- Documenting without papers: the records of othering; and
- What papers? Papers for what? Records as a form of exclusion.
View the Tabula publication rules and full Call for Papers here. Papers must be submitted through the online submission system before July 31, 2025.
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Australian Society of Archivists – Conference Call for Contributions
The ASA conference committee is pleased to announce that the call for contributions is now open for the Australian Society of Archivists 2025 Conference Telling Our Stories: Community, Connection, Resilience, to be held in Warrane/Warrang/Sydney from November 10-12, 2025.
The conference aims to bring together a wide range of perspectives and stories on the archival profession and practice by showcasing what archives mean to communities, institutions and individuals. It is also a space to explore where archives have been, are, and want to develop as a sector.
The purpose of archives is often explained as being for the benefit of societal memory – but what has been the societal impact of archives and archival practice over the past 50 years? How is this changing over time? How should it be changing?
ASA welcomes a wide range of presentation formats including papers & posters, lightning talks, project show-and-tell, panels, interactive sessions, workshops and more.
The full call for contributions can be viewed here.
Submission deadlines are as follows:
AEST: 9:00 am on Monday, April 28, 2025
AWST: 7:00 am on Monday, April 28,2025
ACDT: 8:30 am on Monday, April 28, 2025
NZDT: 11:00 am on Monday, April 28, 2025
CANADA: 7:00 pm on April 27, 2025 ET / 4:00 pm on April 27, 2025 PT
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Submit your job opportunity here and it will be posted to the ACA website. We will also share this opportunity on our social media channels.
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Contract Archivist, Gwich’in Tribal Council – Culture and Heritage Department, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Deadline: Until position is filled
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Do you have news you’d like the ACA to share via its social media channels? The Communications Committee has created a form you can use to give us the details!
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The next issue of Scope & Content will come out on
Thursday, May 1, 2025. See you then!
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Contact Us
Suite 1912-130 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Tel: 613-383-2009
Email: aca@archivists.ca
www.archivists.ca
The ACA office is located on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
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