James J.
Talman was the second Archivist of Ontario, serving from 1935 to 1939. He
subsequently served as Chief Librarian for the University of Western Ontario
until 1969. Talman was appreciated for his gentle manner and intellectual
approach, and was admired for his prolific publications, some of which include Basic Documents in Canadian History (1959), Huron College,
1863–1963 (1963) and The Journal of Major John Norton, 1816 (1970).The James J. Talman Award
is given to individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding level of
imagination and innovation in contributing to the profession, their
institution, or the archival community, or who have challenged
conventional thinking about archival work.
