I was born and raised in the Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes area, and I am currently living in Waterloo. I hold an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History from Trent University (2019), and recently completed my Master of Information from the University of Toronto (2021). While at school, I worked at the Trent University Library & Archives, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry library, and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library archives. I’m currently working as an Archivist Assistant at the Wellington County Museum and Archives. In my spare time I can usually be found reading in coffee shops, or attending the symphony (COVID permitting, of course!).

2. Why did you choose to pursue a career in the archival profession?

I first got into library/archives work just to pay the bills during my undergrad, but I soon found it to be immensely enjoyable work, and in my fourth year decided it was what I wanted to do! I initially planned on becoming a librarian, but I spent a year working under Jodi Aoki at the Trent University Archives, and enjoyed it so much that I shifted to archival work.

There’s something extremely gratifying about connecting people with the records and information that they’re looking for, and watching them become more confident in their own abilities to track materials down. This is especially true in archives, where finding aids are tricky for new researchers. Additionally, the Canadian archival community is such a small, close-knit group of people who are incredibly welcoming and encouraging to students and young professionals, and it was something I wanted to be a part of!

3. When and why did you first join the AAO?

I am a relative newcomer to the AAO, and only joined back in September or October when I was added to my institution’s membership. I was excited to join because of the resources and professional development opportunities the AAO offers, and for the interest groups that you can join. I am hoping to get more involved in the future, and I am looking forward to this year’s conference!

4. What aspect of archival work interests you the most?

That is an extremely difficult thing to pin down, but I would have to say the research that comes with processing records. Often when working on a new collection I do not know much on the subject they are documenting, whether it is a certain organization, an industry, or geographic location. There is a lot of background research required to ensure that your description does the records justice, and sometimes you just have to sit down and read an organizational history to understand what you are working with.

5. What do you think is the most pressing issue facing archivists today? 

 I think the most pressing issue right now is funding. Archives often had to fight for funding before COVID came around, but now more budgets are being frozen or cut, which makes it impossible for archives to hire new staff to tackle backlog, buy server space for digital/digitized records, or work on projects to highlight their collections.