AAO News

a. Archives Awareness Week will be April 3 to April 6, 2023 - “Step into your community”

This year’s Archives Awareness Week (AAW) will be held from April 3- 6, 2023! The theme this year, “Step into your community”, will be a warmup for the upcoming conference! We encourage everyone participating in Archives Awareness Week to use the #2023AAW hashtag. 

The AAO will be hosting a Twitter Takeover event. On Monday, April 3, 2023, guest archivists will take over the AAO Twitter account, @AAO_tweet, to answer your questions and comments related to work in the archives. Stay tuned from 10-12 on Monday!

Our featured Instagram vignettes will be released on Thursday, April 6, 2023. Follow @archives.assoc.ontario on Instagram to watch!

Check out the Archives Awareness Week page for more information. 

Speaking of #2023AAW, the Newcastle Village and District Historical Society will be offering What's beyond our front door? on Tuesday, April 4th - 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is a free event for all ages. Refreshments will be provided. Discover The Secrets of the Historical Society!

b. AAO East/est Chapter hosting its Annual General Meeting on April 20th

AAOe Chapter President Claire Sutton shared the following information about their upcoming Annual General Meeting. 

Dear AAO members,

On behalf of the Executive, I'd like to welcome you to attend the AAO East/est Chapter’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 20, 2023 when we will be electing the Executive for the 2023-2024 term. The AGM will be held in-person for the first time since 2019, at Carleton University’s Archives and Special Collections, MacOdrum Library. A tour will be provided following the meeting by archivists Chris Trainor and Shannon Hodges (Corporate Records). Pizza and refreshments will be offered! 

We are currently seeking members to join the AAOEe Executive. By contributing just a few hours each month, you’ll ensure that we represent and bring engaging programming to our community. It’s also a great way to network and stay connected.

The following positions are open and are one-year terms:

• President
• Vice-President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Member-at-Large (no limit to number of these positions)

We welcome any AAO member in good standing to put their name forward for a position. For more information, to put your name forward, or to nominate another member, please contact us at aaoeast@gmail.com. A description of the open positions is available. 

The call for nominations is open until Thursday, April 13, 2023. At the AGM, calls for nominations will be made from the floor.

Looking forward to seeing you there and to working with you.

Sincerely, 

Claire Sutton

President, AAOEe Chapter

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Carleton University (Parking Lot P1, near MacOdrum Library)

Register: RSVP to aaoeast@gmail.com  (location details to be sent as follow-up by email)

c. AAO Board of Directors 2023 Nomination Process

Nominations are currently being accepted for five (5) positions on the AAO Board of Directors. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held virtually on May 12, 2023, during the AAO 2023 conference.

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Read the 2023 Nomination Process for more information on each of the positions, including duties and responsibilities.

Nominations are being accepted two ways this year. You can either complete the online form or submit the nomination form via email to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca using the subject line "Nominations 2023", and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee. 

Nominations must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 3, 2023.

d. AAO’s 2023 Conference Details Released! 

Registration for the 2023 virtual conference of the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is now open! The theme of the conference is Archives Rx: Healthy Collections and Communities. The conference will be held from May 10-12, 2023 using the Whova conference platform.

Reduced rates are available to members of the AAO. See the draft conference agenda for details on the conference program.

Included in Registration:

• Keynote by Wendy Duff, Professor and Dean in the U of T Faculty of Information;
• Access to presentations by 20 speakers;
• Meet & Greets with AAO’s many committees and chapters;
• Activities focusing on health and wellness organized by the Local Arrangement Committee;
• Safe spaces for records professionals;
• And more!

Stay tuned for more details to come on the Professional Development Committee Conference workshop! Registration for the workshop is separate.

Please be advised that this event is governed by the AAO’s Code of Conduct. If you have any questions, contact aao@aao-archivists.ca.

e. AAO’s Professional Development Committee presents "Introduction to Access and Privacy Legislation in Ontario"

This two-day workshop provides an overview of the major access and privacy laws that apply to archives in Ontario and examines in practical terms how they impact archival institutions and archivists. Three Ontario Acts will be addressed in detail:

1. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)

2. Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA)

3. Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)

There will also be a brief examination of how the Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) affects the operations of some archives.

Through a mixture of interactive lectures, small group discussion, and case studies, participants will learn the basics of each piece of legislation, including how to “translate” formal legal provisions into actual policies, procedures, and practices for archival institutions and individual archivists. Teaching points will include understanding how and to what each Act applies, what constitutes a record and how to identify and respond to freedom of information requests, what exemptions apply to the general right of access, what constitutes personal information, how the right to privacy includes access to one’s own information, the special provisions affecting personal health information, and the penalties that exist for non-compliance. Throughout the workshop the emphasis will be on understanding how these laws apply in an archival setting and how they impact archival functions.

When:

Day 1 : April 13, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST.

Day 2 : April 14, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST.

Where: Archives of Ontario, George Spragge Classroom

Cost:

$300 (AAO members) 

$200 (AAO student members) 

$480  (non-members)

Instructor: Robin Keirstead, University Archivist Emeritus from Western University

Register now.

f. Nominations for the 2023 AAO Awards are now OPEN!

Nominations are being accepted for the Alexander Fraser Award, the James J. Talman Award, the AAO Emerging Leaders Award, the Corporate Award & the Institutional Award. Due April 7, 2023. Visit the Awards page for more information. 

g. Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary are OPEN!

The 2023 AAO annual conference, with the theme "Archives Rx: Healthy Collections and Communities", will be held virtually from May 10-12, 2023. 

Up to $650 in funding for complimentary registrations is available through the Shirley Spragge Fund for students, new professionals, and archivists in financial need. Successful applicants who are not currently AAO members can receive complimentary 1-year memberships courtesy of the Association.

To qualify for the bursary, you must be an Ontario resident, and be either:

• A student enrolled in a recognized archival program (must submit proof of enrollment), or

• A recent (1-3 years) graduate of a recognized archival program (must submit proof of program completion), or

• A practicing or volunteer archivist in financial need (must submit proof of employment or volunteering).

In order to make the conference as accessible and as inclusive as possible, it is no longer a requirement that applicants be AAO members and applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Colour will be prioritized. This year, multiple bursaries will be awarded. 

Interested applicants are required to fill in the bursary application available on the AAO website and demonstrate financial need, an interest in archives education and/or professional development, and confirmed intent to participate in the annual AAO conference. 

For more information and to submit your application, visit the Shirley Spragge Bursary Page on the AAO website. 

Applications are due on April 17, 2023.