Save the date: IDC’s Institutional Issues Symposium (online)
Good Morning Everyone,
Please join us on Thursday, October 22nd for the IDC’s annual Institutional Issues Symposium.
It is no secret that this year has been unprecedented for archives and archivists across the province. The timing of this year’s symposium should provide us with a unique opportunity for an open and wide-ranging conversation about our experiences during COVID-19. There is a lot for us to share and explore with questions ranging from “how did we do?” to “how are we doing?” and the fundamental question of what this experience means for the future of our profession.
In addition, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others have magnified conversations related to policy brutality, abuse and discrimination against Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). Their deaths have also brought into focus the far-reaching nature of inequality in all facets of society, including the archival profession. This year’s symposium will also provide time for participants to unpack the AAO’s anti-racism statement and to start looking constructively at what we, as a profession, can do to activate it in our day to day work.
This year’s symposium will be held exclusively online. Although we have enjoyed the in-person meetings at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto over the last few years, we hope that the move online will open up the dialogue to participation by members from all areas of the province.
Save the date for the now, but stay tuned for more information.
Institutional Members’ Symposium - Agenda
Hosted by the AAO Institutional Development Committee
October 22, 2020 9:45 – 3:15
Wherever you are! Zoom
9:45 – 10:00 - Welcome, introductions, protocols for online discussion, etc.
Archives in the time of COVID-19 - Moderator: Iona McCraith
10:00-10:40 – Exploring the past – Being a general discussion about what the last few months have meant for AAO institutions, what challenges we have identified, what challenges we have met, etc.
10:40-11:20 – Reflecting on the present – How many of us have returned to a physical work place? What has that meant for various institutions? What does that look like and what lessons can you share with those who are still working from home?
11:20-12:00 – Looking to the future – What have we learned about the archivist of the future? How have the needs of the profession changed and are we equipped to take them on directly? Finally, how can the IDC and the AAO support new and emerging needs?
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
Anti-racism in the context of archives - Moderator: Sean Smith
1:00 - 1:30 Unpacking the AAO’s Anti-Racism Statement – Where it came from, what it is intended to achieve, etc. (Jennifer Grant, AAO President)
1:30-2:15 Community engagement / community activism - What are archives doing to reach out to new and underrepresented communities (Stefanie Martin, archivist, community organizer)
2:15-3:00 “Archiving Hate: Racist Materials in Archives” (Melissa J. Nelson, author, archivist)
Archival description and other problematic practices – Which archival practices need to change in order to facilitate new voices, new approaches?
3:00-3:15 Final thoughts, questions, reflections
