Archives Association of Ontario AAO News

Archives Awareness Week 2026 is here!

Olivia White — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario has designated April 7-10, 2026 as Archives Awareness Week (AAW) with the theme "Archives Activism: Advocating for Archives Survival."

As our province and our country faces tough financial times and a shift towards austerity, there is an increasing need to show the vital role that archives play in preserving our history and protecting democracy. Now is the time to collectively raise our voices and advocate for archives. This week is your opportunity to celebrate the creative ways you speak up and out for your repository and for archives in general.

We received a record-breaking 12 submissions this year! Stories will be added throughout the week, check back every day of Archives Awareness Week to read them all: https://aao-archivists.ca/2026-Story-submissions.

Volunteer with the Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG)

Olivia White — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Toronto Area Archivists' Group is looking for new members to join our board. TAAG is the Toronto chapter of the Archives Association of Ontario. We are volunteer run and regularly organize tours, workshops, and social events for archival professionals to learn from each other. Our Annual General Meeting will be held in person on Friday April 17 at 6pm. Members of AAO and those interested in joining are encouraged to sign up via our Eventbrite page.

We will be voting for new executives at our AGM. This is a great opportunity to join the archival community in Toronto. TAAG executives meet virtually about 6 times a year to plan events. Joining TAAG is a low barrier way to meet fellow archival professionals and plan professional events you are interested in. We are currently looking to fill the following positions for the upcoming 2026/2027 year. Please note that positions are usually held for a 2 year term.

President
The President provides leadership to the Chapter, and acts as the spokesperson for the Chapter to the AAO Board and other groups, as well as representing the Chapter at events such as the University of Toronto iSchool Convocation Reception. The President also schedules and chairs meetings, coordinates Chapter planning and resources, and ensures that the Chapter meets its responsibilities e.g. reporting to Chapter membership and the AAO Board.

Vice-President
The Vice-President performs the duties of the President in their absence and provides support with planning Chapter professional development and social events. The Vice-President is encouraged to stand for President after their term as Vice-President.

Member-at-Large

The Member at Large position is a flexible position that provides extra resources and assistance to the Executive. They may take on specific tasks, such as managing the Chapter’s social media presence, or help on projects such as coordinating workshops or other Chapter events. There is no limit on the number of Member-at-Large positions.

If any of these roles are of interest to you, please reach out to taag.chapter@gmail.com. Please also reach out if you would like further information about TAAG, the positions, or the AGM.

Best wishes

Elizabeth Carroll

TAAG President

Archives Awareness Week 2026: Submit Your Stories of Resistance and Advocacy! DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 2!

Olivia White — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario has designated April 7th to 10th as Archives Awareness Week!

As our province and our country faces tough financial times and a shift towards austerity, there is an increasing need to show the vital role that archives play in preserving our history and protecting democracy. Now is the time to collectively raise our voices and advocate for archives. Therefore, our theme for 2026 is: “Archives Activism: Advocating for Archives Survival.” This week is your opportunity to celebrate the creative ways you speak up and out for your repository and for archives in general.

Share your story of resistance and advocacy! Your submissions can be personal stories about your work as an archivist, descriptions of advocacy initiatives within your organization, or brief highlights of archival fonds related to activism.

No submission is too short or too long - archives have always been political and now, more than ever, we need to engage with activism in our professional practice.

Stories will be collected and posted to the AAO's 2026 Archives Awareness Week page to celebrate archives activism during 2026's Archives Awareness Week. Images will also be compiled and shared on our social media accounts throughout the week!

We kindly ask that stories be submitted by Thursday, April 2, 2026 by filling out this form. The form collects your email as the point of contact for posting your story to the AAO website. If you are not the point of contact for your story, please include the relevant email.

If you have any issues using the form to submit you can email your submission to the Communications and Advocacy Committee Chair at communications@aao-archivists.ca. If submitting via email, together with your submission please include your name and/or name of your institution, a title, any image captions and alt-text, any citations or resources, and indicate if we have your permission to post the images you provide onto our social media pages.

Reach out to the Communications and Advocacy Committee Chair with any questions at communications@aao-archivists.ca.

Applications for Shirley Spragge Bursary are now Open! Due March 25, 2026.

Olivia White — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:27:25 GMT

Archival students, recent graduates, and archivists in financial need who wish to attend the 2026 AAO Conference in Toronto are encouraged to apply for the Shirley Spragge Bursary.

Up to $700 will be provided to cover conference registration fees and travel expenses for this year’s conference, which is being held in person at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, 6-8 May.

Applications are due March 25th.

More details on the bursary and information on how to apply can be found at https://aao-archivists.ca/shirley-spragge-bursary

Rodney Carter,
Chair
AAO Awards Committee

AAO 2026 Conference - Registration Now Open! Early bird pricing for Members until March 31, 2026.

Olivia White — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:07:50 GMT

Registration is now OPEN for the 2026 AAO Conference on Object Lessons: Continuing Care for the Physical in a Digital World! Join us this spring from May 6-8 at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto.

This return to a physical space invites us to reflect on the heart of the archival tradition: the stewardship of physical objects for the long term in an increasingly digital society. This conference will explore the enduring importance, practical challenges, and profound joys of caring for physical collections.

AAO Members have access to Early Bird pricing until March 31, 2026.

Secure your spot today for:

- The Conference

- Pre-Conference Workshops

- Conference Events

- Safe Spaces Sessions

Having trouble with registration? Contact us at aao@aao-archivists.ca.

Be sure to check out the Program-at-a-Glance on our website to see the exciting lineup of speakers and events waiting for you at the 2026 AAO Conference!

Nominations for the AAO 2026 Awards are open until March 13, 2026!

Olivia White — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:19:04 GMT

Nominations for the AAO 2026 Awards are now OPEN!

In order to nominate someone for one of the awards, please review the nomination criteria and procedures before completing and submitting the nomination form. The form, which should be used for all five awards, along with the criteria and procedures can be found on the AAO's Awards page: https://aao-archivists.ca/awards.

An AAO member in good standing must sign the nomination form. It must be accompanied by a narrative (maximum one thousand words) explaining the reasons for the nomination. Additional documentation—including résumé, clippings, publications, etc.—is strongly encouraged but not required. An electronic version of the nomination package must be received by the chair prior to the deadline, with original documentation mailed upon request.

Nominations are being accepted for the following awards:

- Alexander Fraser Award
- James J. Talman Award
- AAO Emerging Leader Award
- AAO Corporate Award
- AAO Institutional Award

Nominations should be submitted to the chair of the Awards Committee, Rodney Carter, via email at awards@aao-archivists.ca by March 13, 2026.

Winter 2026 Issue of Off the Record Now Available!

Simon Vickers — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:24:12 GMT

Hello AAO,

Please take a break from shoveling snow find a cozy place to sit and peruse our newest issue of Off the Record!

Members can access the issue here.

First off, welcome to guest editor Jocelyn Oprzedek, who will be replacing Simon Vickers as co-editor following the Spring 2026 issue. Off the Record is in good hands!

The excellent submissions have continued to flow in over the past months, with several articles connecting how archiving the past shapes our present and future. Both Elsbeth Brown and Corey Orszak reflect on the relationship between activism and archives, though from vastly different contexts with Orszak sorting through CUPE 3903's mountain of records and Brown foregrounding ephemeral histories of the 1998 Pussy Palace raids. Stephanie Martin and Syriah Bailey in turn reflect on their efforts to open the Arquives to more Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (QTBIPOC) engagement through their series of Archiving Our Stories workshops designed to share archival knowledge and practice. Maddy Bognar then goes into detail about processing a fascinatingly unique (and somewhat challenging) collection of student publications from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University. Finally, our student spotlight section features Avory Capes, a recent graduate from University of Toronto's Masters of Museum Studies program.

See you in the Spring

Happy reading!

Isobel, Jocelyn, and Simon

Nominations for 2026 AAO Board of Directors Now Open

Olivia White — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 01:30:00 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario is looking for archivists who want to make a difference and contribute to the archival community in Ontario. Volunteering on the AAO Board offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and apply their existing knowledge and skill set to strategically focus on setting the overall direction of the AAO through updates to the constitution, policy and procedural development as well as budget planning and helping guide the various AAO committees, chapters and special interest groups.

Below is a list of all available Board positions that will be elected at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 8 2026, during the 2026 AAO conference. For detailed descriptions of each position, please see the Board of Director's webpage.

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2026 - May 2029)
- 5-10 hours a week / 20-40 hours a month
Director Without Portfolio (2 positions): Two-year term (May 2026 - May 2028)
- 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month
Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder: One-year term (May 2026 - May 2027)
- 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month
Chair, Institutional Development Committee (IDC): Two-year term (May 2026 - May 2028)
- 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month

To learn more, please register to attend a 30 minute Zoom online drop-in information session on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 12:00pm - 12:30pm by contacting the AAO office, aao@aao-archivists.ca.

Nominations can be submitted by downloading and sending the nomination form along with a short bio, via email, to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca using the subject line "Nominations 2026", and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee. Nominations must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Thursday, April, 9, 2026.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Shelley Respondek, President president@aao-archivists.ca
Christopher Hogendoorn, Director Without Portfolio director2@aao-archivists.ca
Holly Barclay, Vice President/President Elect vp@aao-archivists.ca

Sincerely,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

Call for Student Papers: AAO 2026 Annual Conference

Olivia White — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:02:03 GMT

Are you a student enrolled in a post-secondary archival or related programme? Please consider presenting about your research, projects, or experience at a special students session at the Archives Association of Ontario's 2026 Annual Conference.

The Conference will be held at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto from May 6-8, 2026.

We invite you to send in your proposal related to the conference theme "Object Lessons: Continuing Care for the Physical in a Digital World." The planned student paper session will be in a traditional format, with individual speakers each presenting a short paper. Proposals for presentations in different formats can be made under the main Call for Papers (due January 23, 2026). We especially welcome and encourage papers by and from students who identify as part of equity-deserving communities, and those associated with under-represented institutions or collections.

Visit our Conference page for the full Call for Student Papers.

The deadline for student papers will be February 13, 2026.

Questions? Please contact the Conference Committee at conference@aao-archivists.ca

Call for Papers Extended: AAO 2026 Annual Conference

Olivia White — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:51:29 GMT

Please note that the deadline for the Call for Papers for the AAO's upcoming conference, "Object Lessons," has been extended. Proposals will be accepted until January 23, 2026.

Visit the Conference page for the full Call for Papers.

AAO Archeion Coordinator News

Olivia White — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:45:05 GMT

On behalf of the AAO Board of Directors I am pleased to share the news that Connor White will join the AAO as part-time Archeion Coordinator after January 12, 2026.

Connor White is a digital archivist at the Centre de recherche sur les francophonies canadiennes (CRCCF) at the University of Ottawa. He holds a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Information in Archives and Records Management from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on marginalized and dispossessed communities, examining how their histories are preserved, interpreted, and integrated into contemporary academic discourse. He also specializes in inclusive, user-centred database design for archives and other records management systems.

As previously announced in the AAO’s 2024-2025 Annual Report, Kelli is cycling off as Archeion Coordinator. She will continue being involved with Archeion and the AAO as a volunteer with the AAO’s Digital Access and Preservation Committee.

Connor and Kelli are working together to make this change seamless for all Archeion institutions and AAO members. If you need any Archeion support, as always, please contact archeion@aao-archivists.ca.

Best,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Seasons Greetings and Office Closure

Olivia White — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:00:00 GMT

On behalf of the AAO Board of Directors and Secretariat, I would like to wish everyone a restful and healthy holiday season.

The AAO office will be closed for the holidays from December 22th, 2025 to January 4th, 2026 inclusive, reopening on January 5th.

Wishing you all the best,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

president@aao-archivists.ca

2025-2026 Call for Volunteers - Advancement, CAC and DEI Committees

Olivia White — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:25:27 GMT

2025-2026 Call for Volunteers - Advancement, CAC and DEI Committees

Do you want to get involved with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)? Are you a new or experienced professional looking to meet fellow archivists and contribute to the field?

If so, you’re in luck! The AAO is looking for individuals to help support our mandate of furthering the education of Ontario’s records and information professionals and advocating for the interests of the province’s community of archives, heritage organizations, and records institutions.

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

Chair/Co-chair of the Advancement Committee
Chair/Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI)
Committee members for the Advancement Committee
Committee members for the Communications and Advocacy Committee (CAC)
Committee members for the DEI committee

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the AAO website.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to AAO Director, Christopher Hogendoorn, director2@aao-archivists.ca by December 12, 2025.

Fall 2025 Issue Now Available!

Simon Vickers — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:30:21 GMT

Hello AAO,

We are well into what has already been an eventful Fall (shout out Blue Jays)! Please cozy up and enjoy the record-breaking number of Off the Record submissions we received this season.

Members can access the issue here.

This issue will hopefully motivate you to spring into action and get engaged in your communities! The issue starts with a challenge from Jean Dryden to update the lyrics to a song that celebrates our archival labour. Ashton Osmak from the Archives of Ontario writes about the new AO's ambitious new website. Angela Bell and Julie Daechsel each introduce and contextualize two fascinating exhibits, one on Indigenous language revitalization at Trent University and the other on everyday community heroes at Markham Museum. Finally we have two articles that we hope will inspire readers to see the connections between activism and archival work. Michelle A. Hamilton and Mark Hopkins write about resistance to massive anti-heritage measures taken at Halton Heritage Services and the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) and Alexis Shotwell and Gary Kinsman answer questions about archiving activist movements through the AIDS Activist History project.

See you in the Winter

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

Call for Papers: AAO 2026 Annual Conference

Olivia White — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:31:45 GMT

Object Lessons: Continuing Care for the Physical in a Digital World

Dates: 6-8 May 2026

Location: St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is thrilled to invite proposals for its 2026 Annual Conference, our first in-person gathering in years. This return to a physical space invites us to reflect on the heart of the archival tradition: the stewardship of physical objects for the long term in an increasingly digital society.

When access is so often virtually mediated, what is the evolving role of the physical artifact? How do we respond to changing researcher expectations while preserving the unique value and materiality of original, physical records? This conference will explore the enduring importance, practical challenges, and profound joys of caring for physical collections. We seek presentations that offer both critical understanding and practical insights from archives of all sizes and types.

We welcome proposals on topics including, but not limited to:

Changing user or researcher expectations.
The limits of digitization, and confronting the expectation that everything can or should be digitized.
Case studies in physical care: stories of conservation, facilities management, or exhibiting unique physical collections.
Processing and description of hybrid collections.
Transformations in archival workplaces and workspaces.
Supporting real access to and accessibility of physical records.
User responses to the physicality of materials.
The importance of physical preservation in archival traditions and human cultures.

Session Formats:

Your session may take the form of a:

Traditional session – live presentation by a speaker with audience questions to follow; your proposal may be combined with others to create a full session
Discussion panel – brief presentations by each speaker with significant time allotted to questions from the audience
Roundtable or structured conversation – brief presentations followed by an open, planned discussion between speakers
Creative and innovative approach to presenting your material

Submission Guidelines:

We especially welcome and encourage papers by and from information professionals who identify as part of equity-deserving communities. We also welcome proposals from students, new graduates, emerging information professionals, and those associated with under-represented institutions or collections. All who work or volunteer with archival records are invited to submit a proposal.

In the spirit of intellectual honesty, the use of AI tools in preparing a proposal or presentation is allowed, but must be disclosed in your paper proposal and/or in the conference programme.

Proposals for a session or paper should include a brief abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of no more than 100 words for each speaker.

Please indicate if you are submitting a proposal for an entire session, or would like your presentation to be combined with complementary proposals from other speakers. For non-traditional formats, please also indicate the estimated duration of your presentation.

Proposals should be submitted to: Conference Committee at conference@aao-archivists.ca. The preferred format is PDF.

Individual papers should use the subject line format: AAO2026_Paper_Lastname-Firstname. Proposals for a session should select a “point person” and use the subject line format: AAO2026_Session_Lastname-Firstname.

The due date for submissions is January 16, 2026.

On behalf of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee

AAO Job Posting: Archeion Coordinator

Olivia White — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Hiring: Archeion Coordinator

About the Organization

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a volunteer-led organization that supports a network of archives and archivists across Ontario, by providing programs, education, advocacy and shared knowledge. Consisting of more than 300 members, the AAO supports and promotes the work of archivists in preserving the history and culture of Ontario and its citizens. It was established in 1993 as a result of the amalgamation of the Ontario Association of Archivists and the Ontario Council of Archives.

Position Overview

The AAO is seeking an enthusiastic and engaged Independent Contractor and archival professional to be the next Archeion Coordinator and lead the growth and continued maintenance of Archeion (www.archeion.ca), Ontario’s archival information network.

For researchers and the public, Archeion brings together information about archival records cared for by archives organizations across Ontario.

For AAO institutional members, Archeion is a cost-effective shared archival descriptions database (AtoM) that can be used by archives and memory institutions across Ontario to promote their institution and the records they care for. Read more about Archeion on its FAQ page.

The Archeion Coordinator is a community leader within the Ontario archival community. This contractor role supports Archeion institutional members but it also provides training and support to the AAO community as a whole.

Position Duties

Reporting to the AAO Board of Directors and working closely with the Digital Access and Preservation Committee, the Archeion Coordinator will lead the ongoing development of Archeion on the AtoM platform as an online, multi-level, Rules for Archival Description (RAD) compliant provincial catalogue of archival holdings by delivering the following products and services:

Develops an annual plan for the Archeion service, based on membership needs, for approval by the AAO Board of Directors;
Prepares written articles, listserv reminders, presentations etc., that promote the benefits of Archeion to members of the public and the archivists who serve them;
Responds to queries submitted to the Archeion email in a timely manner;
In conjunction with the AAO Secretariat, updates Archeion user accounts annually based on the AAO membership database;
Conducts outreach to offer Archeion services to new AAO institutional members;
Supports participating Archeion institutions with use of the AtoM platform, including maintaining the “Getting Started” Archeion slide deck for up-to-date best practices in using AtoM;
Provides remote services and workshops as-needed for Archeion contributors on descriptive standards and AtoM software and in consultation with the Professional Development Committee
Maintains the Archeion Google Analytics property and provides data upon request to participating Archeion institutions;
Assists Archeion contributors with preparation and submission of their descriptions and authority records;
Assists Archeion contributors with the bulk uploading of records;
Reviews submissions from participating archival institutions and ensuring that they are consistent with Archeion’s standards;
Maintains the consistency of the authority files and taxonomies on the Archeion site;
Records all activities undertaken and prepares regular status reports, including Archeion usage statistics;
Acts as the AAO Liaison with Artifactual, for AtoM platform upgrades and technical issues;
In conjunction with the AAO Secretariat, oversee all other technical aspects of the Archeion website;
Writes monthly reports and attends Board meetings as required.

As an Independent Contractor, the Archeion Coordinator is expected to perform their duties under the contract on a part-time basis, up to 37.5 hours per month, starting January 5, 2026. The annual renewal of this contract is contingent on the annual renewal of funding.

Remuneration for the services of the Archeion Coordinator contractor will be at an hourly rate of $42.97, supplemented by a monthly office stipend of $100 for Internet and telephone use.

Qualifications

MLIS or Master’s degree in archival studies or a recognized equivalent or a combination of related education and experience;
Minimum three (3) years' experience in a professional archival capacity;
Experience using archival descriptive standards;
Experience using and managing archival content management systems and databases; with AtoM experience preferred;
Experience and demonstrated proficiency in project management;
Demonstrated computer skills;
Ability to multitask and prioritize;
Experience managing reporting relationships;
Strong interest in advocating for and supporting the Ontario archival community;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
Familiarity with consulting practices;
Experience in grant writing an asset; and
Access to a high-speed Internet connection, computer hardware and an ability to work from home

Asset Qualifications

Fluency in English and French;
Demonstrated involvement in the archival profession;
Knowledge of the AAO; and
Experience with inter-institutional relationships and strong collaboration skills.

How To Apply

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume in a single pdf file to the AAO Office, aao@aao-archivists.ca by 5:00 pm (EST) on November 7, 2025.

Although we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

21st Edition of the MAIGazine

Olivia White — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:39:12 GMT

The 21st edition of the Municipal Archives Interest Group's annual publication, The MAIGazine is here!

Please find a copy of the MAIGazine on MAIG’s homepage where you can also find our previous issues.

Thank you so much to those who contributed articles and news corner pieces this year!

Best,

Jennifer Georgiou

Vice Chair of MAIG

Off the Record Call for Submissions - Fall 2025

Olivia White — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 18:14:28 GMT

Summer has nearly passed us by and so it is time to think about submitting to the Fall 2025 issue of Off the Record!

The submission deadline for this issue is October 24th. Please review the submission requirements, and feel free to send any questions our way!

Please also send us your articles, news, and announcements! Do you have new initiatives or exhibits underway? Are you connected to a local archive or memory project with an interesting history? Do you have a story of how your institution is engaging with local or international communities? Write a short piece for OTR and spread the word! As always, feel free to reach out with questions and ideas for articles.

And a Fall-appropriate cover image would be much appreciated!

Many thanks,

Isobel and Simon

Summer Issue of Off the Record Now Available!

Simon Vickers — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:23:33 GMT

Hello AAO,

Summer has come and nearly gone! Hopefully this new issue of Off the Record can ease your transition back into the busyness of fall archiving. Members can access the issue here.

This slightly shorter issue includes a fascinating interview with 2025 AAO Annual Conference keynote speaker Yvonne Ng from the organization WITNESS. We have also featured an excellent poster presentation by iSchool student Ashley Lanni featuring an overview of research on trauma-informed archival education.

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

Updating the Directory of Municipal Archives in Ontario

Olivia White — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 19:31:32 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is updating the Directory of Municipal Archives in Ontario. This was last updated in 2008. We ask all archives in Ontario that hold municipal records fill out this survey.

CLICK HERE to access the survey.

This survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Once responses have been compiled in the updated Directory, it will be posted as a resource on MAIG's page on the AAO's website. It will also be distributed through the AAO and MAIG List-Servs.

The deadline for responses is Monday, September 15, 2025.

If you have any questions or if you are unsure if this survey applies to your institution, please contact Chair Amber Mandich (amandich@elgin.ca) or Vice-Chair Jennifer Georgiou (jgeorgiou@regionofwaterloo.ca).

We thank you for your time and participation.

Best,

Amber Mandich (MAIG Chair) and Jennifer Georgiou (MAIG Vice-Chair)

Call for 2025 MAIGazine Submissions (DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 15!)

Olivia White — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:30:00 GMT

It's that time of year again, the Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is seeking submissions for our annual publication, the MAIGazine. For our 21^st issue, we are leaving this year’s submissions open ended. Feel free to submit an article, an institutional update, or a photo for our *NEW* photo section!

Here are some suggestions for each:

Articles: Of any length, with or without photos. Articles can be about an interesting donation, a large project you or your institution accomplished, a new website or database migration, interesting interactions or finds with researchers, designing a new exhibit or preparing for a County/Regional celebration…etc.
News Corner: Here we highlight exciting updates, accomplishments or milestones such as grants, new acquisitions, special projects, introducing a new staff member, retirements, reaching a career milestone, or simply celebrating a colleague for their work.
*NEW* Photo Section: Have an interesting photo in our collection that you just don’t know how to share? Share it here with or without a caption! Puzzle us, delight us, or scare us with the photos from your vault!
Cover Photo Submissions: Last but not least, we are seeking photograph submissions to be used on the cover page. We are simply looking to feature images from our community's collections!

If you are interested in contributing to the 2025 edition of the MAIGazine, please send your submissions as a MS word document to Jennifer Georgiou (jgeorgiou@regionofwaterloo.ca) by Friday, August 15 (Deadline Extended from August 1!). If you are including photos with your submission, please send them as JPG scanned at least 300dpi. Feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions about submitting your article.

For information about MAIG, or to view past issues of the MAIGazine, please visit our webpage here: https://aao-archivists.ca/maig

Thank you in advance. We look forward to your submissions!

Best,

Amber Mandich (MAIG Chair) and Jennifer Georgiou (MAIG Vice-Chair)

Call for 2025-2026 AAO Conference Committee Volunteers

Olivia White — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 19:30:00 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) Annual Conference will be held in person at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, between May 6-8, 2026.

The AAO is looking for dedicated volunteers who are interested in serving on the 2025-2026 Conference Committee which is composed of two sub-committees: the Local Arrangements Committee and the Conference Planning Committee.

The Local Arrangements Committee is responsible for the planning and supervising of events that take place in and around the conference. The committee is responsible for:

Venue and corresponding insurance coverage;
catering;
accommodation;
registration information and planning;
conference bags (or other giveaways);
photography;
exhibitors;
post-conference survey;
transportation;
tours;
communications;
extra curricular activities;
Silent auction
Awards banquet planning
tend to the registration desk during the conference
work with Website Administrator for creation of conference website and social media postings

Best suited for volunteers who live within Toronto and the GTA

The Conference Planning Committee

Selects the theme of the 2026 AAO Conference;
oversee planning for the programming of the conference: call for papers, building the agenda;
coordinate room locations for conference sessions;
select moderators and keynote speakers;
provide support for participants alongside AAO office staff during the conference;
tend to the registration desk during the conference
work with Website Administrator for creation of conference website and social media postings

Suited for volunteers from across Ontario

Who we are looking for:

Archivists from across Ontario as well as those individuals who are located within Toronto and the GTA
Experience with planning events and conferences is not required. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to gain experience in conference planning.

If you are interested in joining the 2025-2026 Conference Committee or have any questions about the work involved in organizing the AAO Conference, please contact Shelley Respondek, AAO President, at president@aao-archivists.ca by Friday July 11th, 2025.

Spring 2025 Issue of Off the Record Now Available

Simon Vickers — Wed, 14 May 2025 18:51:25 GMT

Hello AAO,

Spring has sprung and so too has the Spring 2025 issue of Off the Record! Hope you enjoy reading during one of these increasingly warm sunny evenings. Members can access the issue here.

This issue includes an article by Roxy Moon about the Toronto AIDS Memorial Committee as well an excellent piece by new archivist Emmanuelle Vanleeuwen about how to train incoming archivists. Ashton Osmak also contributes an interview with her colleague Hafiz Printer, who coordinates education programming at the Archives of Ontario.

Our student spotlight is with Jocelyn Oprzedek and this issue also features an update from AAO president Shelley Respondek, an Archeion update and an announcement for the AAO 2025 Virtual Conference.

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

Volunteer with MAIG

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:08:48 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is currently accepting nominations for the Secretary-Treasurer position, for a two-year term (2025-2027). Volunteering on the MAIG Executive is an excellent professional development experience, providing an opportunity to develop leadership skills, network with other professionals, and share their knowledge and experiences with other members of Ontario’s municipal archival community. Please see below for more information about this role, and feel free to contact our Executive team if you have any questions.

Secretary-Treasurer, Two-year term (May 2025 - May 2027)

Serve as the official recordkeeper of MAIG by preparing and distributing correspondence, agendas and minutes for all meetings.
Manage MAIG finances, present a financial report to members at the Annual General Meeting, and prepare an annual budget in cooperation with the MAIG Executive.
Optional duties may include assisting with the annual “MAIGazine” newsletter and other special projects as they arise.

To nominate yourself or a colleague, please email Amber Mandich (amandich@elgin.ca) with a brief biography by 5pm on Friday, April 25. The election will be held at MAIG’s virtual Annual General Meeting on May 1, 2025, and nominations will also be accepted from the floor.

MAIG

Volunteer for AAOEe!

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:47:10 GMT

The AAOEe wants you for the Chapter Executive in 2025-2026!

What does the AAOEe do?

The Archives Association of Ontario East/est (AAOEe) Chapter is a volunteer-led organization that represents Eastern Ontario within the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO). The Chapter engages our membership, provides programming, and promotes archives, heritage, and information management through events. We also connect with the AAO Board to support its efforts to advance the broader organization.

Why do we need volunteers?

All the work we undertake requires the energy of an engaged Executive team to bring tours, workshops, speakers, and other events to the Eastern Ontario region.

We are currently looking for new members to join the Executive to help shape the Chapter’s program and develop activities for our membership.

What do we want to do?

We want to build a diverse Executive that reflects our membership. Whether you are new to volunteering, a student, an established archivist, or a member of an allied discipline, all voices are respected. Your contribution of a few hours each month keeps the Chapter alive and connected.

The Executive meets 7-8 times per year and consists of the following roles, all of which are one-year terms that are elected at the Chapter AGM (April 2025). In addition to the responsibilities described below, all members contribute some time to program development and implementation.

For more information on any of the roles below, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact the AAOEe Chapter Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

Which role do you want to fill?

President

The President provides leadership to the Chapter. This includes acting as spokesperson for the Executive, the membership, and stakeholders to the AAO Board and other interested parties. For Executive meetings, work includes scheduling, setting the agenda, and chairing the meetings. The President also ensures that the Chapter is fulfilling its responsibilities to the AAO Board, such as submitting required reports. Note: upon leaving office, the President is asked to stay on the Executive for an additional year in an advisory role as Past-President. Time commitment: 5 hours per month, with additional time required for the AAO Leadership Meeting and AAO Annual General Meeting

Treasurer

The Treasurer looks after the Chapter’s finances. Duties include preparing budgets and financial statements, writing cheques, managing deposits and investments, and reporting on the previous year’s finances at the AAOEe AGM. Time commitment: 3-4 hours per month, with additional time required for the AGM

Secretary

The Secretary is the official recordkeeper for the Chapter. They take minutes of all meetings and distribute documentation to the Executive and the general membership as required. Time commitment: 2 hours per month

Vice-President

The Vice-President performs the duties of the President in their absence and advances the interests of the AAOEe. This often means providing support with planning and program development. The VP is encouraged to stand for President upon completion of the latter’s term. Time commitment: 3 hours per month

Member-at-Large

The Member-at-Large position assists the Executive to build capacity in subject areas that may be pertinent to the broader membership.

For example, the Communications Officer is a portfolio assigned to a Member-at-Large. The Communications Officer updates the AAOEe Facebook page with upcoming events, tours, and workshops. Other social media tools may also be used.

The Member-at-Large may be elected at the AGM with assigned responsibilities, or it may be project based and appointed by the Executive at any point in the year. The role often builds upon the subject expertise of the volunteer. Time commitment: flexible, 2-4 hours per month.

Note: the AAOEe encourages student participation, particularly through the Member-at-Large position. There is no limit on the number of Member-at-Large positions.

AAO Board of Directors Election 2025 Nominations are open

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:39:32 GMT

The AAO is at a critical juncture and needs your help. Next year, AAO will be developing its Strategic Plan for 2026-2030 and doing a Constitutional review and update. If you enjoy planning, developing, and reshaping organizations to better suit user needs, this is the year for you!

Volunteering on the AAO Board offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and apply their existing knowledge and skill set to the service of Ontario’s archival community.

Below is a list of all available Board positions that will be elected at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 8, 2025, during the AAO 2025 conference. For detailed descriptions of each position, please see the bottom section of the Board of Directors page on our AAO website.

Vice-President/President-Elect: Three-year term (May 2025 - May 2028): 5-10 hours a week / 20-40 hours a month

Secretary-Treasurer: Two-year term (May 2025 - May 2027): 2-3 hours a week / 8 - 12 hours a month

Director Without Portfolio (2 positions): One-year term (May 2025 - May 2026): 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month

Web Administrator: Two-year term (May 2025 - May 2027): 5 hours a week / 20 hours a month

Chapter Stakeholder: One-year term (May 2025 - May 2026): 2-3 hours a week / 8 - 12 hours a month

Institutional Development Committee (IDC) Chair: One-year term (May 2025 - May 2026): 2-3 hours a week / 8 - 12 hours a month

Professional Development Committee (PDC) Chair: Two-year term (May 2025 - May 2027): 2-3 hours a week / 8 - 12 hours a month

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Shelley Respondek, President (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Krista Jamieson, Director Without Portfolio (director1@aao-archivists.ca)
Sarah McDougall, Past President (past.president@aao-archivists.ca)

Additionally, 30-minute Zoom online drop-in information sessions about volunteering and becoming a member of the AAO Board of Directors will be held on:

Nominations can be submitted by downloading and sending the nomination form (Word) via email to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca using the subject line "Nominations 2025" and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nominations must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Sincerely,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

MAIG: AGM Save the Date!

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:46:43 GMT

Save the Date!

The 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Municipal Archives Interest Group will be held virtually on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend! Please RSVP to Gina Elias by email at gelias@elgin.ca. We are currently accepting nominations for Secretary-Treasurer for the 2025-2027 term.

Please direct inquiries and nominations to Amber Mandich at amandich@elgin.ca.

SWOC: AGM Save the Date!

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:44:28 GMT

Save the Date!

All Chapter and AAO members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Southwestern Ontario Chapter of the AAO on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 10 a.m, at the Huron County Museum in Goderich. After the meeting, we will have the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum and archives, as well as a guided tour of the Huron County Historic Gaol, a National Historic Site of Canada. Lunch will be provided, and the day will end around 2 p.m.

Please RSVP to Joshua Klar at joshua.klar@norfolkcounty.ca by April 16.

For directions to Huron County Museum, please visit their website: https://www.huroncountymuseum.ca/huron-county-museum

We hope to see you there and look forward to connecting!

- SWOC Executive

Winter 2025 of Off the Record now available!

Simon Vickers — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:47:00 GMT

Hello AAO,

The Winter 2025 issue of Off the Record is now available. It's a perfect way to ignore those piles of snow in the driveway and can be accessed by members here!

This issue features an update from president Shelley Respondek, an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock, and an announcement for the AAO 2025 Virtual Conference. Following, we have a wonderful new Memory Workers at Work interview with Vasuki Shanmuganathan of the Tamil Archive Project.

Our student spotlight is with Valencia Sipes, a former horologist and current student in the Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management program at Toronto Metropolitan University. The issue also includes an article outlining Oxford County Archives' efforts to celebrate a number of overlapping local anniversaries. Finally, Olivia White from the Simcoe County Archives describes a collaborative video project with Rogers TV highlighting her institutions rich collections.

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

AAO Committee Volunteer Opportunities 2024-2025 (DEI and CAC)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:55:03 GMT

Do you want to get involved with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)? Are you a new or experienced professional looking to meet fellow archivists and contribute to the field? If so, you’re in luck! The AAO is looking for individuals to help support our mandate of furthering the education of Ontario’s records and information professionals and advocating for the interests of the province’s community of archives, heritage organizations, and records institutions.

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

Chair/Co-chair of the Communications and Advocacy Committee (CAC)
Chair/Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI)
Committee members for the CAC committee
Committee members for the DEI committee

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the AAO website.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to AAO President, Shelley Respondek at president@aao-archivists.ca by December 13, 2024.

Fall 2024 issue of Off the Record is now available

Simon Vickers — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 15:38:00 GMT

Hello AAO,

The Fall 2024 issue of Off the Record is now available. It's a perfect accompaniment to a cozy fall evening and can be accessed by members here!

This issue features an update from president Shelley Respondek, an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock, and a short hello from the editors. We want you to know us, where we come from, and what we hope to pursue in our time running OTR! Following, we have a wonderful new Memory Workers at Work interview with the Sikh National Archives of Canada.

Our membership spotlight is with recent Western grad Kaitlin Sonneveld. The issue also includes an article reflecting on 50 years of the ArQuives and a review of their most recent exhibit "Coming Up Aces." Finally, Danielle Manning from the Archives of Ontario provides some reflections on a collective effort to preserve lantern slides created by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

AAO Committee Volunteer Opportunities 2024-2025

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 20:34:19 GMT

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

Advancement Committee
Digital Access and Preservation Committee (DAPC)
Professional Development Committee (PDC)

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the AAO website.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to Gina Dewaele, Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder, at chapters@aao-archivists.ca by November 8, 2024.

Call for 2025 Conference Committee Volunteers

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:32:34 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) Annual Conference will be held virtually between May 6-8, 2025.

Unlike recent years’ virtual conferences that have been organized by a particular AAO Regional Chapter, this year's Conference Committee has the flexibility to be formed by archivists across Ontario. If you've wanted to work on the AAO Conference in the past but were unable due to travel requirements, this could be an excellent opportunity for you!

Duties of the Conference Committee:

Select the theme of the 2025 AAO Virtual Conference. As the conference isn’t bound to a particular area or predetermined theme, Conference Committee members will play an active role in shaping the message and direction of the conference.
Oversee planning for the programming of the conference: call for papers, building the agenda, selecting virtual tour hosts and social activities, etc.
Select moderators and keynote speakers.
Provide support for participants alongside AAO office staff and Whova contacts during the conference.
Write the Post-Conference final report.

Who we are looking for:

Archivists from across Ontario are welcome to volunteer - perfect for people who might live/work in remote areas and would otherwise be unlikely to be able to coordinate an in-person conference.
Experience with planning events and conferences is not required. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to gain experience in conference planning.

If you are interested in joining the 2025 Conference Committee or have any questions about the work involved in organizing the AAO Virtual Conference, please contact Shelley Respondek, AAO President, at president@aao-archivists.ca by Thursday, October 31, 2024.

2024-2025 Call for AAO Board Members

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:26:04 GMT

The AAO Board of Directors is looking for two dedicated members in good standing who are motivated to contribute to the governance and leadership of the Archives Association of Ontario to join the Board in the following positions immediately:

Director Without Portfolio 2 - including acting Communications/Advocacy Committee Chair
Institutional Development Committee Chair

Additionally, the Board is also seeking someone who would be willing to stand for:

Vice President/President-Elect

The Board of Directors seeks individuals who reflect the rich diversity of perspectives and experiences of the Ontario archives community and who represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds, cultures, identities, and regions to ensure an inclusive governing board.

Board of Directors are expected to serve a two-year term, attending monthly Board meetings in addition to completing the duties of their roles as outlined below:

Institutional Development Committee Chair

The Institutional Development Committee Chair shall advise the Board on all matters pertaining to the interests of institutions in Ontario and the development of a provincial archives system. The Chair of the IDC will also be responsible for planning the annual Institutional Members Forum.
Estimated time commitment: 5-10 hours a month

Director Without Portfolio

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO Board and/or Sub-committees thereof. Liaison positions involve attending Committee meetings as required, relaying relevant information between the Committee Chair and members and the Board, providing decisions, information and advice as the Board representative to Committees as required, and informing the Board of Committee questions and concerns and relaying information back to the Committee. Directors without Portfolio do not vote on Committee matters.
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contributing to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.
Estimated time commitment: 5-10 hours a month

Vice President/President-Elect

Serves to provide assistance in planning and policy decisions as well as communications and advocacy
Represents the AAO at meetings with the organization's stakeholders and within the broader Canadian archival community
Liaising with various AAO Committees and Chapters (is an ex-officio member of all committees save the IDC);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability;
With the President, providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, the staff, and the secretariat.
Estimated time commitment: 5 - 10 hours a month

If you are interested in joining the AAO Board or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please contact our Secretary-Treasurer, Al Stanton-Hagan, at secretary.treasurer@aao-archivists.ca.

Best,

The Archives Association of Ontario

SWOC Fall Event: Tour of Norfolk County Archives

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:25:26 GMT

Join SWOC on Thursday, October 17, 2024, for a tour of the Norfolk County Archives, some light refreshments, and a historic walk of downtown Simcoe. Learn about the plans to expand the Archives’ storage space, their current newspaper digitization project, and all about how the Archives was established in 2018.

Event will begin at 10 a.m. and end around 12:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Josh at joshua.klar@norfolkcounty.ca by Friday, October 11^th. All are welcome to attend, no previous involvement with SWOC or AAO necessary.

For more information about the Norfolk County Archives or directions on how to get there please see their website: www.norfolkheritage.ca/ If there are any questions about the event, please reach out.

We hope to see you there!

SWOC Executive

Registration is now open for the 2024 MAIG Open House!

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:49:48 GMT

Save the Date: Registration is now open for the 2024 MAIG Open House

On behalf of the MAIG Executive, I am excited to announce that the 2024 Open House will be held on Friday, October 25th, at Elgin County Archives in St. Thomas. Please join us for a facility tour, meeting, and an offsite tour of the Old St. Thomas Church and Cemetery. As always, light refreshments and lunch from a local caterer will be provided.

Established in 1824, this year marks the 200th Anniversary of the Old St. Thomas Church, which is one of the earliest churches in the Talbot Settlement, and one of the oldest structures in St. Thomas and Elgin County. The church is surrounded by a cemetery that dates to 1819 and serves as the burial ground for some of the earliest settlers and residents of the area. We look forward to sharing this piece of local history with you as Reverand Canon Nick Wells guides us on a tour of the church and its grounds!

RSVP by October 2nd to Gina Dewaele, MAIG Secretary-Treasurer, via email: gdewaele@elgin.ca, or by phone: 519-631-1460 ext. 154.

If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, please let us know with your RSVP.

When: Friday, October 25th, 2024 - 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Where: Elgin County Archives (Please meet at the Elgin County Heritage Centre, 460 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas)

Agenda:

10:00am-10:15am: Arrival

10:15am-12:00pm: MAIG Meeting

12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm-2:15pm: Tour of Elgin County Archives and Heritage Centre

2:15pm-2:30pm: Travel to the Old St. Thomas Church and Cemetery

2:30pm-4:00pm: Tour of the Old St. Thomas Church and Cemetery

Note: Please be prepared for a walking tour with appropriate footwear, clothing, and the possibility of rain.

Kind Regards,

Amber Mandich, MAIG Chair

Summer 2024 issue of Off the Record now available

Simon Vickers — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 16:12:09 GMT

Hello AAO,

The Summer 2024 issue of Off the Record is now available. It's a perfect accompaniment to the fine weather that has arrived!

The issue is available to AAO members here.

This issue features an update from president Sarah McDougall, an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock, and bios to introduce you to the new editors. We want you to know us, where we come from, and what we hope to pursue in our time running OTR! Following, we have a wonderful new Feature on a community memory work titled Memory Workers at Work. This issue, we hear from the Black Memory Collective.

Our membership spotlight is with recent iSchool grad Lenora Huynh. This issue rounds out with the perspective of the user: Naomi E. Norquay tells her account of using the Grey County Archives and the impact of budget cuts. Finally, Alex Hoare from the Archives of Ontario provides some reflections on the McMichael Canadian Art Collection exhibit “People of the Watershed,” which features AO archival records.

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

AAO Website feedback survey

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:04:17 GMT

The AAO is requesting your feedback on our website. Our short, anonymous survey asks for your input on our website's design, navigation (both desktop and mobile), and any general feedback you may have. This survey is open to members and fellow friends of the archives.

Your responses will help us refine and improve the site. Please complete the survey by Friday, May 17, 2024.

If you have any questions about our website, beyond this survey, contact Tiffany Ribeiro, AAO Web Administrator, at webadmin@aao-archivists.ca. We love to hear from you!

Link to survey

Nominations for AAO Board of Directors 2024-2025 now open

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:22:05 GMT

AAO Board of Directors Election 2024 Nominations are open

Nominations are currently being accepted for three (3) positions on the Board of Directors of the AAO. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held virtually on May 10, 2024, during the AAO 2024 conference.

Volunteering on the AAO Board offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and to apply their existing knowledge and skill set to the service of Ontario’s archival community.

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2024 - May 2027)

The Vice-President/President Elect (VP) serves as the deputy to the President, and provides assistance in all aspects of Board planning and policy decision-making. Along with the President, the VP may represent the AAO at meetings with the Association's stakeholders and within the broader Canadian archival community. Specific duties include:

Liaising with AAO Standing and Special Committees and/or Sub-committees thereof, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability; and
Supporting the President in providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, its staff, and the secretariat office.
The VP assumes the position of President in the second year of their term and in the third year serves as a non-voting member of the Board in the capacity of Past President.

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (May 2024 - May 2026)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contributing to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

Chair, Institutional Development Committee: Two-year term (May 2024 - May 2026)

The Institutional Development Committee Chair acts as the representative for the AAO institutional members at a Board level. The person in this position must be the head of an archival institution and will be elected by special ballot by AAO Institutional Members in advance of, or at, the AGM, as per article 6.10 of the AAO Constitution.

Specific activities include:

Reporting all matters related to institutional members discussed at a Board level;
Liaising with institutional members to bring matters of concern from the institutional members level to the Board level for discussion and/or action; and
Optimizing the relationship between institutional members and the Board;
Coordinating the annual Institutional Members Symposium; Representing the AAO at meetings of the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA).

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Sarah McDougall, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Helen Liu, Vice-President (vp@aao-archivists.ca)
Leslie Thomas, Director Without Portfolio (director2@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations can be submitted by downloading and sending the nomination form via email, to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line "Nominations 2024", and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nominations must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Friday, May 3rd, 2024.

Sincerely,

Sarah McDougall

President, 2023-2024

president@aao-archivists.ca

The Archives Association of Ontario

MAIG Announcements

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 01:56:44 GMT

MAIG Constitution Proposed Amendments

The MAIG Executive have reviewed the constitution for the Municipal Archives Interest Group and have proposed amendments that will be voted on at the Annual General Meeting on May 6, 2024. In summary, the amendments include the following:

The addition of a Past Chair position to the Executive.
Reducing the term length of the Executive positions from three years to two years.
Changing some of the language to reflect contemporary sociocultural standards and 2SLGBTQIA+ allyship (genderless language).
Changing the deadline for the core funding request to align with the AAO Chapter/SIG Manual.
Additional duties in the Executive Terms of Reference to reflect the evolution of the positions to the present day.

In accordance with article 10.1 of the MAIG constitution, a review period of 30 days has been provided prior to the AGM. Please send questions and feedback to Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair, at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca.

Download the Proposed Amendments .

Upcoming MAIG Election

The Municipal Archives Interest Group is currently accepting nominations for our Chair and Vice-Chair positions for the 2024-2027 term. The terms for these positions are currently 3 years, but the terms could potentially be reduced to 2 years if the proposed amendments to the constitution are ratified at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 6. Nominations can be sent in advance of the meeting or submitted from the floor during the AGM.

Volunteering on the MAIG Executive is an excellent professional development experience, providing candidates with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, network with other professionals and share their knowledge and experiences with other members of Ontario’s municipal archival community.

Summaries of the duties for each position are as follows:

Chair - The Chair shall preside at all meetings of MAIG and will advance the interests of MAIG. The Chair coordinates the yearly AGM, the Open House event for members, and assists the Vice-Chair with the production of the annual “MAIGazine” newsletter. Other duties include a submission on MAIG’s activities to the AAO Annual General Meeting Annual Report, and a report to MAIG on the group’s activities at MAIG’s Annual General Meeting. The Chair shall also be responsible for ensuring that regular updates on MAIG’s activities are submitted to the AAO publication, “Off the Record”, and is expected to attend the AAO’s Annual Leadership Meeting. They serve as a liaison between the AAO Board and municipal members, discussing any developments affecting municipal archives.

Vice-Chair - The Vice-Chair shall attend all general and executive meetings of MAIG and chair meetings if the Chair is unable to do so. They also assist the Chair with coordinating the AGM and yearly Open House event. The Vice-Chair develops and publishes the annual MAIG newsletter the “MAIGazine” in co-operation with the Chair and Secretary-Treasurer. The Vice-Chair will work to advance the interests of MAIG.
Nominations are being accepted by email only. Please complete and submit the form below to Megan Lockhart at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca, using the subject line “MAIG Nominations 2024”. Interested parties are also welcome to contact Megan with questions about the available positions. Nomination forms must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

MAIG Nomination Form

2024 MAIG Annual General Meeting

Please join the Municipal Archives Interest Group at our upcoming virtual AGM on May 6^th, at 1:00 PM EST. The AGM agenda package is available below:

We would like to provide a friendly reminder that nominations for the Chair and Vice-Chair positions are due on May 1st. We are also requesting that those attending the AGM please review the proposed amendments to the constitution before the meeting. Download the Proposed Amendments .

Please RSVP to Gina Dewaele at gdewaele@elgin.ca by May 1st to receive a link to the meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing you all virtually!

MAIG Executive

Off the Record Spring Issue 2024

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 13:53:54 GMT

The Spring 2024 issue of Off the Record is now available to AAO members here: Current Issues.

This issue features an update from AAO President Sarah McDougall followed by an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock. Next we have a Member Spotlight with County of Prince Edward Archives Manager Krista Richardson. We close with an article by Rachel Arseneau about her time in the music collections at Wilfrid Laurier University Archives and Special Collections.

We're now accepting submissions for the OTR Summer 2024 Issue. If you’re interested in submitting to Off the Record, you can start sending your original submissions and cover art to otr@aao-archivists.ca.

We’ll be accepting submissions for the Summer issue until June 20th, 2024. For more details, please see the Submissions Guidelines page online.

Finally, we'd like to introduce the new editors of Off The Record, Isobel Carnegie and Simon Vickers. We've already heard some of their exciting new ideas for OTR and we're looking forward to the direction they take things. Thanks to everyone for your continued readership and submissions.

Best,

Adam & Arvind

TAAG Annual General Meeting

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:11:58 GMT

TAAG Annual General Meeting

The Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG) is hosting their Annual General Meeting on April 3, 2024, at 6 p.m.

The AGM will be followed by a casual Open House where you can give your input on what events and activities you'd like to see for the upcoming year! Please register for the AGM on Eventbrite.

TAAG is also looking for volunteers to fill our executive team. Joining TAAG is an excellent opportunity to give back to your local archive community as well as connect and work with other archivists in the GTA.
TAAG is a volunteer-run organization – without our volunteers, there would be no workshops, no tours, and no get-togethers! With your help, we can continue to provide learning opportunities, engage with the archival community, and serve our members.

Positions available include:

President
Secretary
Treasurer
Member-at-large

Read more about information and position descriptions.

The TAAG executive is elected for a two-year term, which will last from April 2024-March 2026. If you are interested and would like to nominate yourself for one of these positions, please contact TAAG with a short bio by March 31, 2024, at taag.chapter@gmail.com. Elections will be held at the TAAG Annual General Meeting.

Archives Awareness Week 2024

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:51:14 GMT

Archives Awareness Week 2024

This year’s Archives Awareness Week (AAW) will be held from April 2 to April 5, 2024! The theme this year, “Access your Archives”, will be a warmup for the upcoming conference.

April is #ArchivesAtoZ

Throughout April 2024, the AAO Instagram will also take part in the annual Archives of Ontario-led #ArchivesAtoZ social media campaign to promote the Archeion service and descriptions in the database. See Danielle Manning’s listserv announcement for more details about the campaign and consider joining.

Instagram Reels

As part of AWW, we are bringing back our featured Instagram reels from you! On Thursday, April 5, 2024, the AAO will publish a series of short vignettes submitted by membership via our Instagram account. We are asking volunteers to submit recorded (sound and video) answers to any or all of the following questions. Examples from your collections will be encouraged!

Tell us about a unique outreach initiative your archive has been working on.
How do you provide access to your archives collection?
In what ways do you make your collection accessible or hope to?
What challenges do archives face in making records accessible while respecting users and donors?
What archival process or specific record in your collection keeps you up at night?
Developments in new networks and collaborations.

Follow @archives.assoc.ontario on Instagram to watch!

Twitter Takeover

As per tradition, the AAO will be hosting a Twitter Takeover event. On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, a roster of guest archivists will take over the AAO Twitter account @AAO_tweet to answer your questions and comments related to work in the archives. Let us know if you would like to book a one hour slot! Teams are welcome!

Share your Events

We encourage members to program events and engage in social media initiatives. If you would like us to promote your own AAW event, please let us know prior to March 15, 2024 so that we can include it in next month’s newsletter and feature it on our website.

How to Participate

If you would like to participate in any of these activities, please contact Tiffany Ribeiro at webadmin@aao-archivists.ca prior to March 15, 2024.

Posting about events? Use the #2024AAW hashtag!

Check out the Archives Awareness Week page for more information.

Fundraiser

As a part of Archives Awareness Week, we are asking for your donations in support of the Shirley Spragge Bursary program, which provides financial assistance for students, new professionals, or archivists in financial need to cover the registration and travel to the AAO's annual conference.

The larger the fund grows, the more budding archivists it can help. Those early-career connections and experiences are invaluable, often leading to new connections, new jobs, or even the confidence, inspiration, and resolution to stick with a profession that can be difficult to break into.

So this Archives Awareness Week, consider offering a hand-up to those following in your professional footsteps. And, if you're hosting an event or have a newsletter, consider promoting this fundraiser to your community! You never know who is willing to help out.

Visit the bursary page for more information or donate now! Donations over $20 are eligible for a tax receipt.

Fall 2023 issue of Off the Record now available!

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 23:42:35 GMT

Dear AAO,

The Fall 2023 issue of Off the Record is now available and we hope it brings some more archival warmth to your chilly, autumn day! It’s available to AAO members here: Current Issues.

This issue features an update from AAO President Sarah McDougall, an article by John Yolkowski and Shernett Bennett from the Humber College Archives reflecting on their journey towards the official opening of the space on November 8^th, 2023, a membership spotlight on Archives of Ontario Archivist Melissa Nelson, and closes with some AAO statistics updates and an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock.

And if you’re interested in submitting to Off the Record, you can start sending your original submissions and cover art to otr@aao-archivists.ca. We’ll be accepting submissions for the Winter issue until January 3, 2024. For more details, please see the Submissions Guidelines page online.

Happy reading!

Adam Cavanaugh & Arvind Kang

JUST RELEASED: Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual MAIGazine Publication

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 18:46:41 GMT

The MAIG Executive is pleased to present the 19th edition of the MAIGazine! For this edition, the Executive put a call out for articles related to “community connections”. After several pandemic years of unfortunate but unavoidable disconnect with the communities we serve, municipal archives are bouncing back and developing innovative ways to reach new and existing audiences. The submissions this year detail a variety of ways archives are enhancing accessibility to their collections via digitization and online engagement, the ways in which we support each other as colleagues, and an important discussion of the necessity to protect the valuable records in archival holdings when faced with threatening uncertainty. Thank you to everyone who submitted articles and news for the 2023 edition.

For more information about MAIG or to view previous issues of the “MAIGazine” please visit our page on the AAO website: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

If you have comments or suggestions on how to improve future issues of the “MAIGazine” feel free to contact our Executive. In the meantime, please enjoy the 2023 edition!

Registration Is Open for 2023 The MAIG Open House!

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 19:29:52 GMT

We’re very excited to announce that this year’s MAIG Open House will be hosted by the Bruce County Archives at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre! Please join us and our gracious host, Deb Sturdevant, on Friday, October 20^th in Southampton, Ontario, as we explore museum exhibits, the collections and facilities of the archives, the Historic Saugeen Métis Interpretive Learning Centre (HSMC), and Aunt Annie’s Cottage. As always, a delicious lunch will also be provided by local caterers. The annual Open House Meeting is a great opportunity to connect and network with your municipal archive colleagues from across the province.

Visitors to the HSMC learn about the historic Métis community who lived, fished, hunted, trapped, and harvested the lands and waters of the Bruce Peninsula, the Lake Huron proper shoreline and its watersheds. Artifacts on display include Métis clothing, tools, bead work, wampum and more. Aunt Annie's Cottage was the home of Angelique “Aunt Annie” Longe, a Métis woman born on the banks of the Saugeen River in 1844. The home is one of the oldest in Southampton.

Please note: Some locations will be accessed by foot, so please wear good walking shoes, and be prepared for rain.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, September 27th to: Gina Dewaele, MAIG Secretary-Treasurer: gdewaele@elgin.ca or call 519-631-1460 ext. 154. Please make note of any dietary restrictions or allergies with your RSVP.

When: Friday October 20th, 2023 - 10:00 am – 3:45 pm

Where: Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre (33 Victoria St N, Southampton, ON)

Agenda:

10:00am-12:00pm • Welcome and Tour of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, including the Archives.

12:00pm-1:00pm • Lunch and Conversation

1:00pm-2:15pm • Tour of the Historic Saugeen Metis Centre and Aunt Annie’s Cottage

2:30pm-3:45pm • MAIG Meeting

I look forward to seeing everyone in Bruce County in October

Warm Regards,

Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair

Summer 2023 issue of Off the Record now available!

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 15:29:44 GMT

Dear AAO,

The Summer 2023 issue of Off the Record is now available and we hope it brings some archival warmth to your summer day! It’s available to AAO members here: Current Issues.

This issue features our first update from new AAO President Sarah McDougall as well as an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock. We close with an article by Evangeline Mann reflecting on their processing work at Appleby College in Oakville and meditations on authenticity and form in Archives.

And if you’re interested in submitting to Off the Record, you can start sending your original submissions and cover art to otr@aao-archivists.ca. We’ll be accepting submissions for the Fall issue until September 21^st, 2023. For more details, please see the Submissions Guidelines page online.

Happy reading!

Adam & Arvind

MAIG Annual General Meeting

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:01:14 GMT

Annual General Meeting

Please join the MAIG Executive at the AAO’s virtual conference for our Annual General Meeting on May 10th from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST. The AGM can be attended via the conference’s “Whova” platform. The AGM package (PDF) is available.

Anyone attending the conference who is interested in or involved with municipal archives is welcome to attend. This event is a great opportunity to meet and connect with your municipal archives peers and to hear about MAIG’s upcoming plans and projects for the year.

This year, we are also accepting nominations for our Secretary-Treasurer position. Nominations can be sent in advance of the meeting, or submitted from the floor during the AGM. Check out more information on the Executive Election Nomination Process (PDF). The deadline to submit a nomination is May 5th at 5:00 p.m. EST.

If you plan to attend the AGM, please send your RSVP to Gina Dewaele at gdewaele@ELGIN.ca. Our Executive is looking forward to connecting with everyone at the AGM in May!

Sincerely,

Megan, Amber, and Gina

Nominations for 2023-2024 AAO Board of Directors

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:58:07 GMT

Nominations for 2023-2024 AAO Board of Directors

The AAO’s Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the 2023-2024 Board of Directors, to be voted on by AAO members at the 2023 virtual AGM (Friday, May 12th, 2023). Nominations from the floor during the AGM will also be accepted.

Stay tuned for more information about the virtual AGM in the coming weeks!

Institutional Development Committee Chair: Jessica Barr (she/her)

Jessica Barr is the University Archivist and Records Manager for the University of St. Michael's College (Toronto, ON), where she is responsible for the official records of the University, the University art collection, and the archives of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. She has also served on the Board of the Archives Association of Ontario as the Secretary-Treasurer (2019-2021), and as the Chair of the Institutional Development Committee (2021-2023). She holds a Master of Information degree from the University of Toronto (2011).

Website Administrator: Tiffany Ribeiro (she/her)

Tiffany Ribeiro has served as the Web Administrator since 2021. She also serves on the AAO's Communications and Advocacy Committee and the Digital Access and Preservation Committee. She is also involved in the Toronto Area Archivist's Group (TAAG) as a member-at-large. Since 2017, she has worked at the legislative Assembly of Ontario where she held positions in their library, records management department, and now in web editing and accessibility. She earned her Library and Information Technician Diploma and Records and Information Management Certificate from Seneca College, and is currently studying User Experience Design at George Brown College. She spends her spare time in local coffee shops and reading the latest thriller.

Professional Development Committee Chair: Teresa Wong (she/her)

Teresa is the digital archivist responsible for ensuring sustainable access and preservation for born-digital and digitized materials within the John M. Kelly Library's Special Collections. She has been with the Kelly Library in different capacities since 2017 as an Archival Assistant, later as a Processing Archivist, and most recently, as a contract Digital Archivist. In 2019-2020, Teresa spent a year at the J. Paul Getty Trust as a graduate intern where she further developed her expertise in passion for digital preservation. Teresa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree majoring in History at the Toronto Metropolitan University. She went on to complete her Master of Information degree (MI) at the University of Toronto specializing in Archives and Records Management and Critical Information Policy Studies.

Director at Large: Mark Ferkul (he/him)

Mark Ferkul is an archivist and arts administrator who holds a Master of Information with a concentration in Archives & Records Management from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Business Administration from the University of Guelph. He has worked with galleries, museums, foundations, advisories and auction houses in New York, London, and Toronto. Mark is currently a Project Manager at Vortic Limited, where he oversees a multitude of projects that utilize Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D technology to create immersive viewing experiences within the arts. Prior to this role, he was the archivist and information manager at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) Foundation, leading up to the launch of one of its digital initiatives, Ocean-Archive.org, which was certified as an official partner of the United Nations' Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Secretary/Treasurer: Al Stanton-Hagan (they/them)

Al Stanton-Hagan is the institutional archivist for the Art Gallery of Ontario, and has held positions at the University of Toronto’s Media Commons Archives and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Al completed their Master of Information at U of T’s iSchool, and has served as the Treasurer for the Faculty of Information Alumni Association (FIAA) since 2019. When they are not at the AGO, Al can be found reading in the park, biking around the city, or playing softball.

Please note, we are still accepting nominations for Vice-President/President-Elect. Please contact Rachel E. Beattie (president@aao-archivists.ca) if you are interested.

We look forward to your participation at the AGM on May 12th!

The AAO 2023 Nominations Committee

Spring 2023 issue of Off the Record now available!

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 14:09:49 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The Spring 2023 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

This issue features an update from AAO president Rachel E. Beattie. It also includes an Archeion update from coordinator Kelli Babcock. Next, a membership spotlight on archivist and librarian Arvind Kang. We end this issue with some announcements.

Wishing everyone a happy long weekend,

Adam

Stepping Into Archeion

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:39:30 GMT

Stepping Into Archeion - a 2023 Archives Awareness Week Introduction to Archeion for Researchers

As part of 2023 Ontario Archives Awareness Week we invite you to "Step Into Archeion" and watch a short introduction video about searching in Archeion:

https://youtu.be/rrEXsU5-CFg

View other Archeion-related videos by Amanda Hill in the Archeion Playlist on our Youtube channel.

Call for volunteers for the AAOEe Chapter Executive 2023-2024

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 20:48:50 GMT

Call for volunteers for the AAOEe Chapter Executive 2023-2024

The AAOEe wants you for the Chapter Executive in 2023-2024!

What does the AAOEe do?

The Archives Association of Ontario East/est (AAOEe) Chapter is a volunteer-led organization under the umbrella of the Archives Association of Ontario serving the Eastern Ontario region. The Chapter serves and engages our membership, provides programming, and promotes archives, heritage, and information management through events. We also connect with the AAO Board to support its efforts to advance the organization.

Why do we need volunteers?

The AAOEe is managed by volunteers and the work we undertake requires the time and energy of an engaged team. The combined efforts of our Executive allow us to bring tours, workshops, speakers, and other events to our region. We are currently looking for members to join the Executive to help shape the Chapter’s yearly program, develop activities, and advocate for the archival community. The AAOEe must be responsive to your needs and interests. To this end, we aim to build a diverse Executive that reflects our membership. Whether you are new to volunteering, a student, an established archivist, or a member of an allied discipline (such as heritage or information management), all voices are welcome and respected.

How much time does it take?

By contributing just a few hours each month, you will ensure that our Chapter continues to represent and bring engaging programming to our community. Our approach is friendly and informal, and our meetings are casual. The Executive meets roughly 8 times per year and consists of the following roles, all of which are one-year terms that are elected at the Chapter AGM (April 20, 2023) and are open for the 2023-2024 year. In addition to the responsibilities described below, all members contribute time during the term to program development and implementation.

For more information on any of the roles below, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact the AAOEe Chapter Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

Which role do you want to fill?

President

Time commitment: 5 hours per month, with additional time required for the AAO Leadership Meeting and AAO Annual General Meeting.

Treasurer

Time commitment: 3-4 hours per month, with additional time required for the AGM.

Secretary

The Secretary is the official record keeper for the Chapter. They take minutes of all meetings and distribute documentation to the Executive and the general membership as required.

Time commitment: 2 hours per month.

Vice-President

Time commitment: 3 hours per month

Member-at-Large

The Member-at-Large position assists the Executive to build capacity in subject areas that may be pertinent to the broader membership.

For example, the Communications Officer is a portfolio assigned to a Member-at- Large. The Communications Officer updates the AAOEe Facebook page with upcoming events, tours, and workshops. Other social media tools may also be used.

Time commitment: flexible, 2-4 hours per month.

Note: the AAOEe encourages student participation, particularly through the Member- at-Large position. There is no limit on the number of Member-at-Large positions.

For more information on any of the roles described above, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact the AAOEe Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

AAO Board of Directors Election 2023 Nomination Process

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 19:11:57 GMT

AAO Board of Directors Election 2023 Nomination Process

Nominations are currently being accepted for five (5) positions on the Board of Directors of the AAO. 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.

Volunteering as a Director on the AAO Board offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and to apply their existing knowledge and skill set to the service of Ontario’s archival community.

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2023 - May 2026)

Liaising with AAO Standing and Special Committees and/or Sub-committees thereof, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability; and
Supporting the President in providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, its staff, and the secretariat office.
The VP assumes the position of President in the second year of their term and in the third year serves as a non-voting member of the Board in the capacity of Past President.

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (May 2023 - May 2025)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contributing to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

Secretary/Treasurer: Two-year term (May 2023 - May 2025)

The Secretary/Treasurer provides a key oversight function of the financial affairs and records management of the association. Specific duties include:

(Secretary role):

Being acquainted with Roberts Rules of Order, and ensuring the Board follows these in its proceedings;
Ensuring that documentation for all Board meetings is compiled, posted to the AAO Google Drive, and shared with meeting participants in advance of each meeting, consulting with Board members as necessary to do so;
Taking and finalizing all Board meeting minutes, and ensuring that all decisions are motioned and recorded;
Circulating draft Board meeting minutes to meeting participants for review within two weeks following each meeting;
Entering decisions carried in the master Motions database;
Saving all approved Board meeting minutes on the Google Drive and ensuring public access to them via the AAO website;
Playing a lead role in efforts to maintain and update the written policies, procedures, guidelines and manuals of the Board; and
In collaboration with the AAO Office, ensuring that the records of the Association are properly filed and disposed of.

(Treasurer role):

Monitoring, on a monthly basis, the AAO's budget as prepared and managed on the Association's behalf by the AAO Office, and bringing issues regarding revenues or expenditures to the Board's attention as they arise;
Ensuring the Board's financial policies are being followed, or recommending actions where financial policy gaps persist;
In cooperation with the President, approving all expenses incurred by the Association and signing all cheques of the Association;
Recommending the approval of the auditor (to be identified by the AAO Office) to the membership (to be ratified at each AGM);
Presenting to the membership (at each AGM) highlights of the annual audit prepared by the auditor; and
On behalf of the Board, working with the AAO Office to ensure that government compliance documents are filed with various government agencies as required.

Website Administrator: Two-year term (May 2023 - May 2025)

The Web Administrator is responsible for maintaining the website by ensuring that information about the AAO and its operations is up-to-date and accurate and providing administrative support to AAO members seeking to add or update content. The role also includes the promotion of AAO events and news via Twitter and Facebook as well as the sharing of AAO and event photos on Instagram. The Web Administrator may also assist the AAO Secretariat with the management of website administrators. The current service agreement limits the number of administrators to 25. Those with full or partial access need to be reviewed on an annual basis as Board and Committee roles are transferred to new AAO Directors, Staff or Committee heads.

The Web Administrator is also a part of the Communications and Advocacy Committee.

Chair, Institutional Development Committee: Two-year term (May 2023 - May 2025)

Specific activities include:

Reporting all matters related to institutional members discussed at a Board level;
Liaising with institutional members to bring matters of concern from the institutional members level to the Board level for discussion and/or action; and
Optimizing the relationship between institutional members and the Board;
Coordinating the annual Institutional Members Symposium;
Representing the AAO at meetings of the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA).

Chair, Professional Development Committee: Two-year term (May 2023 - May 2025)

The Professional Development Committee Chair is responsible for overseeing and chairing the Professional Development Committee of the AAO. In this role, they:

Recruit and orient members to their Committee.
Conduct regular meetings with the Committee members.
Work with Committee members on the logistics of planning and implementing a suite of workshops and other learning/networking events aimed at the facilitating the professional development of all AAO members.
Working closely with AAO Office staff to ensure the smooth running of events and administrative matters.
Serves as Board Liaison for the Committee, providing updates to the Board on Committee activities, and conveying Board feedback/updates, as appropriate to the Committee.
Providing for the Board’s approval the annual plan for workshop events, and preparing an annual budget for the Board’s approval.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Rachel E. Beattie, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Sarah McDougall, Vice-President (vp@aao-archivists.ca)
Leslie Thomas, Director Without Portfolio (director2@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted two ways this year. You can either complete this 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 3rd, 2023.

Sincerely,

Rachel E. Beattie

President, 2022-2023

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Call for volunteers

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:36:30 GMT

Call for volunteers

Are you looking to meet new people and gain archival experience? Volunteering with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a great way to gain experience and network with other archivists. No experience is required to join! If you're interested, please contact the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca.

Call for volunteers.pdf

Winter 2023 issue of Off the Record now available!

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 23:50:09 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The Winter 2023 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here: https://aao-archivists.ca/page-18317.

This most recent issue of OTR features a message from AAO president Rachel E. Beattie; Archeion updates from its new coordinator, Kelli Babcock; insights on the preservation of corporate memory by Sevda Sparks; and member spotlight on Julia Gilmore, Digital Projects Librarian at University of Toronto. We close this issue with some important AAO announcements.

I'd like to add that the Spring issue is just around the corner. Submissions are due March 21st and I look forward to receiving your articles, news or announcements. For full details, please visit our submission guidelines.

Best,

Adam Cavanaugh

Off the Record Editor, 2022-2023

Giving Tuesday

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 17:43:48 GMT

Today is GivingTuesday, and we’re asking all AAO members (and whoever else is feeling generous!) to help us develop and sustain our programs and services. Monetary donations mean you’re investing in Ontario’s cultural and documentary heritage, and they assist the AAO in planning, organizing, and offering cost-efficient or free workshops, conferences, and other professional development opportunities for archivists and professionals in related fields.

The AAO relies on donations to fund some of its core programming, such as the administration of Archeion or the publication of Off the Record
Things like our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EDI) workshops are able to be offered to members for free because of donor support
The Shirley Spragge Bursary, crucial to ensuring students and new archivists can take part in the annual conference without undue financial burden, would not have the impact and effect it has had without the generosity of our membership

Donations can be made online, and all donations over $20 qualify for a tax receipt.

You can help support the AAO in other ways too! Consider donating your time, talent or resources and become a volunteer or a workshop speaker! You can also help us spread the word on various social media platforms by re-sharing the AAO’s GivingTuesday campaign or by sharing your own message as to how the AAO has helped support you in the past.

Thank you for your support, and have a happy GivingTuesday!

With gratitude,

The AAO Advancement Team

Fall 2022 Issue of Off the Record now available

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 15:47:54 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The fall 2022 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here: https://aao-archivists.ca/page-18317.

This most recent issue of OTR features a message from AAO president Rachel E. Beattie; former Archeion coordinator Jazmine Aldrich gives a brief history of Archeion as well as updates to service; Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair, discusses the IDC’s COVID-19 Survey; and member spotlight on Angela Fornelli, MSc. Manager, Corporate Records and Archival Services Clerk’s Office, City of Kawartha Lakes.

The fall 2021 issue is now available to all here: https://bit.ly/3pE94Ow

All our best,

Mitchell & Adam

Student and New Professional Outreach Committee Call for Volunteers

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 15:46:01 GMT

Student and New Professional Outreach Committee Call for Volunteers

Greetings from the AAO!

We are currently looking for volunteers for the Student and New Professional Outreach Committee. As a member of the SNPOC, you will:

Recruit student and new professional members by brainstorming and implementing advertisement strategies and recruitment events

Support student and new professional members with a wide range of activities

Collaborate with other AAO committees in the above activities

Build communication networks with education institutions with students in Archives and related fields

Network with other archivists in the AAO

We would love to have you join us!

The SNPOC is currently looking for volunteers for all committee positions, including Chair, Secretary, and Student representatives. If you are interested in volunteering please send us an email at snp@aao-archivists.ca

Registration is Now Open for the 2022 Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Open House!

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 02:02:55 GMT

Registration is Now Open for the 2022 Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Open House!

The MAIG Executive is pleased to announce that the MAIG Open House will be returning as an in-person event on October 14, 2022. This year, the Open House will be hosted by the Dufferin County Archives! Please join us and our gracious host Laura Camilleri as we explore the archives and its collections, and the exhibits, galleries, and grounds at the Museum of Dufferin. Attendees will also be provided with the opportunity to sit in on seminars by guest speakers Sahana Puvirajasingam (Museum of Dufferin and City of Toronto Museums & Heritage Services), who will be providing a video presentation about the “Collecting the Community” project; and a live virtual presentation by Alex Avdichuk and Gabrielle Major both with the City of Toronto Museums. “Collecting the Community” is an initiative by the Museum of Dufferin to engage with, collect, preserve, and interpret the past, present, and future history of historically marginalized communities in Dufferin County. Alex Avdichuk will be speaking on contemporary collecting policy and the sensitivity around collecting oral histories, and Gabrielle Major will be discussing collecting sensitive items. Read this year’s edition of the MAIGazine on the MAIG webpage for biographies on the speakers.

Lunch will be provided at the event. We hope you join us for a day of fun, learning, and connecting with our archival colleagues. Space is limited this year so please send your RSVP as soon as possible if you plan on attending in person.

For those who cannot attend in person, there will be an opportunity to attend the live virtual session with Alex Avdichuk and Gabrielle Major and the MAIG meeting virtually through Zoom. Stay tuned to the AAO Listserv, the MAIG Listserv and webpage at https://aao-archivists.ca/maig for more details on how to take part in the virtual portions of the Open House.

Please RSVP by Friday, September 30^th to: Gina Dewaele, MAIG Secretary-Treasurer: gdewaele@elgin.ca or call 519-631-1460 ext. 154. We ask that you please send your questions for Sahana with your RSVP so they can be addressed in her pre-recorded video.

When:	Friday October 14^th, 2022 - 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where:	Dufferin County Archives at the Museum of Dufferin (936029 Airport Road, Mulmur, ON L9V 0L3) Parking Information and Directions available at: https://www.dufferinmuseum.com/plan-your-visit/
Agenda:	10:00am-12:00pm • Welcome and Tour of Museum of Dufferin County Archives, Exhibits & Galleries
	12:00pm-1:00pm • Lunch followed by an opportunity to explore the exterior walking trail and the Indigenous and dyeing gardens (weather permitting), and the Corbetton Church on the grounds.
	1:00pm-2:30pm • Guest Speakers’ Presentations 2:30pm-4:00pm • MAIG Meeting (option for virtual attendance)

JUST RELEASED: Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) - Annual MAIGazine Publication

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 21:19:46 GMT

NEW EDITION: Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual MAIGazine Publication

The MAIG Executive is pleased to present the 18th edition of the MAIGazine. After living through a series of “historical events'' over the past few years, it’s safe to say that many municipal archives have gone through exceptional transformations. In this edition, we have several exciting updates from our municipal archive colleagues and thought-provoking articles for readers that touch on a range of topics from re-imagining archival policies and practices, reaching new audiences, and growing an online presence in innovative ways. Please enjoy the fantastic submissions this year, which can be viewed here.

We are also happy to share that the results from the Municipal/Government Archive COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Survey are now in. This survey was created as a collaborative effort between the Municipal Archives Interest Group and the Institutional Development Committee of the AAO to gauge and better understand how Ontario Archives are recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, and the challenges that archives continue to face. To determine how to best support our members during pandemic recovery, we asked Ontario archives for assistance in providing important information to the AAO Board and MAIG Executive, through completing this short survey. We had eleven archives respond in total, including nine municipal/government archives.

All survey responses from Municipal and Government Archives are available to view online here. Information from other respondents will be kept anonymous at this time.

Feel free to contact the MAIG Executive with any questions or concerns about the survey.

Summer 2022 issue of Off the Record now available!

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 18:21:55 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The summer 2022 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes a message from new AAO president Rachel E. Beattie; a profile of Tamara Rayan; an article by Jim Burant that examines the origins of the AAO; an announcement regarding the Julia Hendry Memorial Award at Wilfrid Laurier University by Amanda Oliver; full citations for this year’s AAO awards; an introduction to the AAO’s new Archeion coordinator, Jazmine Aldrich; and an updated Stats Dashboard.

The excellent summer 2021 issue is now available to all.

Be well!

Michael

Municipal Archives Interest Group’s (MAIG) Industry Survey

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 16:29:29 GMT

Greetings from the MAIG Executive,

On behalf of the Executive I am pleased to share the second part of the Municipal Archives Interest Group’s (MAIG) Industry Survey. This second installment of the survey, a collaborative effort between MAIG and the AAO’s Institutional Development Committee, focuses on pandemic recovery for archives throughout Ontario. Many archives have resumed services and reopened their doors, but we recognize that many institutions are not necessarily back to “business as usual”.

To determine how to best support our members during pandemic recovery, we ask your assistance in providing important information to the AAO Board and MAIG Executive through completing this short survey. The data provided will be essential in determining the ongoing archival response to COVID-19 in Ontario and various concerns of AAO Institutional Members. We ask that you submit your response by August 3, 2022.

The Pandemic Recovery Survey can be filled out online here: https://forms.gle/QVhYS9E7bb7vLHNi9.

Please Note: Once the survey closes, all survey responses from municipal and/or government archives will be identified and made public to members via the Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) website: https://www.aao-archivists.ca/maig. This is due to the overwhelming request for this data from MAIG Members. Information from other respondents will be anonymized at this time.

To provide feedback on this form, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the IDC Chairidc@aao-archivists.ca or MAIG Executive (contact information available at https://www.aao-archivists.ca/maig).

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this short survey.

Sincerely,

The MAIG Executive – Megan, Amber, and Gina

Volunteer opportunity: Join the AAO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 17:24:02 GMT

The AAO Board of Directors is looking for AAO individual members to join the newly established Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for a two-year term (2022-2024).

Building on the efforts of the DEI Working Group, this committee will advise the AAO Board of Directors, standing committees and membership on issues relating to DEI within the AAO itself and in the archival profession at large.

Questions and expressions of interest can be sent to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee chair Krista McCracken (past.president@aao-archivists.ca).

Archives Association of Ontario 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) information package

Fri, 13 May 2022 01:44:46 GMT

Archives Association of Ontario 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) information package

The Archives Association of Ontario will hold its 2022 annual general meeting (AGM) virtually on May 27th, 2022, between 9:30 and 11:00am via Zoom. The AGM information package is now available here and you can register for the meeting here.

Details on how to join the meeting will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the meeting. Please register by May 20th if you wish to attend the meeting.

We hope that you will join us on May 27th!

Please register here.

Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) - Upcoming Annual General Meeting

Thu, 05 May 2022 15:06:30 GMT

Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) - Upcoming Annual General Meeting

May 25, 2022 – 12:15-2:15PM

Please join the MAIG Executive for our virtual AGM on May 25 from 12:15 – 2:15pm!

All AAO and Chapter members, and anyone interested in or involved with municipal archives is welcome to attend. This event is a great opportunity to meet and connect with your municipal archives peers and to hear about MAIG’s upcoming plans and projects for the year, including Part 2 of the MAIG Industry Survey and the fall Open House.

If you plan on attending the MAIG AGM, please send your RSVP to mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca.

Agenda:

Report of the Chair 2021-22
Financial Report 2021-22
Budget Approval 2022-2023
Open House Updates & Discussion
Other Business
Roundtable

Please view the agenda package here: Agenda Package

AAO Conference attendees will be able to access the Zoom meeting through the Whova web portal.

Zoom details below:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/93925754610?pwd=YlorUVdvVWtjdjV0eEdhSlVWeDU5QT09

Meeting ID: 939 2575 4610

Passcode: KFYmP1

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the AGM on May 25!

Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair

Spring 2022 issue of Off the Record now available!

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:52:13 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The spring 2022 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes a message from AAO president Krista McCracken; a profile on AAO member Sylvia Lassam; an article by Donna Bernardo-Ceriz on a recent exhibition on Jews of colour; and a joint piece by Moska Rokay and Sean Smith discussing an event their institutions co-hosted about the Muslim community in London.

The excellent spring 2021 issue is now available to all.

Be well!

Michael

Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG) Chapter Executive 2022-2023

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 16:38:58 GMT

Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG) Chapter Executive 2022-2023

The Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG) Chapter Executive 2022-2023 has been announced. Members of the Executive are:

President: Charly Wreggitt

Past-President: Lindsay Osmun

Treasurer: Tanis Franco

Secretary: Louise Curtis

Member-at-Large: Maegan Ayre

Member-at-Large: Beverley Darville

Member-at-Large: Livy Wren

Member-at-Large: Tiffany Ribeiro

Archives Association of Ontario East est (AAOEe) Chapter Executive 2022-2023

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 16:35:40 GMT

Archives Association of Ontario East est (AAOEe) Chapter Executive 2022-2023

The Archives Association of Ontario East est (AAOEe) Chapter Executive 2022-2023 has been announced. Members of the Executive are:

President: Claire Sutton

Claire Sutton is an Assistant Archivist with the City of Ottawa Archives, where she has worked since 2015. She holds an M.A., History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London and a Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Algonquin College, Ottawa. Prior to working for the City Archives, she interned with the Canadian Museum of Nature Archives in Gatineau. In 2015, Claire received the Shirley Spragge Bursary from the AAO, awarded to emerging archives professionals to attend the annual AAO Conference.

Vice President: Matthew Moore

Matthew Moore is an Archival Assistant at Library and Archives Canada in the Government Records Initiative Division. Matthew’s educational background is in Canadian social and military history and includes an Honours B.A. in history (2013) and M.A. thesis in history (2015) both from Carleton University. His thesis research focused on veteran identity and helped him develop a passion for archives as he sought out answers to his own historical questions. His current work focuses on the reappraisal of government textual and architectural records. As a lifetime resident of Ottawa, he has worked as an assistant historian at the Canadian War Museum and has held a number of research positions in the National Capital Region.

Past President: John D. Lund

John D. Lund hails from the dark recesses of British Columbia where tourist migrate on an annual basis. He is a corporate archivist at the City of Ottawa Archives specializing in electronic records. John’s previous positions, include, Collections Management Archivist, City of Red Deer, and Visual Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta. John has provided workshops on born digital and traditional photographs at the provincial/national level. He has presented papers on visual records and digitization at ACA conferences and has provided peer review for Archivaria. He continues to provide workshops on a variety of topics including photographic records, copyright and audio preservation and digitization. Outside of the nine to five John is a photographer, writer and general punk.

Treasurer: Theresa Sorel

Theresa Sorel has been Treasurer of the Eastern Chapter of the Archives Association of Ontario since 2006. A native of Nova Scotia, Theresa holds an Honours B.A. in History from St. Francis Xavier University and an M. A. in History (Scottish Studies) from University of Guelph, as well as a certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship from Sir Sandford Fleming College. She has worked at several archives, art galleries and museums in Peterborough, Toronto and Ottawa and is currently the Special Media and Exhibitions Archivist at the City of Ottawa Archives.

Secretary: Marcia Mordfield

Marcia Mordfield is an Assistant Archivist at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum and the Aviation and Space Museum. She has worked for the Corporation for the last 20-years, primarily with the archival photograph collections. Marcia holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Carleton University and a Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Algonquin College. A highlight in her archival studies was participating in a placement at the Natural History Museum in London, England.

Member-at-Large (Social Media): Jacinda Bain

Jacinda Bain fell into the archival world quite by accident during a family reunion in Nova Scotia and a visit to a small archives. Once she returned home Jacinda promptly quit her job and went back to school at Algonquin College, enrolling in the Archives Technician Program (Intensive) and hasn't been the same ever since. Upon graduation, she has been working in the archival field for several years and has worked in many archival and records management environments in the Ottawa-Carleton region. Currently, she is working as an Archivist at the City of Ottawa Archives specializing in municipal records and in the curation of exhibits.

Member-at-Large: Anne Lauzon

Anne Lauzon, after university, has worked in records management and archives for the last 30 years. She has kept abreast of records and archival developments through night classes, readings, and implications in the records/archival community. During her career, she has had the opportunity to work with various types of organizations’ archives and records centers such as: the Centre-de-recherche-en-civilisation-canadienne-française within the Faculty of Arts at University of Ottawa, the Ottawa General Hospital, and the Archives of the University of Ottawa. She has had the chance to work with and adapt various archival and records management tools in collaboration with IM specialists. Anne is part of a team of 6 archivists within the City of Ottawa. This team works closely with records managers on several other projects.

Member-at-Large: Moo-Jun Kim

Moo-Jun Kim (Pronouns: He/Him) has recently completed the Master of Information programme (Archives and Records Management Concentration) of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information (iSchool). He was born in South Korea and came to Canada as an immigrant in 2011. In South Korea, he had been a student and labour activist that supported labour strikes or peace movements. He has been a volunteer at the ArQuives since February 2017 and is currently working as a Student Library Assistant at University of Toronto Libraries, Downsview. He has obtained a BA (Honours) in history and an MA in history and East Asian studies from York University. He will embark on working towards the Juris Doctor programme of the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, this September.

Member at Large: Emery Leger

Emery Leger is an Archivist with Skate Canada and is a subject specialist in figure skating. Before his life in the archival field, he worked as a skating coach for 46-years, with a specialization in figure skating Singles-Free style. Some highlights during his career were coaching skaters to national and international medals, being a Mentor Coach for the National Coaching Certificate Program, and studying with Olympic Coach Douglas Leigh. Emery was the founder and director for the Mariposa - Moncton Skating Club, 1st Satellite School of Doug Leigh. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors for Skate Canada.

Member-at-Large: Emma Carey

Emma Carey is currently an archivist with the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives in Arnprior, Ontario. She served as Archivist there from 2018-2021, when she left Ontario for Halifax. This year, Emma is back and working with the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives again. She obtained her MLIS from McGill University in 2014, and is interested in Indigenous perspectives and archival practices, community memory, municipal archives, education, and outreach. The Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives is a non-profit, volunteer-run archive that aims to acquire, preserve, and make available important historical documents in the Arnprior and McNab/Braeside area.

Nominations for 2022-2023 AAO Board of Directors

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 17:15:00 GMT

Nominations for 2022-2023 AAO Board of Directors

The AAO’s Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the 2022-2023 Board of Directors, to be voted on by AAO members at the 2022 virtual AGM (Friday, May 27th, 2022). Nominations from the floor during the AGM will also be accepted.

Stay tuned for more information about the virtual AGM in the coming weeks.

VP-President Elect: Sarah McDougall

Sarah McDougall (MI, MMSt) has been a member of the AAO since 2013 and has served as a member of the Advancement Committee since 2019. She was the moderator for the AAO’s "Archival Conversations: Solo Archivists and Small Staff Archives" in 2020 and has been the moderator of the “Safe Spaces for Archival Workers with Disabilities, Chronic Illnesses, and the Neurodivergent” sessions since 2020. She was also the Chair of the ACA Student Chapter at the University of Toronto for the 2015-2016 academic year. Sarah has experience working in the archives and records management fields for government agencies and cultural institutions and is currently the archives assistant at the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives.

Director Without Portfolio: Leslie Thomas

Leslie Thomas (formerly Thomas-Smith) has been an Archivist at Western University Archives and Special Collections for 20 years after graduating with a BA in history from the University of Guelph and an MLIS from Western. In addition to having experience in most aspects of archival work, she has presented at AAO conferences and SAA’s research forum. Her main research interests include; increasing the representation of groups traditionally excluded from the archives and intellectual access to collections. She was a member of the ACA’s membership committee and ran the mentorship program for several years. She has been involved with many internal committees during her time at Western, including Western Libraries’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion subcommittee since its inception. Currently, she chairs a working group to develop policies and procedures to review and update the language used in legacy archival descriptions. She is passionate about getting more material from members of excluded/underrepresented groups and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.

We look forward to your participation at the AGM on May 27th.

The AAO 2022 Nominations Committee

CALL FOR POSTERS: 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 17:27:27 GMT

These Are Unprecedented Times: How Archives and Archivists Changed, Struggled and Thrived Through Challenging Periods

The Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to announce its Call for Posters for the 2022 Annual Conference to be held virtually from May 25-27, 2022.

The 2022 Conference Program Committee invites poster proposals broadly connected to the conference theme of “These Are Unprecedented Times.”

We especially welcome and encourage posters by and from archivists who identify as part of minority communities. We also welcome posters from students, new graduates, and emerging archivists, or those archivists associated with under-represented institutions or collections. All individuals who work with archival records are invited to submit a proposal.

Potential subjects for consideration include but are not limited to:

Changes to archival work through and post the COVID-19 pandemic or other major upheavals – practical and theoretical;
Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession and in our collections;
Responding to key movements such as Black Lives Matter, Truth and Reconciliation, etc.;
Developing better connections and engagement with known and new research communities;
Straddling the demands of rapid digital advances and the spectre of technological obsolescence;
Other topics related to archival practice will be considered.

Poster proposals should include an abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of no more than 100 words for each participant.

Proposals should be submitted to: AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

Proposals should use the subject line format: AAO2022_Poster_Lastname-Firstname

The due date of proposal submissions is March 31, 2022.

If successful, the presenter(s) will be later required to submit a short video (under 5 minutes) of their poster presentation and be available to attend a live Q&A during the conference.

On behalf of the AAO 2022 Conference Program Committee

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

aao@aao-archivists.ca

Call for AAOEe Chapter Executive volunteers for 2022-2023

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 19:08:02 GMT

Archives Association of Ontario EAST EST (AAOEe) CHapter

The AAOEe wants you for the Chapter Executive in 2022-2023!

What does the AAOEe do?

The Archives Association of Ontario East / est (AAOEe) Chapter is a volunteer-led organization under the umbrella of the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO). The Chapter serves and engages our membership, provides programming, and promotes archives, heritage, and information management to the public through events. We also connect with the AAO Board to support its efforts to build membership and advance the organization’s development.

Why do we need volunteers?

The AAOEe is managed by volunteers and all the work we undertake requires the time and energy of an engaged team. The combined efforts of our Executive allow us to bring tours, workshops, speakers, and other events to the Eastern Ontario region.

We are currently looking for new members to join the Executive to help shape the Chapter’s yearly program, develop activities for our membership, assist emerging professionals and advocate for the archival community.

What do we want to do?

The AAOEe must be responsive to your needs and interests. To this end, we want to build a diverse Executive that reflects our membership. Whether you are new to volunteering, a student, an established archivist, or a member of an allied discipline (such as heritage or information management), all voices are welcome and respected.

The Executive meets roughly 8 times per year and consists of the following roles, all of which are one-year terms that are elected at the Chapter AGM (April 2022) and are open for the 2022-2023 year. In addition to the responsibilities described below, all members contribute some time to program development and implementation.

For more information on any of the roles below, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact the AAOEe Chapter Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

Which role do you want to fill?

President

The President provides leadership to the Chapter. This includes acting as spokesperson for the Executive, the membership, and stakeholders to the AAO Board and other interested parties. For Executive meetings, work includes scheduling, setting the agenda, and chairing the meetings. The President also ensures that the Chapter is fulfilling its responsibilities to the AAO Board, such as submitting required reports. Note: upon leaving office, the President is asked to stay on the Executive for an additional year in an advisory role as Past-President. Time commitment: 5 hours per month, with additional time required for the AAO Leadership Meeting and AAO Annual General Meeting.

Treasurer

The Treasurer looks after the Chapter’s finances. Duties include preparing budgets and financial statements, writing cheques, managing deposits and investments, and reporting on the previous year’s finances at the AAOEe AGM. Time commitment: 3-4 hours per month, with additional time required for the AGM.

Secretary

The Secretary is the official record keeper for the Chapter. They take minutes of all meetings and distribute documentation to the Executive and the general membership as required. Time commitment: 2 hours per month.

Vice-President

The Vice-President performs the duties of the President in their absence and advances the interests of the AAOEe. This often means providing support with planning and program development. The VP is encouraged to stand for President upon completion of the latter’s term. Time commitment: 3 hours per month

Member-at-Large

The Member-at-Large position assists the Executive to build capacity in subject areas that may be pertinent to the broader membership.

For example, the Communications Officer is a portfolio assigned to a Member-at- Large. The Communications Officer updates the AAOEe Facebook page with upcoming events, tours, and workshops. Other social media tools may also be used.

Note: the AAOEe encourages student participation, particularly through the Member- at-Large position. There is no limit on the number of Member-at-Large positions.

For more information on any of the roles described above, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact the AAOEe Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

AAO Job Posting: Archeion Coordinator Service Contract

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 22:04:59 GMT

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) Archeion Coordinator Service Contract

The AAO is seeking an enthusiastic and engaged archival professional to lead the growth and continued maintenance of Archeion (www.archeion.ca) as Ontario’s archival information network.

Archeion promotes access to and awareness of Ontario's documentary memory. The site electronically brings together the many diverse archival collections across the province to facilitate online searching and access to them through the use of the latest advances in open source software for archives. Archeion serves a diverse population of general and specialized researchers, including students, teachers, academics and genealogists. Participating institutions that submit descriptions to the site represent small, medium and large archival institutions from all sectors, including provincial and municipal government archives, university archives, religious archives, business archives and community Archives.

Position Duties:

Reporting to the AAO Board of Directors, the Archeion Coordinator will lead the ongoing development of Archeion on the AtoM platform as an online, multi-level, Rules for Archival Description (RAD) compliant provincial catalogue of archival holdings by delivering the following products and services:

Working with the AAO Board of Directors to encourage archival institutions to participate in Archeion, preparing written articles, listserv reminders, presentations etc., that promote the benefits of Archeion to members of the public and the archivists who serve them;
Responding to queries from contributors to Archeion;
Overseeing finding aids submitted by participating institutions to the Archeion site;
Provides remote services and workshops for Archeion contributors on descriptive standards and AtoM software;
Assisting Archeion contributors with preparation and submission of their descriptions;
Assisting Archeion contributors with the bulk uploading of records
Reviewing submissions from participating archival institutions and ensuring that they are consistent with Archeion’s standards;
Maintaining the consistency of the authority files and taxonomies on the Archeion site;
Recording all activities undertaken and preparing regular status reports, including Archeion usage statistics;
Participating in meetings and presentations as required

The Archeion Coordinator is expected to perform duties under the contract on a part-time basis, for an average of 7.5 hours per day, three (3) days per week, commencing by April 1, 2022, and ending on March 31, 2023 (with the possibility of contract renewal).

Remuneration for the services of the Archeion Coordinator will be at a monthly rate of $2,116.38 (plus HST), supplemented by a monthly office stipend of $100 (plus HST) for Internet and telephone use.

Qualifications:

MLIS or Master’s degree in archival studies or a recognized equivalent or a combination of related education and experience;
Minimum three (3) years' experience in a professional archival capacity;
Experience using archival descriptive standards;
Experience using and managing archival content management systems and databases; with AtoM experience preferred
Experience and demonstrated proficiency in project management;
Demonstrated computer skills;
Ability to multitask and prioritize;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; and
Access to a high-speed Internet connection, computer hardware and an ability to work from home.

Asset Qualifications:

Fluency in English and French;
Demonstrated involvement in the archival profession;
Knowledge of the AAO;
Experience with inter-institutional relationships and strong collaboration skills.

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three (3) references to Krista McCracken, AAO President, president@aao-archivists.ca by 5:00 pm (EST) on Friday February 25, 2022.

Although we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Archives Advisor Program Update

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 14:00:00 GMT

After much consideration, the AAO Board of Directors has decided that as of March 31, 2022, the AAO will no longer be offering the Archives Advisor Program. This decision was made following an intensive operational and fiscal analysis.

As the needs of the AAO membership continue to evolve, the AAO continues to look for ways to better serve its members. This includes supporting the expansion of our professional development offerings.

The AAO Board is continuing to plan for the future and is reviewing our programming offerings and membership benefits. As such, in 2022 we will be undertaking a membership survey to further understand the needs of our members. We are tremendously grateful for all of the work of the archives advisors over the years.

In this time of transition, members can reach out to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca or contact AAO President Krista McCracken at president@aao-archivists.ca.

Sincerely,

AAO Board of Directors

Giving Tuesday

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 17:48:45 GMT

Support the AAO for GivingTuesday! Donate today for your chance to win a complementary individual AAO membership and tote bag!

By supporting the AAO on GivingTuesday, you are directly helping us develop and sustain our programs and services. Monetary donations assist the AAO in planning, organizing and offering cost-efficient workshops, conferences and other professional development opportunities for archivists and professionals in related fields.

You can help support the AAO in other ways too! Consider donating your time, talent or resources and become a volunteer or a workshop speaker! You can also help us spread the word on various social media platforms by resharing the AAO’s GivingTuesday campaign or by sharing your own message as to how the AAO has helped support you in the past.

You can donate directly on the AAO website. You will receive a tax receipt for your contribution. All donations for GivingTuesday will be put in a raffle to win a complementary AAO 2022-2023 individual membership and tote bag! The raffle draw will take place on Thursday, December 2, 2021.

Thank you for your support!

Call for Papers: 2022 Annual Conference

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:29:13 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for the 2022 Annual Conference to be held on May 25 to 27 at Brock University in St. Catharines.

Theme: These Are Unprecedented Times: How Archives and Archivists Changed, Struggled and Thrived Through Challenging Periods

How often have we heard the phrase, “these are unprecedented times” over the past couple of years? Regardless of the era, archives and archivists need to adapt and respond professionally and resourcefully in times of disruption and change.

The Conference Program Committee invites proposals for examinations on this general topic in past, present and future contexts.

Potential subjects for consideration include:

Changes to archival work through and post the COVID-19 pandemic or other major upheavals – practical and theoretical;
Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession and in our collections;
Responding to key movements such as Black Lives Matter, Truth and Reconciliation, etc.;
Developing better connections and engagement with known and new research communities;
Straddling the demands of rapid digital advances and the spectre of technological obsolescence;
Other subjects will be considered.

Submissions of proposals for complete sessions or individual papers are welcomed. Proposals should consist of a brief abstract of approximately 250 words, a mini bio, your institutional affiliation, and if you prefer to present in-person or virtually and be sent to:

The AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

The due date of applications/submissions is January 7, 2022.

Sessions may take the form of a:

Traditional session - 2 to 3 presentations of 20 minutes per speaker with questions to follow
Discussion panel - brief presentations of approximately 10-15 minutes per speaker with discussion to follow
Roundtable or structured conversation - presentations of 5 to 7 minutes with open discussion between speakers
Creative and innovative approach to presentations - 1 hour, 15 min

Come join us in the Niagara Peninsula – the setting of much connective history, entertaining tourism attractions, unique natural beauty, and the heart of the Canadian wine industry. Forget Paris. You will love Niagara in the springtime.

While we are preparing to see everyone in person in May, there may be a need for a shift to a virtual based environment depending on ongoing pandemic measures.

On behalf of the 2022 Conference Program Committee

Fall 2021 issue of Off the Record now available!

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 20:32:40 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The fall 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes a message from AAO president Krista McCracken; a profile on AAO member Rob Fisher; a joint article by Neale Borutskie and Sean Smith on the Archives of Ontario’s GLAM Wiki initiative; another article by Sean Smith introducing the Ontario archival community to Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Dr. Karen Cyrus, who are working on a project titled Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives; and a tribute to the late John David Smart by Iona McCraith.

Stay dry!

Michael

MAIG Virtual Open House 2021

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 02:33:51 GMT

Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Virtual Open House

October 22^nd, 2021 – 9:30am-2:30pm

You are invited to join the MAIG Executive for our virtual Open House event on October 22^nd. This year, as an alternative to our annual in-person event, our municipal archives colleagues will be connecting via Zoom!

Join us in the morning for presentations by Liz Dommasch and Megan Lockhart from the Oxford County Archives, Carolynn Bart-Riedstra and Carol Small from the Middlesex Centre Archives, and Karin Noble from the Grey Roots Museum & Archives. The presentations will feature exclusive looks behind the scenes into their institutions’ facilities, storage spaces, reading rooms, processing areas, and more. Following the presentations, join us in the afternoon to connect with other municipal archive colleagues and engage in exciting archival conversations during our MAIG meeting.

Agenda:
9:30am-9:45am • Welcome and introductions
9:45am-12:00pm • Presentations by:

- Liz Dommasch and Megan Lockhart, Oxford County Archives

- Carolynn Bart-Riedstra and Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives

- Karin Noble, Grey Roots Museum & Archives
12:00-1:00pm • Break for lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm • MAIG meeting

If you plan on attending the MAIG Open House please send your RSVP by Wednesday, October 20^th, to Megan Lockhart at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca or by calling 519-539-9800 ext. 3070.

***Note: You can enter the Open House Zoom session by simply clicking the link below. The same link can be used to attend both the morning Open House presentations at 9:30am, and the MAIG meeting after lunch at 1:00pm. A link to the Zoom session will also be posted on the MAIG webpage before the event along with the MAIG meeting agenda package.

Please find the Zoom details below:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88578204511?pwd=VzRDcjBFbUhhVjlaSVpwbWx1bzl1Zz09

Meeting ID: 885 7820 4511

Passcode: 324727

One tap mobile

+17789072071,,88578204511#,,,,*324727# Canada

+12042727920,,88578204511#,,,,*324727# Canada

Dial by your location

+1 778 907 2071 Canada

+1 204 272 7920 Canada

+1 438 809 7799 Canada

+1 587 328 1099 Canada

+1 647 374 4685 Canada

+1 647 558 0588 Canada

Meeting ID: 885 7820 4511

Passcode: 324727

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdQ6fvkD2r

I’m looking forward to connecting with you all at the Open House!

Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair

JUST RELEASED: Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) - Annual MAIGazine Publication

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 23:11:33 GMT

NEW EDITION: Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual MAIGazine Publication

On behalf of the MAIG Executive, I am pleased to present the 17^th issue and 2021 edition of the Municipal Archive Interest Group’s yearly publication, the “MAIGazine”. The theme for this year’s issue was inspired by the resilience and optimism displayed by our colleagues in spite of an ongoing pandemic and features exciting updates from municipal archives throughout the Province, along with information on our fall virtual Open House. Please find the current issue available on the MAIG webpage.

For more information about MAIG or to view previous issues of the “MAIGazine” please visit our page on the AAO website: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

Thank you to everyone who submitted articles and news for the 2021 Edition! If you have comments or suggestions on how to improve future issues of the “MAIGazine” feel free to contact our Executive.

Best Regards,

Megan

Summer 2021 issue of Off the Record now available!

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:32:54 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The summer 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes a message from incoming AAO president Krista McCracken, a profile on AAO member Amy Furness, an article by Olivia White about how she identified a mysterious image of a girl with fairy wings, the 2021 AAO awards announcement, and much more. The cover photo comes courtesy of Oxford County Archives. Thank you to Megan Lockhart for giving us permission to use it.

The excellent fall 2020 issue is now available to all.

Michael

MAIG call for Open House participants

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 16:56:02 GMT

Hello colleagues,

After having to regrettably cancel the annual Open House of the Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAIG Executive is excited to announce that we will be holding a virtual Open House this year. The Open House is set to take place this fall (exact date TBD) and the Executive is putting out a call for archives that would like to take part. We are looking for participants who would like to share behind the scenes videos of their institutions/facilities (storage vaults, stacks, reading rooms, conservation labs, programming and exhibition spaces, etc.), provide virtual tours, or share short presentations on specific projects related to collections storage, space utilization, or renovations/expansion.

Presentations and tours will be shared via video communication app (e.g. Zoom or something similar) with time slots of approximately 30 mins – 1 hour available depending on the number of participants. We are seeking 3 to 4 participating archival institutions. If you are interested in presenting for the virtual Open House, please contact Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair, at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca by August 6.

Information on previous Open Houses, and minutes from Open House meetings are available in past editions of our newsletter the MAIGazine available at https://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

The MAIG Executive – Megan, Amber, and Gina

Drop here!

Call for Submissions - MAIGazine

Thu, 20 May 2021 13:25:27 GMT

Hello colleagues,

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is seeking article submissions to include in our 2021 edition of the MAIGazine. This year’s theme will be “Resilience, Optimism and Obstacles,” and we would love to hear any updates or interesting news you would like to share. Did you begin or complete an exciting project this year? What changes to your institution (good or bad) were brought on by the pandemic? Any lessons learned? Where do we go from here and what is next for your archives?

We will also be introducing a new column called “The Brag Board” where we will highlight and celebrate exciting accomplishments and milestones achieved by individuals and institutions in our community. Examples include, but are not limited to: receiving a grant, completing a special project, media mentions, new hires, retirements, reaching a career milestone, or simply shouting out a colleague for their work! We are looking for short submissions for this feature, and are excited to use this column to collectively encourage and celebrate one another moving forward.

If you are interested in contributing, please send your submissions as a Word Document to Amber Mandich (amandich@elgin.ca) by July 30th. If you are including photos with your submission, please send them as JPEG files. Feel free to contact Amber with any questions about submitting your article.

For information about MAIG, or to view past issues of the MAIGazine, please visit our webpage here: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig .

Thank you in advance for your submissions. We look forward to reading your articles!

Sincerely,

The MAIG Executive – Megan, Amber, and Gina

AAO 2021 Award Winners

Mon, 17 May 2021 13:13:40 GMT

The AAO Awards Committee – consisting of Jean Dryden, Matt Szybalski, David Sharron, and Rodney Carter – were pleased and honoured to announce the winners of the 2021 AAO Awards at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting held on May 14th, 2021.

Three Emerging Professional Awards, an Alexander Fraser Award, a James J. Talman Award, and one AAO Institutional Award were presented this year.

Amanda Oliver was presented with the AAO Emerging Leader Award in 2021 for her impressive professional and scholarly work, her demonstrated leadership, and her active participation in the professional archival community.

The Emerging Leader Award was presented to Joshua Klar in recognition of his work in establishing and managing the Norfolk County Archives, his community outreach efforts, and for his active participation in Archives Association of Ontario.

For her professional and scholarly work, service to archival associations, and in recognition of the key role she has played as a mentor to racialized colleagues, the AAO presented the Emerging Leader Award to Katrina Cohen-Palacios.

For his dedicated service to the archival community in Ontario and his tireless efforts in sharing his knowledge and passion for digital preservation, Grant Hurley was presented with the Alexander Fraser Award.

This year, the James J. Talman Award was presented to Mary Grace Kosta for her work developing the student practicum program at the Archives of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph with which she has demonstrated an outstanding level of imagination and innovation in supporting new members of the archival profession.

In recognition of the extraordinary work of its archivists and volunteers, and its continuous improvement over the years, the Archives Association of Ontario presented the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives with the AAO’s Institutional Award.

The full citations for the winners can be here. Please join me in congratulating them all.

Rodney Carter

Chair, AAO Awards Committee

Archives Association of Ontario 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Wed, 05 May 2021 13:00:39 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario will hold its 2021 annual general meeting (AGM) virtually on May 14, 2021, between 10:00 and 11:30am via Zoom.

Anyone is welcome to attend the AGM. However, only individual AAO members will be able to vote on motions (with the exception of the vote for IDC Chair, which is only open to institutional members). You can register for the meeting here. We have two constitutional amendments for discussion as well as voting for the 2021-2022 AAO Board of Directors. The Board sincerely wishes to welcome as many members as possible to this virtual event.

Details on how to join the meeting will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the meeting. Please register by May 11 if you wish to attend the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting and proposed constitutional amendments can be found here. The AGM Information Package, which includes the minutes from the 2020 AGM and reports from the Board, Staff, Committees, Chapters and Special Interest Groups, will be distributed to all members in early May. The 2021 Information Package will also be made available on the AAO Website.

This year, there are five positions available on the AAO Board of Directors: Vice-President/President Elect, Director Without Portfolio, Secretary-Treasurer, Website Administrator, and IDC Chair. You can read more about the current slate of nominated candidates for these positions here. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the AGM.

We hope that you will join us on May 14th!

Please register here.

Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) - Upcoming AGM and Executive Election

Gillian Shaw — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:30:00 GMT

Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Virtual AGM

May 5th, 2021 – 10:00-11:30am

Please join the MAIG Executive for our virtual AGM on May 5^th from 10:00-11:30am!

This year, we are looking for nominations for two Executive Member positions – the Chair and Vice-Chair of MAIG (please click here for more details). Nominations can be sent in advance of the meeting, or submitted at the AGM from the floor.

Agenda:
- Call for Nominations (Chair and Vice Chair)
- Chair's Report 2020-21
- Financial Reports 2020-21
- Other Business
- Roundtable

Agenda Package

Please find the Zoom details below:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/91051173854?pwd=azFhYVRGNE1kaXhKOEtsMnZZSDYzQT09

Meeting ID: 910 5117 3854

Passcode: MAIG_AGM

One tap mobile

+16475580588,,91051173854#,,,,*87695292# Canada

+17789072071,,91051173854#,,,,*87695292# Canada

Dial by your location

+1 647 558 0588 Canada

+1 778 907 2071 Canada

+1 204 272 7920 Canada

+1 438 809 7799 Canada

+1 587 328 1099 Canada

+1 647 374 4685 Canada

Meeting ID: 910 5117 3854

Passcode: 87695292

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acCWVAMZNe

Hope to see you at the AGM next month!

Jill Shaw, MAIG Chair

Nominations for 2021-2022 AAO Board of Directors

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 17:11:32 GMT

Nominations for 2021-2022 AAO Board of Directors

The AAO’s Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the 2021-2022 Board of Directors, to be voted on by AAO members at the 2021 virtual AGM (Friday, May 14th, 2021). Nominations from the floor during the AGM will also be accepted.

Voting for the position of IDC Chair is only open to AAO Institutional Members, and that vote will be held by special ballot at the AGM as per section 6.10 of the AAO Constitution.

Stay tuned for more information about the virtual AGM in the coming weeks.

VP-President Elect: Rachel Beattie

Rachel E. Beattie is an Assistant Media Archivist at the Media Commons Archives, part of the University of Toronto Libraries. A graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information, she is passionate about both sound and moving image archives and community – specifically LGBTQ2+ - archives. She is one of the co-chairs of the Sound and Moving Image Special Interest Section at the ACA and served on the 2021 AAO Conference Programming Committee. She is also a member of the Community Engagement Committee of the ArQuives: Canada’s LGTBQ2+ Archives where she hosts their monthly LGBTQ2+ trivia hour.

Secretary-Treasurer: Charlotte Chaffey

Charlotte Chaffey graduated with a Master of Information Studies (2002) from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information. She has held a number of professional archival and records management positions with institutions such as the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Law Society of Ontario, and York University. Charlotte currently holds the position of Archivist/Records Manager at the Royal Ontario Museum where she is responsible for all aspects of archival services. Charlotte earned the Practicing NAAB Appraiser (PNA) designation in March of 2020.

Director Without Portfolio: Moska Rokay

Moska Rokay is the Digital Humanities Research Fellow at the Institute of Islamic Studies (UofT) tasked with coordinating the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA). Moska’s research interests lie in the interdisciplinary crossroads of archives, critical race and ethnicity studies, media studies, and identity formation in diaspora communities of war and trauma. She is an advocate for community-centered, activist archives and archives of diaspora communities. In 2020, she was the recipient of the ACA New Professional Award and Archivaria’s Gordon Dodds Student Paper Prize. She completed her Master of Information at the University of Toronto and defended her thesis in 2019.

IDC Chair: Jessica Barr

Jessica Barr is the University Archivist and Records Manager for the University of St. Michael’s College (Toronto, ON), where she is responsible for the official records of the University, the University art collection, and the archives of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. Since 2019, she has also served on the Board of the Archives Association of Ontario as the Secretary-Treasurer. She holds a Master of Information degree from the University of Toronto (2011).

Website Administrator: Melissa Nelson

Melissa Nelson holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History, with a minor in Sociology, from Carleton University. She also completed a Master of Information Studies at McGill University. Her experience includes working for George Brown College Archives, The Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives, the Law Society of Ontario Archives, and Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University. Melissa conducts research and produces content on history and archive related topics for her website melissajnelson.com.

We look forward to your participation at the AGM on May 14th.

The AAO 2021 Nominations Committee

Join TAAG for our Annual General Meeting!

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 17:45:02 GMT

When: April 12, 2021 from 4:30-6:00pm

Where: Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/96609410727?pwd=MXlwQ1FHL0xyc3Jad2RtL3VQUjgxZz09

Meeting ID: 966 0941 0727
Passcode: 383617
One tap mobile
+16473744685,,96609410727#,,,,*383617# Canada
+16475580588,,96609410727#,,,,*383617# Canada

Dial by your location
+1 647 374 4685 Canada
+1 647 558 0588 Canada
+1 778 907 2071 Canada
+1 204 272 7920 Canada
+1 438 809 7799 Canada
+1 587 328 1099 Canada
Meeting ID: 966 0941 0727
Passcode: 383617
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aezyXSXQR4

Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/279892517069799

Agenda:

- President's Report 2020-21
- Financial Statements 2020-21
- Other Business

Spring 2021 issue of Off the Record now available!

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:53:22 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The spring 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes features from Sean Smith discussing the role of a provincial acquisition strategy in a changing profession and Iona McCraith outlining the elements of a deed of gift. The issue also includes a member spotlight on Kelli Babcock. The woman on the cover is Etta Simon. Thank you to the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre for the photo.

The excellent spring 2020 issue is now available to all.

Wishing everyone health and sunshine,

Michael

Archives Awareness Week 2021 – “Ask an Archivist”

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:07:08 GMT

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week 2021 and our theme of Archives@home, the Archives Association of Ontario has organized an “Ask an Archivist” event, taking place Tuesday, April 6 to Thursday, April 8 between 10 am to 4 pm EDT. Each day, a roster of guest host archivists will take over the AAO Twitter account @AAO_tweet for one hour to answer your questions and comments.

The schedule of guest archivists and their areas of expertise is listed below. Please join us for these conversations on Twitter @AAO_tweet, and don’t forget to tweet about your own Archives Awareness Week 2021 celebrations using the #2021AAW hashtag!

Monday, 5 April 2021
	2:00pm-3:00pm	Lisa Snider, Archeion Coordinator	Archeion and Researchers
	3:00pm-4:00pm	Julia Holland, Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections	Re-purposing already digitized content as puzzles
Tuesday, 6 April 2021
	10:00am-11:00am	Mary G. Kosta, The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada	How to prepare for the next pandemic
	11:00am-12:00pm	Mandy O'Brien, City of Toronto Archives	Access during the pandemic
	12:00pm-1:00pm	Krista McCracken, Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre	Supporting research and community during the pandemic
	1:00pm-2:00pm	Nick Moreau, Region of Peel Archives	Archives during the pandemic
	2:00pm-3:00pm	Iona McCraith, AAO Archives Advisor	Keeping personal archives at home; any archive topic
Wednesday, 7 April 2021
	10:00am-11:00am	Natalya Rattan, John Shoesmith, Danielle van Wagner, Fisher's Rare Book Library	Outreach during the pandemic
	11:00am-12:00pm	Jennifer Grant, York University	Activities during COVID
	12:00pm-1:00pm	Adele Torrance, Ingenium	Changes to work and outreach during COVID
	1:00pm-2:00pm	Moska Rokay, Muslims in Canada Archive	Outreach during the pandemic
Thursday, 8 April 2021
	10:00am-11:00am	Megan Lockhart, Oxford County Archives	Outreach during the pandemic and digital engagement
	11:00am-12:00pm	Andrea McCutcheon, University of Toronto Archives	Supporting research during the pandemic
	12:00pm-1:00pm	Lucie Handley-Girard, The ArQuives	Community archives broadly within the pandemic
	1:00pm-2:00pm	Raegan Swanson, The ArQuives	Outreach during the pandemic
	2:00pm-3:00pm	Gina Dewaele and Amber Mandich, Elgin County Archives	Archives during the pandemic

Support the AAO’s Shirley Spragge Bursary fund with a purchase from Plantables

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 20:59:33 GMT

The 2021 AAO Conference will be fully virtual and so is our 2021 Shirley Spragge Bursary fundraiser. This year, we are pleased to announce that we’re partnering with Plantables to raise money for this bursary, which supports AAO conference attendance by providing free conference registration and reimbursement of travel costs for bursary recipients.

What is Plantables?

Plantables is a Canadian company based in Forest, Ontario, that grows organic leafy greens, fruit, vegetable and herb plants and ships them to your door exactly when they need to go into the ground or planter.

Pick which plants you want to grow, choose when you want them delivered, and wait for your box of garden-ready plants to arrive at your doorstep.

Purchase individual plants or choose from a variety of plant kit options.

How does the program work?

All purchases can be made at Plantables.ca. To support this fundraiser, make sure to enter the code AAO2021 at the checkout. The AAO receives 10% of every sale made using the AAO2021 promo code. Don’t forget to share the code with your plant-loving friends and family to help us reach our $800 fundraising target!

When can I order?

Our AAO2021 code is active now, so order anytime! The campaign will be open until June 30, 2021.

Thank you for your support of the AAO and the Shirley Spragge Bursary!

Volunteer opportunity: Join the AAO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 20:58:23 GMT

The AAO Board of Directors is looking for AAO individual members to form a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group for a one-year term (2021-2022). While the specific activities of this new group will be determined by its members, the general focus of the AAO Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group will be to:

Provide advice to the AAO Board of Directors on integrating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles into the AAO’s work, policies and structures and aligning with the 2020-2023 AAO Strategic Plan goal 1.3 to diversify AAO leadership and membership

Provide guidance to assist AAO members on matters relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their institutions, including locating resources and training

At the completion of the one-year term, the Working Group will provide the AAO Board of Directors with DEI-related recommendations, which may include the creation of a permanent AAO Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standing committee.

Questions and expressions of interest can be sent to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group’s co-chairs Jennifer Grant (president@aao-archivists.ca) and Krista McCracken (vp@aao-archivists.ca).

Archives Awareness Week 2021 is April 5th to April 9th! Sign up for the AAO’s “Ask an Archivist” Twitter Takeover!

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 14:01:00 GMT

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week 2021, the Archives Association of Ontario has once again organized a virtual “Ask an Archivist” event, taking place Tuesday, April 6 to Thursday, April 8 between 10 am to 4 pm EDT.

This year, a roster of guests will take over the AAO Twitter account @AAO_tweet for one hour around the theme of Archives@home. We invite guests to share information and answer questions about working with archives remotely, how they’ve made material and services available online, and methods used during the pandemic to support research and engagement with archival collections.

Archival staff and institutions interested in signing up for a one hour time slot are asked to contact MacKenzie Gott, AAO Web Administrator at webadmin@aao-archivists.ca by March 29th, 2021.

AAOEe Annual General Meeting

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 18:00:08 GMT

Dear AAO East (AAOEe) Chapter Members,

It is once again that time of the year when we welcome you to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM), taking place on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7 pm. At that time, we will be electing the Chapter’s Executive for the 2021-2022 year.

Volunteering on the AAOEe Executive offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and to apply their knowledge and skill set to the service of Ontario’s archival community.

All executive positions are open and are one-year terms. We welcome any AAO Eastern Chapter member in good standing to put forth their name to stand for an executive position. For the descriptions of all the positions on the Executive follow the link https://aao-archivists.ca/News/8738116. If you wish to put your name forward or to nominate a member, please contact us at aaoeast@gmail.com.

Call for nominations are open until Friday, April 9, 2021 after which nominations are closed until the AGM. At the AGM, calls for nominations will be made from the floor.

This year, the AGM will be virtual using Zoom. We will provide further details closer to the date.

We are also pondering a virtual social after the meeting. What that may look like we are working out.

For a full list of current AAOEe Executive Members please check out our Bios on the AAO website, https://aao-archivists.ca/aaoee. Our social media guru and Member-at-Large, Maria Paraschos is stepping aside from her position. We would like to thank her and we greatly appreciate her time and effort.

Please register through Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvf-CupjMjGtB1bwIOvoPmzzyMv1z_x46e

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Our contact list may not be fully up to date. If you wish to be removed from the contact list please let us know and we will endeavour to remove you. On the flip side if we have missed anyone, please let us know.

Sincerely,

John Lund, President

AAOEe Chapter

AAO East/est presents a virtual archives tour to celebrate Archives Awareness Week

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 20:12:22 GMT

Join the Archives Association of Ontario, East/est Chapter on Thursday, April 8 as we virtually explore three archives in Eastern Ontario and beyond. See behind the scenes of the newly built Ingenium Archives, the Port Hope Archives, and the City of Ottawa Archives. Archivists from each institution will introduce their video tour and be available for questions.

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Time: 7–8:30 PM EDT

Cost: Free (registration is required)

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Register by April 7: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlf-GvqDwiH9DP5ZtUUZT70sf9RJ-pOINR

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Ingenium Archives – Adele Torrance :

Adele Torrance is Archivist at Ingenium (Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum, and Canada Agriculture and Food Museum) in Ottawa. Prior to joining Ingenium in 2017, Adele worked for UNESCO in Paris, the International Monetary Fund Archives in Washington, D.C., and at the Halifax Regional Municipality Archives as a Young Canada Works intern. She graduated with a Master of Archival Studies from UBC in 2005.

Port Hope Archives - Rachel Arnaud:

For the past 4 years, Rachel has been the sole archivist at Port Hope Archives, located in a former Land Registry office in Port Hope, Ontario. This small town has a rich history stemming from the mighty Ganaraska River which runs through the middle of town down to Lake Ontario. The Archives exists to collect, preserve, and provide public access to the history of the town of Port Hope and Hope Township.

City of Ottawa Archives – John D. Lund:

John D. Lund is the Digital Records archivist at the City of Ottawa Archives. He is an active member of the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) and is the President of the AAO Eastern Chapter, AAOEe. John specializes in the history of photography, digital records management, and copyright. He holds a Master's of Archival Studies from UBC and an MA in History from UVic.

For questions, please contact the AAOEe at aaoeast@gmail.com

Proposed amendments to the AAO Constitution

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 15:17:18 GMT

Dear AAO members,

The AAO Board of Directors voted in favour of proposed changes to the AAO Constitution in two areas: composition of the AAO Board of Directors and membership categories. It is the Board’s belief that these amendments would provide better support for the creation of responsive professional development programming and make it easier for new professionals to affordably join the AAO. Please direct any questions about these proposed changes to aao@aao-archivists.ca.

The following is a summary of the recommended changes to the Constitution of the Archives Association Of Ontario. In accordance with Section 20, Amendments to the Constitution, these recommended changes are being distributed to AAO members at least 60 days prior to the 2021 AAO Annual General Meeting. These proposed amendments will be voted on by AAO members at the 2021 AAO Annual General Meeting on 14 May 2021, with the opportunity for discussion in advance of the votes.

1. Creation of a new Board of Directors position: Professional Development Committee Chair

Current wording

1. Definitions

1.1 Definitions — In these by-laws:

(e) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Association, composed of the elected positions:

President

Vice President / President Elect

Secretary / Treasurer

Two Directors Without Portfolios

Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder

Website Administrator

Institutional Development Committee Chair

3. Directors

3.1 Composition of the Board of Directors —

(a) The affairs of the Association shall be directed by a Board of eight (8) elected Directors, each of whom shall be a Voting Member of the Association.

(b) The eight members of the Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the Vice-President/President Elect, the Secretary / Treasurer, two (2) Directors without Portfolio, the Chair of the Institutional Development Committee, the Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder, and the Website Administrator. Presidents shall attend board meetings for one (1) year following the end of their term in a Past President role, which holds no voting rights.

4. Officers

4.1 Officers — The Board shall have the following Officers as elected at large by the memberships:

(a) a President;
(b) a Vice President/President Elect;
(c) Secretary / Treasurer;
(d) Two Directors Without Portfolios
(e) a Website Administrator

and can appoint among its members such other Officers as the Board may determine from time to time.

Revised wording

1. Definitions

1.1 Definitions — In these by-laws:

(e) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Association, composed of the elected positions:

President

Vice President / President Elect

Secretary / Treasurer

Two Directors Without Portfolios

Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder

Website Administrator

Institutional Development Committee Chair

Professional Development Committee Chair

3. Directors

3.1 Composition of the Board of Directors —

(a) The affairs of the Association shall be directed by a Board of nine (9) elected Directors, each of whom shall be a Voting Member of the Association.

(b) The nine members of the Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the Vice-President/President Elect, the Secretary / Treasurer, two (2) Directors without Portfolio, the Chair of the Institutional Development Committee, the Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder, the Website Administrator, and the Professional Development Committee Chair. Presidents shall attend board meetings for one (1) year following the end of their term in a Past President role, which holds no voting rights.

4. Officers

4.1 Officers — The Board shall have the following Officers as elected at large by the memberships:

(a) a President;
(b) a Vice President/President Elect;
(c) Secretary / Treasurer
(d) Two Directors Without Portfolios
(e) a Website Administrator
(f) a Professional Development Committee Chair

and can appoint among its members such other Officers as the Board may determine from time to time.

2. Change to classes of membership: Student and New Professional Members

Current wording

8. Membership

8.1 Classes of Membership — There shall be five classes of Members in the Association as follows:

(a) Institutional Members — Open to institutions in Ontario which have met basic standards established by the Canadian Council of Archives nationally and by the Association provincially to be considered recognized archives. These institutions are eligible for institutional funding;
(b) Individual Members — Open to all individuals engaged in a professional capacity in the field of archival science and all other individuals interested in the field of archival science;
(c) Friends of the AAO — Open to all institutions, corporations and individuals who wish to receive the Association publications and who are interested in supporting the aims and objectives of the Association;
(d) Student Members - Open to all individuals pursuing full-time studies at a recognized educational institution who are interested in pursuing a career in archival work for the duration of their studies plus two years after the year of graduation;
(e) Retired members – Open to all individuals who have retired from full-time work as archivists.

Revised wording

8. Membership

8.1 Classes of Membership — There shall be five classes of Members in the Association as follows:

(a) Institutional Members — Open to institutions in Ontario which have met basic standards established by the Canadian Council of Archives nationally and by the Association provincially to be considered recognized archives. These institutions are eligible for institutional funding;
(b) Individual Members — Open to all individuals engaged in a professional capacity in the field of archival science and all other individuals interested in the field of archival science;
(c) Friends of the AAO — Open to all institutions, corporations and individuals who wish to receive the Association publications and who are interested in supporting the aims and objectives of the Association;
(d) Student and New Professional Members - Open to all individuals pursuing full-time studies at a recognized educational institution who are interested in pursuing a career in archival work for the duration of their studies and new professionals who have graduated within the past two years;
(e) Retired members – Open to all individuals who have retired from full-time work as archivists.

TAAG workshop: Dismantling White Supremacy in GLAMs

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 18:39:30 GMT

Register for the Toronto Area Archivist Groups' (TAAG) Dismantling White Supremacy in GLAMs Workshop on March 18, 2021 from 7:00-8:30pm.

This workshop will use activities and tools developed by Archivists Against to identify and dismantle white supremacy in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) sector. Participants will develop an understanding of white privilege, white supremacy, personal and structural racism, and how they manifest in and through GLAM educational programs and professional practice. Participants will brainstorm concrete actions to dismantle oppressive structures in their workplaces, organizations, and the field as a whole. The workshop is intended to open a conversation that will continue into individual workplaces, and nurture a community of practitioners who are working together against white supremacy in the GLAM sector.

Date/Time: March 18th, 7-8:30 pm

Tickets:

AAO members: $20
AAO student members: $15
AAO non-members: $40

Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary for the AAO 2021 Conference are now being accepted

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 20:51:36 GMT

The 2021 AAO annual conference, with the theme "Doing The Work: From Colonial Pasts to Inclusive Futures" will be held virtually from May 11-14, 2021.

Up to $1300 in funding for free registrations is available through the Shirley Spragge Bursary for students, new professionals, and archivists in financial need.

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 9th.

Archeion Update-March 3, 2021

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 19:48:35 GMT

Artefactual is going to be working on Archeion as of 5 pm on Wednesday, March 3rd. It will be not available for use until the next morning, Thursday, March 4th at 10 am.

In order for this upgrade to take place, I need to ask members to NOT input any data into Archeion from 5 pm on Wednesday, March 3rd to 10 am on Thursday March 4th.

Any new data uploaded during this time may be lost, so please refrain from logging in to the site until the upgrade is complete.

I do apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Cheers,

Lisa Snider

Archeion Coordinator

Archives Association of Ontario

AAO Board of Directors Election - 2021 Nomination Process

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 15:00:53 GMT

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2021 – May 2024)

Liaising with AAO Standing and Special Committees and/or Sub-committees thereof, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability; and
Supporting the President in providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, its staff, and the secretariat office.
The VP assumes the position of President in the second year of their term and in the third year serves as a non-voting member of the Board in the capacity of Past President.

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (May 2021 – May 2023)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contributing to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

Secretary/Treasurer: Two-year term (May 2021 – May 2023)

The Secretary/Treasurer provides a key oversight function of the financial affairs and records management of the association. Specific duties include:

(Secretary role):

Being acquainted with Roberts Rules of Order, and ensuring the Board follows these in its proceedings;
Ensuring that documentation for all Board meetings is compiled, posted to the AAO Google Drive, and shared with meeting participants in advance of each meeting, consulting with Board members as necessary to do so;
Taking and finalizing all Board meeting minutes, and ensuring that all decisions are motioned and recorded;
Circulating draft Board meeting minutes to meeting participants for review within two weeks following each meeting;
Entering decisions carried in the master Motions database;
Saving all approved Board meeting minutes on the Google Drive and ensuring public access to them via the AAO website;
Playing a lead role in efforts to maintain and update the written policies, procedures, guidelines and manuals of the Board; and
In collaboration with the AAO Office, ensuring that the records of the Association are properly filed and disposed of.

(Treasurer role:)

Monitoring, on a monthly basis, the AAO's budget as prepared and managed on the Association's behalf by the AAO Office, and bringing issues regarding revenues or expenditures to the Board's attention as they arise;
Ensuring the Board's financial policies are being followed, or recommending actions where financial policy gaps persist;
In cooperation with the President, approving all expenses incurred by the Association and signing all cheques of the Association;
Recommending the approval of the auditor (to be identified by the AAO Office) to the membership (to be ratified at each AGM);
Presenting to the membership (at each AGM) highlights of the annual audit prepared by the auditor; and
On behalf of the Board, working with the AAO Office to ensure that government compliance documents are filed with various government agencies as required.

Website Administrator: Two-year term (May 2021 - May 2023)

The Web Administrator is also a part of the Communications and Advocacy Committee.

Chair, Institutional Development Committee: Two-year term (May 2021 - May 2023)

Specific activities include:

Reporting all matters related to institutional members discussed at a Board level;
Liaising with institutional members to bring matters of concern from the institutional members level to the Board level for discussion and/or action; and
Optimizing the relationship between institutional members and the Board;
Coordinating the annual Institutional Members Symposium;
Representing the AAO at meetings of the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA).

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Jennifer Grant, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Krista McCracken, Vice-President (vp@aao-archivists.ca)
Tys Klumpenhouwer, Director Without Portfolio (director2@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only.

Please complete and submit the nomination form to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line “Nominations 2021”, and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nomination forms must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 5, 2021.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Grant

President, 2020-2021

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

AAO Awards - Call for Nominations

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 22:02:28 GMT

The AAO Awards Committee is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2020 AA1 Awards are now open.

We are accepting nominations for the five awards given out annually by the association: the Alexander Fraser Award, the James J. Talman Award, and the AAO Emerging Leaders Award, which are presented to individuals, as well as the Corporate and Institutional Awards which recognize archives, corporations and other organizations which have made significant contributions to the archival community in Ontario.

The awards will be announced at the AAO Annual General Meeting during the Conference being held virtually 11-14 May 2021.

Nominations are due by April 9th, 2021.

For more information on the awards criteria and nominations process, please visit the Awards page.

Yours,

Rodney Carter

Chair, AAO Awards Committee

Winter 2021 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 18:49:11 GMT

Hello AAO members!

The Winter 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

The most recent issue includes features from Alison Little discussing the launch of the James Bay Treaty (Treaty No. 9) online exhibit and Iona McCraith encouraging AAO members to join the Archives Emergency Response Network (AERN). The issue also includes a member spotlight on Jacinda Bains. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not draw attention to the handsome canine on the cover: Charlie. Thank you to Karin Nobel of the Grey Roots Museum and Archives for submitting that.

This was my first time editing Off the Record, and I want to extend thanks to Grant Hurley and Farah Friesen, both of whom improved on the layout I came up with and provided a much needed second (and third!) pair of eyes.

The excellent Winter 2020 issue is now available to all.

Wishing everyone health and safety,

Michael

Doing The Work: From Colonial Pasts to Inclusive Futures

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:47:06 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to announce its Call for Posters for the 2021 Annual Conference to be held virtually from May 11-14, 2021.

The Conference Program Committee invites poster proposals broadly connected to the conference theme.

Potential subjects for consideration include but are not limited to:

Archival silences and barriers to access
Redescription projects, addressing colonial legacies in archivy
Community archival disruptions, adaptations, and innovations
Individual and institutional responses to the A Reconciliation Framework for Canadian Archives, TRC Final Report, UNDRIP, OCAP, the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials, and other recommendations
Approaches to community consultation, collaboration, and outreach
Imagining and re-imagining archival futures
Re-imagining archival education
Thinking critically about “the profession”
Anti-racism and archives
Critical race theory from a Canadian archival lens

The presenter(s) will be required to submit a short video (under 5 minutes) of their poster presentation and be available to attend a live Q&A during the conference. Presenters will also have the option of sharing their poster on the AAO Instagram and Facebook account.

Poster proposals should include an abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of no more than 100 words for each participant.

Proposals should be submitted to: AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

Proposals should use the subject line format: AAO2021_Poster_Lastname-Firstname

The due date of applications/submissions is February 28, 2021.

On behalf of the AAO 2021 Conference Program Committee

Seasons Greetings!

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:53:15 GMT

On behalf of the AAO’s staff and board of directors, I would like to offer you and our fellow members our best wishes for a healthy and restful holiday break. While this year has been a difficult one (to say the least), I hope that we can all look forward to better times in 2021.

We would also like to inform you that the AAO office will be closed for the holidays from December 21st, 2020 to January 3rd, 2021 inclusive, reopening on January 4th.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

All my best,

Jennifer Grant
President, 2020-2021
president@aao-archivists.ca
Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Fall 2020 issue of Off the Record is now available!

Grant Hurley — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 15:59:44 GMT

Hello AAO friends,

I am pleased to announce that the Fall 2020 issue of Off the Record
is now available to members. AAO members can access the issue here.

This issue includes features from Sara Janes, who reports on an informal survey of archives' reopening policies, and Danielle Robichaud on the joys and trials of migrating descriptions to AtoM. The issue also includes a member spotlight featuring Katrina Cohen-Palacios and plenty of news and updates on the many goings-on of the AAO and our community. And not to mention an amazing stitched cover submission from Julia Holland!

The Fall 2019 issue is also now open to all readers.

Finally, I should note that this is my last issue in the role of Editor. You can read all about it in the Editor's message, but the long and short of it is that I am extremely grateful for the wonderful support OTR has received over the last 5 years, including all the great writing, ideas and projects I have been privileged to showcase in this publication. I am extremely excited to say that Michael Friesen (Archivist at the Ontario Jewish Archives) will be taking on the role starting with the next issue. Please join me in welcoming Michael - and think about submitting something to the next issue! I will be assisting Michael with the Winter 2021 issue so it would be ideal to have some wonderful writing for us to edit together!

Best,

Grant Hurley
OTR Editor

Join us for NOAA's Virtual Archives Crawl!

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:42:15 GMT

The Northwestern Ontario Archivists' Association is holding its first-ever Virtual Archives Crawl on November 10, 8pm EST/ 7pm CST. We'll be sharing behind-the-scenes videos and slideshows of our facilities and collections, featuring contributions from across the Northwest.

Anyone working in archives, museums, or heritage collections in the North of Ontario is invited to register for the event at:

https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ldOyhrzsvH9AINcoZfv33Sx5HlX132m1o

For more information, please contact noaa.archivists@gmail.com.

Hope to (virtually) see you there!

JUST RELEASED: Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual MAIGazine Publication

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 20:53:00 GMT

On behalf of the MAIG Executive, I am pleased to present the 2020 Edition of the Municipal Archive Interest Group’s yearly publication, the MAIGazine. This issue features various updates from throughout the Province, including information from the AAO’s COVID-19 Survey, the upcoming Institutional Issues Symposium, and institutional updates. For quick access, please find the current issue available on the MAIG Website, or view the issue through this shortened link: https://bit.ly/2EN87hX.

For more information about MAIG, to view previous issues of the MAIGazine, please visit our page on the AAO website: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for the 2020 Edition!

Take care,

Gillian

Save the date: IDC’s Institutional Members’ Symposium (online)

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 13:26:31 GMT

Please join us on Thursday, October 22, 2020, for the AAO’s annual all-day Institutional Members’ Symposium, organized by the Institutional Development Committee (IDC).

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 via Zoom. 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 to an online platform will open up the dialogue to participation by members from all areas of the province.

Save the date for now, but stay tuned for more information.

AAO 2021 Programme Committee Volunteer Opportunity

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 17:46:22 GMT

Do you want to get involved with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)? The Programme Committee for the AAO 2021 conference is looking for volunteers. The 2021 conference will be held in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on May 12-14, 2021.

The broad theme for the 2021 conference is reconciliation and decolonization. The Programme Committee is responsible for the management of information and ideas for the intellectual direction of the conference and will be working to put together the programme for the 2021 conference.

If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Krista McCracken at vp@aao-archivists.ca.

The AAO is looking for a new editor for Off the Record!

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:47:24 GMT

Are you an AAO member who has enjoyed reading or contributing to Off the Record (OTR), the quarterly digital newsletter published by the AAO? Or are you looking for opportunities to connect with and learn from other members of the archival community in Ontario? Or perhaps you’re an archivist with great organizational and editorial skills to share with the AAO?

If so, the AAO has a volunteer opportunity for you as the new editor of Off the Record!

Off the Record publishes quality writing on archives by the AAO community, the AAO Board of Directors, chapters, special interest groups and AAO staff on a variety of subjects. Issues include articles sharing professional knowledge, updates on outreach activities, profiles of archival workers, features on archives-related projects and events, and news and announcements about the AAO’s activities.

Off the Record is published four times per year in the spring, summer, fall and winter. Back issues are located on the AAO website here.

The OTR Editor is responsible for collecting, editing, and formatting submissions, and publishing the issue. The Editor also assists with coordinating advertising and reporting annually to the AAO Board of Directors. The term for this position is typically two years with an option for renewal. This position can also be configured as a co-editorship for two people on a staggered term basis.

Please contact Jennifer Grant or current OTR Editor, Grant Hurley, with expressions of interest or for more detailed information about this position.

MAIGazine 2020-DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPT 4

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 14:25:32 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is seeking article submissions to include in our 2020 edition of the MAIGazine. This year we are looking for articles about your new projects or any updates and interesting news you would like to share. How have you been staying connected with your patrons, communities, and peers this year? What new virtual services are you now offering? What steps have been taken at your archives to diversify your community’s historical narrative? We want to hear from you!

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send your submission as a Word Document to Megan Lockhart (mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca) by September 4th. Please submit any photos you would like included in your article separately as a JPEG or TIFF. Feel free to contact Megan with any questions about submitting your article.

For information about MAIG, the MAIGazine or to view past issues, visit our webpage at http://aao-archivists.ca/maig .

Thank you in advance for your submissions, we look forward to reading them.

Best,

Gillian Shaw, Megan Lockhart and Gina Dewaele

MAIG Executive

Summer 2020 issue of Off the Record now available - and it's open access!

Grant Hurley — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 15:34:10 GMT

Dear AAO friends,

I am pleased to announce that the Summer 2020 issue of Off the Record is now available for all readers. In recognition of the need to support knowledge-sharing and professional development during these difficult times, the AAO has generously made this issue open access.

Readers can access the issue here.

This issue includes four very topical, thoughtful and engaging feature articles that reflect the authors' experiences of the current moment and addressing the future of our profession:

Stefanie Martin, Tamara Rayan and Moska Rokay, the convenors of the recent BIPOC Forum at the 2020 ACA conference, describe their work advocating for support of BIPOC students at the University of Toronto iSchool and outline the insights, experiences and outcomes of the Forum.
Rebekah Mitchell presents an honest and thought-provoking look at the subject of mental health and resilience for archivists.
Two pieces reflect on the rapid changes in services from physical to virtual at the Oxford County Archives (Megan Lockhart) and the Archives of Ontario (Teresa Maljar-Hupel, Jay Young and Sean Smith).

The issue also features AAO news and community updates, including citations for the 2020 AAO Awards, a message from AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith, a member spotlight featuring David Sharron, an exhibit announcement from the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives, and more!

The previous Summer 2019 issue is also now accessible to all here.

Best,

Grant
OTR Editor

AAO Committee Volunteer Opportunities 2020-2021

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 18:32:00 GMT

Do you want to get involved with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)? Are you a new professional looking to meet fellow archivists and contribute to the field? If so, you’re in luck! The AAO is looking for individuals to help support our mandate of furthering the education of Ontario’s records and information professionals and advocating for the interests of the province’s community of archives, heritage organizations, and records institutions.

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

Professional Development Committee (PDC)
Advancement Committee
Communications and Advocacy Committee (CAC)
Student and New Professionals Outreach Committee

The Communications and Advocacy Committee and Digital Access and Preservation Committee also have vacancies for the position of chair.

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the AAO website.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to Director Without Portfolio Samantha Shields at director1@aao-archivists.ca.

Best regards,

Jennifer Grant

President, 2020-2021

Announcement of AAO Board of Directors 2020-2021

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 20:22:50 GMT

Dear Membership,

We are pleased to announce the 2020-2021 AAO Board of Directors. Together we look forward to working alongside the Ontario archival community to uphold the values of the association.

Thank you to exiting directors for their dedication, wisdom, and contributions, especially Juanita Rossiter who has served as Special Advisor, Michael deJong who served as the Chapter Stakeholder, and to Lauren Halsey for serving as Director Without Portfolio.

President	Jennifer Grant
Vice-President / President Elect	Krista McCracken
Secretary / Treasurer	Jessica Barr
Institutional Development Committee Chair	Matthew Fells
Director without Portfolio	Tys Klumpenhouwer
Director without Portfolio	Samantha Shields
Chapter Stakeholder	Claire Sutton
Past President	James Roussain
Web Administrator	MacKenzie Gott

The minutes from the 2020 Annual General Meeting are available on the AAO website here for review.

Best regards,

Jennifer Grant

2020 AAO Award Winners

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 17:06:38 GMT

The AAO Awards Committee consisting of Jean Dryden, Matt Szybalski, David Sharron, and Rodney Carter – were pleased and honoured to announce the winners of the 2020 AAO Awards at the AAO’s AGM held on June 25th, 2020.

JAMES J. TALMAN AWARD – ANNA ST. ONGE

The James J. Talman Award was named after the second Archivist of Ontario, who served from 1935 to 1939. He subsequently served as Chief Librarian for the University of Western Ontario until 1969. The 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.

This year, our first Talman Award is presented to Anna St. Onge. Anna is the Director of Digital Scholarship Infrastructure at York University Libraries. Prior to taking on this role, she was the Digital Projects and Outreach Archivist at York’s Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections. As Director of Digital Scholarship Infrastructure, she is establishing the infrastructure that supports digital scholarship, including collaboration, access, data curation and long‐term preservation solutions, digital pedagogy, rights management, and research dissemination. In this capacity, she is leveraging her considerable archival experience to develop strategies, policies and processes around the management and use of digital records, and by extension is raising awareness of what archivists have to offer beyond the strict confines of the archives. According to her nominators, Anna’s work has shown how integral the archives are to the digital work that is ubiquitous in libraries and that notions of discovery, dissemination and preservation need to be considered using an archival lens. Anna’s influence is true to her characteristic grassroots nature, where she has tirelessly participated in meetings to ensure that archival viewpoints are heard and integrated into functional requirements. Her work in this capacity is described as “transformative” and that her being “at the leading edge of organizational change within the libraries [has been] truly innovative as [she] challenges conventional thinking about archival work and she has made archival practice inseparable from digital librarianship at York University Libraries.”

In her work at York University and beyond it, Anna is, as her nominators write, “generous with her time and knowledge, and imaginative and collaborative in her approach. Anna has become a visionary and a champion of what the potential of archives can be for future generations…” Further, they write that she “has repeatedly used her position and voice within the profession to push important questions forward. She has provided achievable ways of weaving values rooted in equity, inclusion, reconciliation and the upholding of human rights into the evolution of our practice.”

While her nominators note that Anna would be the first to state she does not do her work alone, her work is exemplified by courage, commitment, integrity, generosity, and leadership. She never hesitates to step up to take on difficult work, to speak out when required, and never fails to support and uplift those she works alongside, without seeking recognition for doing so.

For her innovative work in bringing archival theories and methodologies to digital scholarship and for her continuing efforts to put challenging ideas and beliefs into action, we are thrilled to present Anna St. Onge with the James J. Talman Award.

JAMES J. TALMAN AWARD – PAULETTE DOZOIS

The second Talman Award for 2020 is being awarded to Paulette Dozois. Paulette is currently Senior Lead Archivist/Block Review Team Leader in the Public Services Branch of Library and Archives Canada. She will be retiring this year, after forty‐three years at LAC, during which time she has brought new ideas and approaches to her own work and that of her institution.

Throughout her career, Paulette has championed researchers’ rights and sought to make the federal public records held by LAC open and available. Exemplifying her innovative approach to access has been Paulette’s key role in the development and implementation of Block Review at LAC.

Block Review is the systematic review of blocks or series of archived government records which incorporates a risk‐based approach that looks at both the age of the record and the subject. It is completed by using various sampling strategies to determine whether the records can be opened for public access under both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The process involves identifying and examining representative parts of the archival record and opening the records based on the findings of the examination.

The methodology was first developed in the early 2000s but despite early promise being shown, the programme soon faltered. In 2010, Paulette was chosen to revive Block Review, renewing and enhancing its methodology, and she was responsible for cultivating the political will within LAC to ensure its success. Despite being redeveloped during a tumultuous time at LAC, under Paulette’s leadership, the project was able to garner early important successes and she was able to strategically exploit these successes to ensure Block Review became a permanent feature of LAC’s accessibility regime.

Using sampling techniques to review large swaths of archival records, Paulette has been successful in adapting and improving traditional archival principles in the review of archival records to proactively open records in a fast and efficient manner, even before researchers have a chance to ask for access. To date, Paulette and her team have been able to open in excess of fifty million previously closed and restricted federal government documents, opening more than 10 times the number of records opened in a traditional manner.

Paulette has made presentations and given workshops on the new method across Canada and internationally and this methodology is now being considered for adoption by a number of provincial and even international archives.

Paulette’s nominators recount a CBC News interview from December 2015 where LAC archivists were asked about their most unusual finds among the papers of ex‐ Prime Ministers and Paulette recounted how, while working with the Mackenzie King Papers, she found one of his molars among the files. "I wore white gloves," she said. The nominator continued, stating “Paulette Dozois has worked more than forty years in the archives field. She has worn white gloves when appropriate, but more often, she has had the gloves off as she fought to preserve Canada’s historical records, to tell the world about them, and to get them into the hands of researchers.” In recognition of her long career working to provide access to Federal records, culminating in her innovative work in developing Block Review, the AAO is delighted to present Paulette Dozois with the James J. Talman Award.

CORPORATE AWARD – PORTSTORONTO

The AAO Corporate Award is given to organizations, corporations, or agencies of any kind that have been particularly supportive of archives and/or the archival community. Nominees may include: organizations that have provided significant support to the promotion of education, publication, and/or other professional activities; organizations that have provided significant support to the activities of a particular institution; and organizations that have demonstrated imagination or creativity in the use of archives.

The AAO is pleased to present the 2020 Corporate Award to PortsToronto. PortsToronto, formerly known as the Toronto Ports Authority and, prior to that, the Toronto Harbour Commission, is the agency that is responsible for the management of city’s harbour and waterfront, including Terminals 51 and 52 of the Port of Toronto, the Outer Harbour Marina, and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The archives of PortsToronto was founded in 1975 and contains records dating back to the creation of the Toronto’s Harbour Trust in 1850 and the archives documents the management and evolution of the city’s waterfront from that time to the present. With the passing of the 1999 Canada Marine Act, the Toronto Harbour Commission became the Toronto Port Authority and the records fell under federal jurisdiction. While the records could have been transferred to Library and Archives Canada, it was determined they should remain in Toronto as they still had a great deal of administrative, legal, and historical value for the Authority and for researchers in the city. The archives are used to determine rights and responsibilities with developers, to assist with contaminated soil remediation and for other environmental purposes, and for promotional purposes, historical research, and use in exhibitions.

In 2017, following the rebranding of the agency to become PortsToronto in 2015, the agency’s building – and the archives’ home ‐ at 60 Harbour St was sold. PortsToronto moved into the Queen’s Quay Terminal building but a new location was needed for the archives. PortsToronto undertook a major renovation of storage rooms at Terminal 52, creating a modern archival storage space, complete with HVAC system, fire‐suppression and security systems, and additional shelving. Archival reference is provided out of the Queen’s Quay Terminal offices. In the words of the nominator, “Over the course of 45 years, the Toronto Harbour Commission and PortsToronto have been keepers of a documentary legacy that began in the mid‐19th century. It has used its archives in innovative ways that offer corporate and public benefits. The costs of preservation and access could have been avoided by transferring these holdings to Ottawa. Instead, PortsToronto has ensured that these significant records remain in the region in which they were created and are accessible to promote an understanding of the historical context that shapes contemporary challenges facing Toronto’s waterfront.”

For its long track record of stewardship and its recent investment in the storage of its archives, the AAO is pleased to present PortsToronto its Corporate Award for 2020.

Support the AAO’s first-ever virtual silent auction in support of the Shirley Spragge Bursary! June 18-25, 2020

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:20:23 GMT

Thanks to generous donations from AAO supporters, the AAO is holding a virtual silent auction! This event, usually held in person at the AAO’s annual conference, supports the Shirley Spragge Bursary. Because of the cancellation of our 2020 conference, the AAO Awards Committee will be awarding two bursaries for the 2021 AAO conference in Sault Ste. Marie!

Auction info:

You will find the auction here.

In order to bid, you will need to create a free account with 32 Auctions

You have the option of exact bids or proxy bidding. See more about bidding here.
The auction will run for a week before the AAO AGM, beginning at 6:00 am on June 18th EDT and ending on June 25th at 7:00 pm EDT
Auction winners will be invoiced by the AAO office - you won’t be asked to pay for your item through the 32 Auctions website
Auction winners will receive their items after payment has been received by the AAO office

Questions or concerns? Contact vp@aao-archivists.ca

Thank you to all participants for your support of the AAO! Happy bidding!

AAO: 2020 Annual General Meeting Information Package

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 13:54:20 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario will hold its 2020 annual general meeting (AGM) virtually on June 25th, 2020, between 2:00 and 3:30 via Zoom. You can register to attend the meeting here. We have a number of items to discuss this year, including the launch of the AAO’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. The Board sincerely wishes to welcome as many members as possible to this virtual event.

Details on how to join the meeting will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the meeting. Please register by June 22nd if you wish to attend the meeting.

Please register to attend the AGM here.

Please review the following documents:

The AGM Agenda and proposed constitutional amendments, here.
The official AGM Package, containing all year-end reports and the 2019 AGM draft minutes, here.
The 2019-2020 final financial audit, here.
AGM vote transfer form (proxy form), here. Please complete the form and return to aao@aao-archivists.ca by June 22nd 2020 if you wish to enact a proxy vote.
The AAO 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, here.

Draft financial statements will be circulated prior to the AGM and appended to the AGM package once available.

This year, there are two positions available on the AAO Board of Directors: Vice-President/ President Elect and Director Without Portfolio. You can read more about the current slate of nominated candidates for these positions here. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the AGM.

Please register to attend the AGM here.

Hope to (virtually) see you there!

Nominations for 2020-2021 AAO Board of Directors

Tue, 19 May 2020 17:08:47 GMT

Dear AAO members,

It is with great pleasure that the AAO Nominations Committee announces the following slate of Directors put forth to the AAO Membership for election at the Annual General Meeting on June 25, 2020. More information about the AGM will follow within the week.

Vice-President/President Elect: Krista McCracken

Krista McCracken is an archivist and public historian. Since 2010, they have worked at Algoma University’s Arthur A. Wishart Library and Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, in Baawating (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Métis people. Krista’s work focuses on community archives, Residential Schools, access, and outreach. Krista is also an editor of the popular Canadian history website Activehistory.ca. They have a range of board experience including serving on the Board of Directors of the National Council on Public History and the board of Thinking Rock Community Arts.

Director Without Portfolio: Tys Klumpenhouwer

Tys Klumpenhouwer has worked at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services in a variety of roles since 2013. Since August 2019, Tys has served as University Archivist. In addition, Tys has taught the graduate course, INF2175: Managing Organizational Records at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information for several semesters. He has also held key leadership positions within the archival and records management communities, including the Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities Records Managers Group, the Secretary of the Toronto Area Archivists’ Group, and is an active member of the Association of Canadian Archivists.

Nominations from the floor will also be accepted during the AGM.

We look forward to your participation at our AGM in June.

AAO 2020 Nominations Committee

Virtual Silent Auction- Call for Participants 2020

Wed, 06 May 2020 17:26:47 GMT

Donate items to our first-ever Virtual Silent Auction, to be held June 18-25, 2020!

The in-person 2020 AAO Conference was cancelled this year, but our commitment to supporting Ontario archivists continues!

We are looking for AAO members and supporters to donate non-perishable items that can be mailed, such as (but not limited to):

Artwork – Archival supplies – Books –

Hand-crafted pieces (e.g. jewelry, knitted wares) – Pottery –

Gift Cards (e.g. food and drink, goods, services)

In an effort to support small and/or locally owned businesses during this time, we encourage our supporters and members to consider donating gift cards from these types of businesses that can ship items in Ontario.

Funds raised from this auction will go to the AAO Shirley Spragge Education Fund, to encourage the continuing education of archivists in Ontario. Your donations are greatly appreciated. A donation to the virtual silent auction would not only support this fund, but would honour the memory of a respected colleague. All items donated (including shipping costs) will receive a tax receipt.

If you are interested in donating to this year’s virtual silent auction or have any questions, please email vp@aao-archivists.ca

On behalf of the AAO’s Advancement Committee

COVID-19 Resources

Tue, 05 May 2020 15:41:51 GMT

In response to inquiries the AAO has received from members, related to COVID-19, new information has been added to the AAO website here under the tab Programs and Services >Online Resources. As additional information for heritage institutions becomes available this list will be expanded. We hope this information will be helpful in managing your facilities and collections during the pandemic and closure of your institution and in re-entering your workplace when the time comes. "

Spring 2020 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:37:08 GMT

Hello AAO friends,

Despite April being the cruellest month (especially this particular April), the promising signs of Spring are arriving: warmer days, longer nights and a fresh issue of Off the Record! First of all, I want to thank all the contributors who sent submissions despite the exigencies of the times. I hope you enjoy reading this issue from wherever you may be at the moment!

AAO members can access the new issue here.

And it is a splendid issue indeed. AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith and Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider offer some COVID-specific advice and resources for working from home. We profile the great work of Paul Leatherdale of the Law Society of Ontario in the Member Spotlight section. And the colleagues and friends of the late Julia Hendry recognize her remarkable contributions to our community. The issue concludes with a fantastic summary of the recent Access + Care: Indigenous Knowledges and Archival Practice symposium.

The still-fresh Spring 2019 issue is also now open to all.

I hope that all AAO members remain safe and well, and thank you for your continued support and readership!

Best,

Grant
Editor, Off the Record

Call for membership: AAO’s Professional Development Committee

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:29:13 GMT

Are you interested in contributing to the Archives Association of Ontario? The AAO Professional Development Committee (PDC) is currently recruiting five new members. Seasoned and emerging professionals, who are members of the AAO, are encouraged to join and serve a two year term.

PDC supports the archival community by providing basic and continuing education pertaining to information management. The committee seeks to:

Determine educational needs within the archival community and in conjunction with the AAO Advisor and the Archeion Coordinator.

Engage in active communication with the AAO chapters and committees in order to support them in the development of workshops.

Provide educational workshops at the annual AAO conference.

Develop and deliver educational curricula, in the form of both in-person workshops and through the use of new technologies.

Members must attend approximately 6 teleconference meetings per year and contribute to all committee discussions and activities.

If you’re interested in joining the PDC or want more information on the mandate of the committee, please contact PDC Chair, Katrina Cohen-Palacios at professionaldevelopment@aao-archivists.ca.

MAIG- Call for Nominations and Annual General Meeting Information

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:50:06 GMT

Attention MAIG members:

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, MAIG's Annual General Meeting will not be taking place as originally planned at the AAO Conference in May. Instead, information that would normally be presented at our AGM will be sent to you electronically from the AAO Office. Next week, AAO/MAIG members will be given the opportunity to take part in an online poll to approve and select the following:

1. To approve the 2019 MAIG AGM Minutes

2. To approve the 2020-2021 Financials

3. To select a Secretary-Treasurer

In order to take part in this online poll, you will need access to your AAO Account, so we ask that you please try to log into the Members Area of the AAO's Website in advance (https://www.aao-archivists.ca/Sys/Login). Should you have any problems logging into your account, please contact the AAO Office for assistance: aao@aao-archivists.ca or 647-343-3334.

Nominations for the MAIG Executive

The MAIG Executive is currently accepting nominations for the position of Secretary-Treasurer. This role supports the MAIG Executive by taking minutes at our Annual General Meeting and Open House, as well as managing finances. Additional duties include the assistance with the annual MAIGazine newsletter and other special projects as they arise. The position will commence upon the close of the online election (April 29th, 2020) and is a three year term. If you are interested in becoming MAIG's Secretary-Treasurer, please send an email to gillian.shaw@vaughan.ca with a brief biography (50-80 words max) by 5:00pm, Tuesday April 21st, 2020.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the MAIG Executive at maig.listserv@gmail.com or visit our web page at https://www.aao-archivists.ca/maig.

Thank you and take care,

Gillian Shaw, Megan Lockhart and Gina Dewaele

MAIG Executive

2019 Ontario Archival Accession Register now available!

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 13:27:26 GMT

As part of its celebration of Archives Awareness Week, the Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to release the fourth edition of the Ontario Archival Accessions Register.

Based on a survey of accessions received across the province in 2019, the OAAR presents basic information on newly acquired records, including the collecting institution, the record creator, a brief summary of the scope and content of the accession, outside covering dates, associated subject headings, reference codes or accession numbers, extent, and information on the relationship of the accession to existing holdings and descriptions (where applicable).

The OAAR was developed as part of the AAO’s Provincial Acquisition Strategy to provide a common place for archives in Ontario to share accessions information in a spirit of openness and transparency intended to encourage cooperation and collaboration in archival acquisition. The data is also made available to allow for analysis of collecting patterns and trends, enabling the archives community to identify gaps in the archival record as we work toward ensuring our collective holdings are representative of the whole province and all its people.

This fourth edition of the OAAR includes contributions from nine archival institutions, together providing information on nearly 300 individual accessions received in the last calendar year. Participating archives include community archives, university and college archives, specialist archives and the Archives of Ontario.

Download the 2019 OAAR from the AAO website and see what archives in Ontario have been collecting.

AAO Institutional Development Committee

Update to the AAOs response to COVID-19: 2020 AGM and membership renewals

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 15:15:00 GMT

Dear AAO Members,

The last number of weeks have presented unprecedented challenges for all of us. It is the sincere hope of the Board that you, your families, and loved ones are safe and well during these uncertain times. We offer our support however possible.

As you are aware, the AAO made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Conference. With this done, we will be moving our Annual General Meeting (AGM) online to a live interactive format. Please save the date for the afternoon of June 25, 2020, as it is important for all members to attend. We have several important matters to discuss, including our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan and we hope to welcome as many of you as possible to our virtual meeting.

More information about the AGM will follow in the coming weeks.

With the AGM rescheduled to June, we will be extending the nomination period for available Board positions to May 4, 2020. We are currently accepting nominations for the positions of Director-Without-Portfolio (2-year term) and Vice-President/President-Elect/Past-President (3-year term). Please be in touch with the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca should you have any questions.

In regards to membership renewals, we recognize the current situation is creating economic uncertainty and hardship for many. We invite any member who is unable to renew their membership at this time to reach out to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca. Our membership coordinator is able to extend the membership renewal date from April 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020 for any member to ensure a continuation of services until at least that date. All those who have had their memberships extended to August 31 will receive a renewal notice at that time.

I would again like to thank our wonderful volunteers for their work and all of you, as members, for your continued support of our association. We have faced a difficult year but are emerging stronger as a community.

Sincerely,

AAO Board of Directors

Archives Awareness Week 2020 – “Ask an Archivist”

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:18:17 GMT

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week 2020 and our theme of “Archives Online”, the Archives Association of Ontario has organized an “Ask an Archivist” event, taking place Tuesday, April 7 to Thursday, April 9 between 10 am to 4 pm EST. Each day, a roster of guest host archivists will take over the AAO Twitter account @AAO_tweet for one hour to answer your questions and comments.

The schedule of guest archivists and their areas of expertise is listed here. Please join us for these conversations on Twitter @AAO_tweet, and don’t forget to tweet about your own Archives Awareness Week 2020 celebrations using the #2020AAW hashtag!

Access + Care: Indigenous Knowledges and Archival Practice symposium videos now available!

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:19:55 GMT

Dear AAO Members,

As you may remember, on October 23, 2019, Deyohahá:ge: The Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic, the Archives Association of Ontario, and the Archives of Ontario held a one-day symposium exploring how memory workers and communities may respectfully care for and provide access to the many forms of Indigenous Knowledge. Its goal was to provide an opportunity to hear from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and memory workers and to explore linkages between Indigenous knowledges and Western archival practice.

Due to overwhelming response we were unable to accommodate everyone in person. We are pleased to announce that recordings of all speakers are now available for viewing on the AAO’s website.

This event was a joint venture of Deyohahá:ge: The Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP), the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) and the Archives of Ontario, with generous sponsorship from the Toronto Area Archivists Group (TAAG).

Details:

This event was webcast live; visit the Archives Association of Ontario’s YouTube channel to view recordings of the speakers and panels from this symposium.

Click here to see the Symposium agenda.

You can also view the conversation held by participants on Twitter using #AccessCare2019.

To follow further discussions on Indigenous knowledge and archival practice, subscribe to the Decolonizing Description listserv.

AAW 2020 - Call for Volunteers!

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 19:25:41 GMT

Dear Membership,

As usual, AAO plans to celebrate Archives Awareness Week with our members this year. Given the current situation we know most, if not all, archives are closed to the public and will not be running events. AAO would like to organize a virtual celebration using AAO social media. In honour of our theme "Archives Online", we would like to offer an "Ask an Archivist" event in which a number of people donate some time to respond to questions people tweet, or to chat about what they are doing to maintain a virtual archive presence, what is new in their institution, etc..

We would channel all Q&A through the AAO Twitter account using our hashtag for the week, #2020AAW. More details will be sent out to those interested. If you are comfortable using Twitter and can donate some time to respond to tweets next week between Tuesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 9, please email the Archives Advisor at archivesadvisor@aao-archivists.ca by Thursday, April 2nd.

Kind regards,

Communications and Advocacy Committee

Archeion Coordinator's Message

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:05:14 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Following on the heels of Iona's great message, I too wanted to offer my support as Archeion Coordinator. If you need to get your mind off these intensely chaotic and challenging times we face, even for a short time, Archeion is a virus free zone!

Feel free to browse the descriptions and authority records, search for family connections or even search our cat photos!

https://www.archeion.ca/informationobject/browse?view=card&sq0=cat&onlyMedia=1&topLod=0&rangeType=inclusive

I haven't forgot you dog lovers:

https://www.archeion.ca/informationobject/browse?view=card&sq0=dog&onlyMedia=1&topLod=0&rangeType=inclusive

Ferret lovers, I have one digital object just for you!

https://www.archeion.ca/informationobject/browse?view=card&sq0=ferret&onlyMedia=1&topLod=0&rangeType=inclusive

Institutional Members can update, or add, descriptions, authority records and digital objects. As well, bulk uploads have been very popular. Want to know more about those? Just email me, and I am happy to go through bulk upload options that work for your situation.

Never used Archeion or AtoM before? Or do you feel rusty, and need some training to remind you how to use it? Just email me and I can arrange virtual training by Zoom (even if you don't use Archeion, but want to know how to use AtoM). I can also send you my Archeion manual, soon to be updated to the newest AtoM version we upgraded to last week. Oh and if you are thinking of becoming a member, or may be a future member, don't be shy, contact me!

This is a tough time for all of us, certainly uncharted waters, and to date, I have eaten likely a quarter of the chocolate in the world just out of stress and anxiety. You aren't alone in this, so if Archeion can help you forget things just for a few minutes, that is super! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me, I am happy to answer any questions, and help with what I can!

Cheers

Lisa

Lisa Snider
Archeion Coordinator
Archives Association of Ontario
e: archeion@aao-archivists.ca
t: (800) 208-1936

Message from your Archives Advisor

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 20:32:41 GMT

Greetings to Everyone.

As we all struggle to deal with the new reality and concern for our families and friends, we as archivists are still the record keepers, the storytellers who will document this part of our history for future generations, as we also continue to provide access to essential information to keep the wheels turning. Doing so will require new ways of doing business, possibly for some time, but archivists, record managers, librarians, curators are capable of the challenge. Forced to think outside the box as we are may result in new opportunities, collaborations and innovative ideas that will serve us well in the future.

As part of the archival community I wanted to assure you that as AAO Advisor I am still here and working to offer information and guidance to any who need support. So do not hesitate to reach out to me at my contact information below if I can be of help.

Stay safe and be positive in these challenging times.

Iona McCraith

e: archivesadvisor@@aao-archivists.ca

Update to the AAOs response to COVID-19 and the 2020 Conference

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 18:47:44 GMT

Dear AAO Members, conference attendees, and conference presenters,

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) has been closely monitoring developments with COVID-19. In response to growing concern and newly-imposed travel restrictions, the AAO has made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Conference. This decision was not easily made and I would like to personally thank the dedication of our Local Arrangements and Programme Committee members who have dedicated their time and energy into preparing what would have been a very successful conference.

The AAO cares deeply about the well-being and safety of our community and is committed to offering a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all of our members. All those who registered for the conference will be issued full refunds within the next 3-5 business days. Please be in touch with the AAO Office should you have any questions about the status of your refund. We also suggest all members who made travel arrangements to reach out to your airline, etc. to seek refunds where possible.

We are currently exploring options as to the delivery of the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM). More information will follow in the coming weeks about the delivery of our pre-conference workshop, Fundraising and Grant Writing, with Raegan Swanson, Executive Director of the ArQuives. We will continue to issue communications on any further developments here, on the AAO email listserv, and through our social media channels.

Please write to us at aao@archivists-aao.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

AAO Conference Local Arrangements and Program Committees 2020

AAO Board of Directors

AAO response to COVID-19 and the 2020 Conference

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 14:37:44 GMT

Dear AAO Members, conference attendees, and conference presenters,

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is closely monitoring developments on COVID-19 and possible implications on our services. The 2020 AAO Conference in Thunder Bay, ON, is scheduled to proceed as planned from 13 to 15 May.

The AAO cares about the well-being and safety of our community and is committed to offering a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for our 2020 Conference. As of today there are no confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay area and the level of risk to visitors is low. Up-to-date information on Thunder Bay’s response to COVID-19 and other helpful resources are available here.

We are in communication with members, conference speakers, attendees, and exhibitors. Please write to us at aao@archivists-aao.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

The AAO Board of Directors hopes to welcome you all in Thunder Bay this May. We will issue communications on any further developments here, on the AAO email listserv, and through our social media channels.

Archives Awareness Week 2020 #2020AAW

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:05:28 GMT

Dear Membership,

The Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to announce Archives Awareness Week 2020! This year’s event will run from Monday, April 6 to Sunday, April 12.

Online tools and technology have revolutionized the way archivists work, and we pay tribute to these new developments with this year’s Archives Awareness Week theme: “Archives Online”.

To help with planning, we've put together a kit with a few resources and questions to get you started.

Questions

The following are some questions and prompts to inspire you and get you thinking about how the online environment has influenced your work as an archivist. Feel free to use as many as you want, or come up with your own.

What platforms and channels are you using to promote and provide access to your holdings?

Are you planning or have you planned any online exhibits?

How are you using social media at your institution?

Do you have any online projects you would like to promote?

Are you doing any digitization work at your institution? What are your users asking to be made available online?

How have online capabilities improved your services? What have you accomplished or achieved?

Posters

Use our AAW posters to celebrate and promote your events. Share them online or post them around your institution to get the word out. You can find them on the AAO website here.

AAW Resource Page

AAO members also have access to the AAW Resource Page. Click here for more ideas and tips on how to plan and promote your events.

Promotion

Do you have an AAW event planned at your institution that you want to highlight? Let us help you reach a wider audience! Contact archivesadvisor@aao-archivists.ca and we will share your event on the AAO website.

Please reach out if you have any questions or comments, and don’t forget to use the #2020AAW hashtag. We can’t wait to see what you have in store!

Amendments to the Constitution of the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 18:57:16 GMT

Dear AAO members,

In accordance with Section 20 (Amendments to the Constitution), the AAO Board is distributing proposed updates to the AAO Constitution, which must be distributed to the membership at least 60 days prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

AAO Board will be tabling two motions at the AGM regarding our Constitution: 1) To establish a standing committee, “A Student and New Professional Outreach Committee,” and 2) To revise the wording of the Institutional Development Committee’s membership requirements.

These amendments will be sanctioned by a vote at the 2020 AGM at the annual conference in Belleville. Please find a summary of the recommended changes here.

Thank you for your time and continued support in the AAO. We hope to see you in Thunder Bay!

Please direct any questions regarding the AAO Constitution to myself.

Kind Regards

James Roussain

President, 2019-2020
president@aao-archivists.ca
Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Early Bird Registration is NOW OPEN for #aao20conf

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 16:01:59 GMT

This year’s Archives Association of Ontario conference theme is Building Bridges, Connecting Communities. The conference will take place at the Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel in Thunder Bay, Ontario from May 13 to 15, 2020.

Conference details, including the program at a glance and information about the pre-conference workshop, travel discounts, and local information, are available on the conference page.

We are excited to see you in Thunder Bay!

Social Events

More information about the social events can be found on the social events page and in the conference program:

First Timers Reception
Opening Reception
Pub Night
Alexander Henry Tour
Conference Banquet
Port Arthur Historical Walking Tour
Informal Dinner at a Local Restaurant
Casual Archives Crawl

Register: https://aao-archivists.ca/event-3768944

Please email aao@aao-archivists.ca with any questions.

AAO Board of Directors Election - 2020 Nomination Process

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 17:13:18 GMT

Nominations are currently being accepted for two (2) positions on the Board of Directors of the AAO. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on May 15, 2020, in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2020 – May 2023)

Liaising with AAO Standing and Special Committees and/or Sub-committees thereof, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability; and
Supporting the President in providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, its staff, and the secretariat office.

The VP assumes the position of President in the second year of their term; and in the third year serves as a non-voting member of the Board in the capacity of Past President.

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (May 2020 – May 2022)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contribute to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

James Roussain, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Jennifer Grant, Vice-President (vp@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only.

Please complete and submit the form to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line “Nominations 2020”, and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nomination forms must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 6, 2020.

Sincerely,

James Roussain

President, 2019-2020

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

2020 AAO Membership Survey

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 15:35:52 GMT

Dear Member,

The AAO Board of Directors invites you to participate in a membership survey aimed at seeking your opinion of AAO programs and services. Your participation is crucially important to assist us in determining the association’s strategic direction, as well as identify gaps in programs and services the association should be developing for its membership.

The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete, and will run from February 18th to March 6th, 2020.

Please click here to begin the 2020 AAO Membership Survey.

We thank you for your time and continued support in the AAO!

Sincerely,

James Roussain

President, 2018-2020 | Archives Association of Ontario

e: president@aao-archivists.ca

Call for Volunteers for the AAOEe Executive

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 19:47:10 GMT

The AAOEe is currently looking for new members to join the Executive to help shape the Chapter’s program of archives and information professional development in Eastern Ontario.

What does the AAOEe do?

The Archives Association of Ontario East / est (AAOEe) Chapter is a volunteer-led organization under the AAO umbrella. The Chapter serves and engages our membership, provides programming and workshops, and promotes archives, heritage and information management to the public through events. We also connect with the AAO Board to support its efforts to build membership and advance the organization’s development.

The Executive meets roughly 8 times per year and consists of the following roles, all of which are one-year terms that are elected at the Chapter AGM (2 April 2020) and are open for the 2020-2021 year. In addition to the responsibilities described below, all members contribute some time to program development and implementation.

Which role do you want to fill?

- President

The President provides leadership to the Chapter. This includes acting as spokesperson for the Executive, the membership, and stakeholders to the AAO Board and other interested parties. For Executive meetings, work includes scheduling, setting the agenda and chairing the meetings. The President also ensures that the Chapter is fulfilling its responsibilities to the AAO Board, such as submitting required reports. Time commitment: 5 hours per month, with additional time required for the AAO Leadership Meeting and AAO Annual General Meeting

- Treasurer

- Secretary

The Secretary is the official recordkeeper for the Chapter. They take minutes of all meetings and distribute documentation to the Executive and the general membership as required. Time commitment: 2 hours per month

- Vice-President

- Member at Large

The Member at Large position assists the Executive to build capacity in subject areas that may be pertinent to the broader membership.

For example, the Communications Officer is a portfolio assigned to a Member at Large. The Communications Officer updates the AAOEe Facebook page with upcoming events, tours and workshops. Other social media tools may also be used.

The Member at Large may be elected at the AGM with assigned responsibilities, or it may be project based and appointed by the Executive at any point in the year. The role often builds upon the subject expertise of the volunteer. Time commitment: flexible, 2-4 hours per month

Note: the AAOEe encourages student participation, particularly through the Member at Large position. There is no limit on the number of Member at Large positions.

For more information on any of the roles described above, and to discuss how you can contribute, please contact us at aaoeast@gmail.com.

Winter 2020 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 20:37:40 GMT

The newest issue of Off the Record is hot off the presses to warm your digital screens! The issue is available to members here.

This issue is quite generously-paginated thanks to a fantastic suite of contributions from talented archivist-writers across Ontario. It includes great writing from Adele Torrance on the Ingenium Library and Archives' big move, Melissa Caza on McMaster's "rebel" med school's golden anniversary, and John Smart on the sad closure of the Algonquin College Archives and Records Management program.

Two contributors offer useful notes from recent archival events held in Toronto this Fall: Jennifer Grant provides a detailed summary of TAAG's successful Teaching with Archival Records Unconference, and I close the issue with a transcription of the panel talk "Doing Digital Preservation," featuring the smart thoughts of Amy Furness, Steve Marks, Danielle Robichaud, and Sarah Romkey.

Among our regular features is the talented Lisa Lawlis of the County of Lennox and Addington in the member spotlight, and a crucial checklist on archives security provided by AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith.

Winter 2019's issue is now open here.

Happy reading!

Grant
OTR Editor

Call for membership: AAO’s Institutional Development Committee (IDC)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:56:44 GMT

Are you interested in contributing to the Archives Association of Ontario? AAO committees are a fantastic way to network with other professionals in the field and support Ontario’s archival community.

The AAO Institutional Development Committee (IDC) is currently recruiting two new members!

The IDC advises the AAO Board on all matters pertaining to the interests of institutions and the development of a provincial archives system and assists the AAO in meeting its strategic objectives. The IDC is a voice for the AAO's institutional members and runs the annual Institutional Issues Forum. The IDC is currently drafting its 2020-2023 Strategic Plan.

IDC members serve for a two year term. The positions are open to all AAO members, including those with individual memberships. Members must attend approximately 6-8 teleconference meetings per year and are expected to contribute to all committee discussions and activities.

If you’re interested in joining the IDC or want more information on the mandate of the committee, please contact IDC Chair, Matthew Fells (idc@aao-archivists.ca).

Matthew Fells,

IDC Chair

2019 OAAR Call for Submissions

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 21:17:55 GMT

Greetings archival community of Ontario!

It’s midwinter and you know what that means… time to share information on archival accessions with your colleagues and the wider public.

The Archives Association of Ontario wants to invite each and every institution in the province that collects archival records to contribute to the 2019 edition of the Ontario Archival Accessions Register (OAAR). As in previous years, we are asking repositories to submit basic details on new accessions by completing the attached reporting form. We hope to continue building on past surveys by encouraging even more institutions to participate, whether they are currently AAO members or not.

Please use the attached form to report material legally acquired by your institution in the calendar year 2019. Completed forms should be directed to: chairs@aao-archivists.ca The deadline to submit responses is Friday, February 28th, 2020. The collected data will be made available on the AAO’s website during Archives Awareness Week in April.

Background information and FAQs on the OAAR and the Provincial Acquisition Strategy of which it forms a part can be found on the AAO website.

Drawing upon data received during the first three years of this initiative, we are pleased to offer the following facts about archival accessioning in Ontario:

Participation and scope

2016 – 17 institutions took part, resulting in 638 entries in the register

2017 – 11 institutions, resulting in 413 entries

2018 – 17 institutions, resulting in 587 entries

2016-2018 totals – 26 separate institutions together contributing over 1,600 entries to the OAAR

Oldest accession - Grant of land in Leeds County, Ontario, 1798, accessioned by the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County (CABHC)

Most recent accession – 2018 (multiple institutions)

Who to talk to about your dinner party? – CABHC, acquired 2 table cloths and a plate in 2017

Digital records: just over 215 GB plus numerous DVDs, USBs, MP3s, etc.

Number of entirely new accessions (as opposed to accruals): 657

Number of accessions with descriptions in ARCHEION: 184

Records of or donations by people with the name Bob: 5

Top three most popular subject keywords of accessioned records (in terms of ARCHEION subject headings):Community Life (293 entries), Organizations (175), Arts and Culture (160)

Bottom three most popular subject keywords of accessioned records (in terms of ARCHEION subject headings): Labour (8 entries), Birds (1), Cemeteries (1)

Best regards and happy reporting,

Aaron Hope,

On behalf of the Provincial Acquisition Strategy Working Group

2020 AAO Awards NOW OPEN!

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 18:54:44 GMT

The AAO Awards Committee is pleased to announce that nomination for the 2020 AAO Awards are now open.

We are accepting nominations for the 5 awards given out annually by the association: the Alexander Fraser Award, the James J. Talman Award, and the AAO Emerging Leaders Award, which are presented to individuals, as well as the Corporate and Institutional Awards which recognize archives, corporations and other organizations which have made significant contributions to the archival community in Ontario.

The awards will be presented at the AAO Conference being held in Thunder Bay, 13-15 May 2020.

For more information on the awards criteria and nominations process, please visit https://aao-archivists.ca/page-18198

Nomination are due by March 13, 2020.

Seasons Greetings!

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 20:53:38 GMT

Dear AAO member,

In light of the upcoming holidays and 2019 drawing to a close, we would like to offer you and our fellow members our best wishes throughout the season and a prosperous 2020.

We would also like to inform you that the AAO office will be closed for the holidays from December 24th, 2019 – January 2nd, 2020.

Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year.

Yours,

James Roussain

President, 2019-2020

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

2020 AAO Conference Rates

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 20:45:52 GMT

Registration rates for the 2020 AAO Conference have now been posted! Join us in Thunder Bay from May 13-15, 2020 for another great annual conference.

While registration will not be open until closer to the conference, we hope that this advanced notice of the rates will help you as you make your conference plans for next year. In addition to attending the full conference, there are special rates for Early Birds, students, one-day attendance, and more.

Once registration opens, be sure to register early to take advantage of Early Bird prices.

See you in Thunder Bay! #aao20conf

Call for Papers for #aao20Conf

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 13:29:27 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for the 2020 Annual Conference to be held 13-15 May in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Building Bridges, Connecting Communities

New partnerships, strategic alliances, and informal connections can play important roles in enabling archivists and their programs to reach new users, increase diversity in collections, build stronger, more inclusive senses of community, and to engage in new methods of outreach. Collaboration also provides the means to mitigate budget limitations and helps to avoid the isolation that can leave programs susceptible to cuts or potential downsizing. There are countless instances of AAO members pursuing new forms of collaboration and innovative partnerships, and we want to hear about them.

The 2020 Program Committee invites proposals for presentations that will speak to how partnerships have been fostered and the impact of these connections on the archives and their partners, as well as opportunities for future initiatives. Topics could include:

Community partnerships to support acquisition, storage, stewardship, preservation, and accessibility of archival material
New, inclusive methods of collecting or preserving memory
Collaborative approaches to resource description and discoverability
New engagement strategies with donor communities
User-focused digitization projects
Engagement with partners outside of the archival profession
The consolidation of archives, special collections, and records management programs as a means of promoting or highlighting services

Submissions of proposals for entire sessions or individual papers are invited.

Sessions may take the form of:

Traditional session (two or three presentations of approximately 20 minutes per speaker with questions to follow as time allows)
Discussion panel (brief presentations of approximately 10 to 15 minutes per speaker with discussion to follow)
Roundtables or debates (presentations of 5 to 7 minutes with open discussion between speakers)

Proposals for a session or an individual paper should include an abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of no more than 100 words for each speaker.

Proposals should be sent to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

Individual papers should use the subject line format: AAO 2020 Conference Proposal_[last name, first name]

Proposals for a session should select a “point person” and use the subject line format: AAO 2019 Conference Proposal_PANEL-[title]-[last name, first name]

The deadline to submit proposals is Sunday, 26 January 2020.

Depending on student interest, the 2020 Annual Conference will include a session devoted to student papers and possibly a poster session. A separate call for student submissions will be issued early 2020.

On behalf of the 2020 Program Committee.

Support the AAO for Giving Tuesday!

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:31:00 GMT

Consider giving back to the archival community today!

Giving Tuesday is a global movement recognizing giving and volunteering. This year, consider directing your charitable dollars to the Archives Association of Ontario.

By donating to the AAO, you will help develop and sustain our programs and services. Your donation will assist the AAO in offering cost-efficient workshops and events for archivists and professionals in related fields as well as conference and educational bursary support for students and new or underemployed professionals. Donations also help to offset our reliance on grant funding. Our services, including our Archives Advisor and Archeion, Ontario’s Archival Information Network, are widely relied on by the community to improve the accessibility and preservation of Ontario’s irreplaceable documentary heritage.

You can donate directly on the AAO website. You will receive a tax receipt for your contribution. Donors who contribute $200 or more will receive a complimentary copy of the AAO’s organizational history, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario.

We truly appreciate your support.

James Roussain

President, 2018-2019

Fall 2019 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:34:37 GMT

Hello AAO,

The newest issue of Off the Record is now available for your reading pleasure! Nothing will pair better with the fresh air of this Autumnal day than a new issue of Off the Record.

This issue features excellent contributions from Iona McCraith on emergency planning and response, Lisa Snider on bulk uploads to Archeion, and Jenna Lemay and Krista McCracken on an important new digitization initiative at the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre. Plus an interview spotlight feature with Rachel Beattie and news and announcements you can use!

The still-crisp Fall 2018 issue is now available to everyone.

Happy reading!

Grant
OTR Editor

Save the Date for the 2020 AAO Conference!

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 18:37:50 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario invites you to save the date for the 2020 AAO Conference, taking place from May 13-15, 2020 in beautiful Thunder Bay, ON!

Theme and details to come! Stay tuned for more!

2019 issue of MAIGazine now AVAILABLE!

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 14:17:23 GMT

On behalf of the MAIG Executive, I am pleased to present the latest issue of the Municipal Archive Interest Group’s yearly publication, the MAIGazine. This issue highlights several creative educational and outreach initiatives undertaken by various archives throughout the Province. Thank you to all the MAIG Members who contributed to the 2019 Issue!

For more information about MAIG, to view previous issues of the MAIGazine or to stay connected, please visit our page on the AAO website: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

Thanks and take care,

Gillian

Gillian Shaw, M.I.

Archival Records Analyst

gillian.shaw@vaughan.ca

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Submit to the 2019 edition of MAIGazine

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 13:05:00 GMT

It’s that time of year again! The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is looking for submissions to include in our 2019 edition of the MAIGazine. This year we are seeking articles relating to risk-taking and innovation in archives. Have you developed a new innovative program at your institution? Are you utilizing public resources such as social media or online exhibits, in a creative or inspiring way? Have you ever taken risks or addressed a controversial topic when developing an exhibit? Please share your stories with us!

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send your submissions to Megan Lockhart (mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca) by August 16th.

For information about MAIG, the MAIGazine or to view past issues, visit our webpage at http://aao-archivists.ca/maig. Feel free to contact our executive with any questions.

An Email from the Premier of Ontario in response to the AAO's letter

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 17:37:26 GMT

The following email was received by James Roussain, President of the AAO, on July 17, 2019 from Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario in response to the AAO's letter regarding funding for library services and the interlibrary loan program in Ontario.

Dear Mr. Roussain:

Thanks very much for your letter on behalf of Archives Association of Ontario about the funding of library services and the interlibrary loan program in Ontario. I appreciate hearing your concerns.

My colleagues and I know that public libraries play a critical role in rural, remote and Indigenous communities across the province. These are the very communities that we want to deliver more services to.

That is why our government worked closely with the two library services to develop a plan that will allow the interlibrary loan program to continue. I am pleased that a solution has been found that can work for all parties involved. It is important that this valuable service continues to reach Ontario communities.

I value our strong partnerships with Ontario Library Service-North and Southern Ontario Library Service and will continue to work with them to provide modern and sustainable library services to the people of Ontario. Together, we are ensuring that services are delivered in the most efficient and effective ways possible.

Thanks again for contacting me.

Doug Ford
Premier of Ontario

Summer 2019 issue of Off the Record is now available!

Grant Hurley — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:02:08 GMT

Hello AAO,

The Summer 2019 issue of Off the Record is now available to members. Whether you're in the office or out, you will find a fantastic array of engaging articles!

The features section includes two must-read pieces for those interested in digital archives and preservation. Jess Whyte and Emily Sommers of the University of Toronto discuss their recent move towards using modular digital preservation toolkits for safely imaging and analyzing external media like hard drives and USB keys. And Sara Janes of Lakehead University details a workflow developed for processing university records created and stored in Google Suite-based applications.

A final special feature is by information access advocate Ken Rubin, who reflects on how his training as a historian has led to a better understanding of records creation and management, aiding him in his fight for increased government transparency.

And there's much more: Mary Kosta of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives is profiled in the member spotlight feature, and also sent us a wonderful article on the Archives' work in preserving medical artifacts. You can catch up on AAO news and updates too, including the 2019 AAO award winners, and the AAO's upcoming strategic planning work!

And the still-hot Summer 2018 issue is now available free.

I hope you enjoy this issue - wherever it may find you!

Grant

OTR Editor

AAO Committee Volunteer Opportunities 2019-2020

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 17:39:07 GMT

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

Professional Development Committee (PDC)

Provincial Acquisitions Strategy Working Group (PAS)

Advancement Committee

Communication and Advocacy Committee (CAC)

Digital Access and Preservation Committee (DAPC)

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the Committee page.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca or to James Roussain at president@aao-archivists.ca.

Warmly,

James Roussain

President, 2018-2019

Municipal Archives Interest Group Open House

Gillian Shaw — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 18:58:35 GMT

2019 MAIG OPEN HOUSE

The MAIG Executive are excited to announce that the MAIG Open House will be taking place on Friday, October 18, 2019 at the Stratford-Perth Archives! Please join us and our gracious host Betty Jo Belton and her team as we explore the beautiful City and its archival collection. Lunch and lively archival conversation will be provided, so we hope you will be able to join us.

See the event page for details at: https://aao-archivists.ca/event-3473890

Congratulations to Ian E. Wilson!

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 17:04:48 GMT

To the AAO membership,

The Archives Association of Ontario extends a warm congratulations to former Chief Librarian and Archivist Ian E. Wilson on his promotion to Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Wilson is honoured for his “sustained leadership in the development and accessibility of public archives, and for his published works on history, heritage and information management,” as explained on the Governor General’s website. We are proud to have an archivist receive such a distinguished award, an achievement which highlights the value that archives bring to Canadian society.

Bravo!

Welcome statement to Minister MacLeod

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:29:54 GMT

To the AAO membership,

On Thursday, June 20, 2019, following the Government of Ontario’s cabinet shuffle, Lisa MacLeod was appointed as the new Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Minister MacLeod was previously the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues.

The Archives Association of Ontario welcomes Minister MacLeod to this role. We will continue to support archival institutions and archivists in preserving the history and culture of Ontario, and we look forward to working with Minister MacLeod to strengthen and promote archives and information services across the province.

James Roussain

President, Archives Association of Ontario, 2019-2020

AAOEe Chapter survey

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 18:49:01 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario Eastern (AAOEe) Chapter is planning upcoming professional development opportunities for the 2019-2020 period, and would like your input to ensure we provide workshops that meet your interests and needs.

We intend to offer a full-day workshop on the preservation of archival material, and there are several options available. Please take 2 minutes to complete this very short survey to assist us in building the Chapter’s program.

Subjects can be tailored and customized to meet your requirements, so be sure to let us know of any specific areas on which you would like to receive training.

Should you have additional feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us at aaoeast@gmail.com. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

2019 MAIG Open House - Searching for a Host Institution

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 18:46:55 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is currently in search of a host institution for our fall Open House. If you are interested in having your municipal archive showcased this year, we would love to hear from you!

Historically, our annual Open House takes place at an AAO Member's Municipal Archive and has included such possible events as:

a tour of the host facility

presentations from staff

local walking tours

visits to sister institutions/museums

conservation demonstrations

a complimentary lunch (provided by MAIG)

any other creative presentations, demonstrations or tours (the 2018 Agenda can be found here: https://bit.ly/31pxo8r)

The MAIG Open House traditionally takes place on a Friday in either September or October (based on the institutions availability) and events throughout the day are followed by the annual MAIG meeting. If your Municipal Archive would be interested in hosting for this year's Open House, or if you have any questions regarding this event, please feel free to reach out to myself or the MAIG Executive for more information.

Thank you in advance for your consideration!

Best,

The MAIG Executive - Gillian, Megan and Gina

Announcement of AAO Board of Directors 2019-2020

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 19:04:24 GMT

Dear Members,

We are pleased to announce the 2019-2020 AAO Board of Directors. Together we look forward to working alongside the Ontario archival community to uphold the values of the association.

Thank you to our exiting directors for their dedication, wisdom, and contributions, especially Tracey Krause who has served as Past President, John Lund who served as the Chapter Stakeholder, and to Nick Richbell, Paul Henry, and Emma Hamilton-Hobbs for serving as Director without Portfolio, Institutional Development Committee Chair and Secretary / Treasurer, respectively.

2019/2020 AAO Board of Directors

President	James Roussain
Vice-President / President Elect	Jennifer Grant
Secretary / Treasurer	Jessica Barr
Institutional Development Committee Chair	Zoe Thrumston
Director without Portfolio	Lauren Halsey
Director without Portfolio	Samantha Sheilds
Chapter Stakeholder	Michael deJong
Past President	Vacant
Special Advisor	Juanita Rossiter

The unapproved minutes from the 2019 Annual General Meeting are available here for review.

Best regards,

James Roussain

President, 2018-2020

Welcome statement to Leslie Weir

Thu, 30 May 2019 15:15:44 GMT

To the AAO membership,

The Archives Association of Ontario wishes to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Leslie Weir on her recent appointment to Librarian and Archivist of Canada. Ms. Weir brings with her significant knowledge, experience, and professionalism from her accomplished career, and we are excited to see what she does in this new role. We look forward to working with and supporting Ms. Weir in our capacity as representatives of Ontario’s archival community.

James Roussain

President, Archives Association of Ontario, 2019-2020

2019 AAO Award Winners!

Fri, 17 May 2019 14:43:32 GMT

The AAO Awards Committee - consisting of Jean Dryden, Matt Szybalski, David Sharron, and Rodney Carter – were pleased and honoured to present four awards at the Annual Conference held in Belleville on May 10th.

The AAO Emerging Leader Award

This award, announced in 2018 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Association, was created recognize early-career archivists (who have been in the profession between two and ten years), whose work and service demonstrate consistent growth, leadership and promise to the archives profession in Ontario. Achievements may include involvement in professional organizations, and/or participation in relevant projects, and/or written and scholarly work. This award is intended to recognize cumulative contributions rather than any single activity.

The Awards Committee and the AAO Board were pleased to present the inaugural Emerging Leader Award to Gillian (Jill) Shaw.

As an Archival Records Analyst with the City of Vaughan, Jill works effectively within the records management and archival systems to provide access and preserve the materials in the City’s care. Further, she displays a natural ability to develop partnerships with local community groups through social media, exhibitions and other outreach efforts.

Beyond her work at Vaughan, Jill has also been very active within the professional archives community since 2015. As communications liaison for the Professional Development Committee of the AAO, Jill developed a social media strategy that led to increased participation and awareness of the PDC’s activities. She has also served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Municipal Archives Interest Group where she led a revitalization of the MAIG website and MAIGazine, organized open houses and AGMs, and created a municipal archives listserv after a formal study of the needs of this archivist group. When she finds the time, Jill also volunteers with the Association of Canadian Archivists in the Membership and Mentor Committee and Co-Chairs the Markham Fair’s Demonstration Committee.

In the words of her nominator, “Jill is a consummate professional, incredibly knowledgeable about the archival profession and always eager to lend a helping hand. She has shown immense promise and enthusiasm for the AAO, and the archival community in Canada, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of the title of “Emerging Leader”.”

The Alexander Fraser Ward

Named after the first Archivist of Ontario, the Alexander Fraser Award is given to individuals who have contributed in a significant way to the advancement of the archival community in Ontario. Achievements may range from written and visual work to involvement in organizations or participation in projects. This award is designated to recognize cumulative contributions rather than any single activity. Generally speaking, contributions need to go beyond a specific archives or community.

The AAO presented the 2019 Alexander Fraser Award to Margaret Bignell for contributions to the archival community in Ontario in the field of archival conservation and preservation.

Margaret, recently retired conservator at Queen’s University Archives, has a history with the province’s archival community that pre-dates the AAO, having presented a workshop on disaster planning at the Ontario Association of Archivists annual conference June 1992 which led to the production of the booklet “An Introduction to Disaster Planning and Prevention for Small Archives”.

Margaret served for many years on the conservation/preservation committee of the Archives Association of Ontario, and helped to review and adjudicate CPCAR/NADP grant applications as the external invited preservation expert on the AAO’s Institutional Development Committee. Under Margaret’s supervision, Queen’s University Archives was one of the regional depots for the Archives Association of Ontario’s Thermohygrograph Program. Margaret was also an active member of AERN (Archives Emergency Response Network) since its inception, and further, she served for many years on the Canadian Council on Archives Preservation Committee. She has also served as an incredible ambassador of the archives and the conservation profession, appearing regularly in news stories on her important work. In addition to her work at Queen’s Archives, she also taught paper conservation at the Masters of Art Conservation program at Queen’s, mentoring students who have ended up working in institutions across the province and across the globe.

In the words of her nominators “anyone who had the opportunity to interact with Margaret quickly discovered how generous she was with her time, how patient she was with the barrage of questions that inevitably came her way, and how knowledgeable she was about conservation and preservation in archives.”

The James J. Talman Award

The James J. Talman Award was named after the second Archivist of Ontario, serving from 1935 to 1939. Talman subsequently served as Chief Librarian for the University of Western Ontario until 1969. The 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.

This year, the Talman Award was presented to Robin Keirstead for his imagination, innovation, and progressive, unconventional thinking which he has demonstrated throughout his career.

In 1989 he pioneered the archives and records program for the Region of Waterloo when he became the Region’s first Records Manager (soon re-titled Manager of Corporate Records and Archives). The amount of imagination and innovation required by the challenges that come with starting a new program is considerable. Robin then did it all again when he became Western University’s first University Archivist in 2001. There he developed a program and helped design a building that provides the University with a unique range of services: archives and research collections, rare books and special collections, library book depository, and a records centre.

Robin has served the profession throughout his career by participating in the work of the CCA, the AAO, and ACA. He has been an instructor at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies - Western University, as well as teaching at Simon Fraser University and George Brown and Mohawk Colleges, mentored students and early-career professionals. Anyone who has attended one of Robin’s many workshops and conference presentations will appreciate the imagination, not to mention humour, that he includes.

Additionally, he is always willing to provide guidance to other institutions and is a deeply respected source of advice.

According to his nominators, Robin “emulates many of the qualities that were held by James J. Talman. They both served as leaders for Western Libraries and in their communities and they are both recognized for their intellectual approach and kind manner.” And, as one of his nominators wrote, “Robin does not adhere to any archival ‘party line’. Rather he seeks out creative solutions to problems, even if those solutions do not fit a traditional archival mould.”

The AAO Institutional Award

The AAO Institutional Award is given to an archival institution that has contributed significantly to the advancement of the archival field or community, or has demonstrated a significant level of innovation and imagination in the establishment of outstanding or model programs or services. Recognition may be granted for an individual project of particular merit or for a program that integrates many facets of archival enterprise.

The AAO presented the 2019 Institutional Award to Elgin County Archives for its innovative Green Screen Program, which combines technology with archival photographs to bring these photos to life in a very personal way.

Time Travel with Elgin County Archives is an outreach program that uses green screen technology to photograph participants and superimpose them into historic photographs, to make it appear as if they are traveling back into their local history. Archivists Gina Dewaele and Amber Mandich conceived, developed, organized, and delivered a series of innovative Green Screen events at local libraries, community events, schools and long-term care homes. The program has captured the interest of community members by offering a stimulating and creative activity that allows staff to start conversations to raise awareness of the archives' collections and resources, and of archives in general.

This program appeals to all ages: younger participants enjoy the technology and the idea that they are "time traveling," which offers a unique opportunity to engage with a group that rarely visits an archival institution in person while older participants reminisce about former streetscapes, buildings, and the people who used to live and work in their community. This is a creative and imaginative way of making archival resources available and relevant to all age groups.

The program was initially launched in partnership with the Elgin County Library, consisting of 10 branches throughout the County, but expanded to local cultural institutions and events, as well as being included in an intergenerational program involving a local nursing home and an elementary school. In its first year, there were nearly 700 participants in the program.

The AAO was pleased to recognize the Elgin County Archives’ for their Green Screen Program, which combines technology and archival photographs in an innovative way to bring these images to life for community members of all ages.

Congratulations to all of this year's award winners!

Strategic Plan 2020-2023 Member Feedback

Thu, 16 May 2019 12:06:36 GMT

The Board of Directors has begun to develop the AAO's 2020-2023 Strategic Plan and we want to hear from our members!

The Strategic Plan Working Group has drafted a set of five strategic objectives and we want input from our membership. Have we captured the essence of the AAO's priorities? Is there something we missed or should focus on instead? Please visit our Strategic Plan 2020-2023 Member Feedback page to view the slide presentation and provide input.

Member feedback will be accepted until July 31, 2019.

Thank you!

Full Program for AAO2019 now available

Tue, 07 May 2019 00:39:24 GMT

On behalf of the AAO Conference Planning team, I am pleased to announce that the full program for the 2019 AAO Conference is now available on the website. For a printable version, click here.

In this document you will find session descriptions, locations of events, and biographies of our plenary speakers.

For information on traveling to Belleville, social events, conference sponsors, the code of conduct, and other pertinent information, please see the Conference page.

For AAO members attending the conference, please note that you will have an opportunity to learn more about, and contribute to, the AAOs 2020-2023 strategic plan. Please plan to attend the AAO Board Update taking place at 5pm in the Link Lounge on Thursday, May 9th.

Local travel information for AAO Conference in Belleville

Mon, 06 May 2019 11:58:00 GMT

We are looking forward to welcoming delegates to the AAO conference in Belleville next week.

For those who are driving to Loyalist College, free parking is available for conference attendees in lot P1 (see plan), which is close to the Link Lounge location of the event.

Free bus travel is available on Belleville Transit buses for the duration of the conference on presentation of your conference badge. There is a transit map and schedule online at this link and we have copies of this in your conference packs.

A Belleville Transit bus will be making a special morning run on the Thursday (9th) and Friday (10th) for those staying in the Country Inn and Suites or at the Travelodge, picking up outside these hotels at 8:15 and 8:30 respectively.

For the conference banquet, a Belleville Transit bus will collect delegates from Loyalist at 6pm, from the Travelodge at 6:15 and from the Country Inn and Suites at 6:30, arriving at the Signal Brewery at 6:45. The bus will return at 10pm.

On behalf of the local arrangements committee, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable journey to Belleville. Please contact Amanda Hill of the Local Arrangements Committee at ahill@belleville.ca, if you have any questions.

Revision of the 2000 Institutional Standards

Fri, 03 May 2019 17:11:59 GMT

Colleagues,

Please find the 2019 revision to the 2000 Institutional Standards, as discussed at last year's Institutional Forum.

As described in the Preface, this document is an update of that early work, designed to serve as an aspirational document, setting out norms for archival institutions in Ontario. It will be brought forward next week at the AGM for acceptance by the membership.

Your comments are appreciated.

Warmly,

Paul J Henry CA SIG

Chair
Institutional Development
Archives Association of Ontario

CAC addresses the Government of Ontario’s recent funding cuts to the Southern Ontario Library Services (SOLS) and the Ontario Library Service--North (OLSN)

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 17:51:23 GMT

To the AAO membership,

The Archives Association of Ontario’s Communication and Advocacy Committee (CAC) has addressed the Government of Ontario’s recent funding cuts to the Southern Ontario Library Services (SOLS) and the Ontario Library Service--North (OLSN) in this letter.

We remain ardent supporters of our GLAM colleagues and proudly add our voice in support of the great work they do for the citizens of Ontario.

Sincerely,

Bailey Chui

Chair, Communications and Advocacy Committee, 2019-2020

James Roussain

President, Archives Association of Ontario, 2019-2020

Spring 2019 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:07:41 GMT

Hello AAO,

As springtime seems to drag its heels, here's to hoping that this fresh issue of Off the Record will encourage the flowers to bloom and the trees to bud!

The Spring 2019 issue is now available for members.

This issue features news and updates, a member spotlight interview with Ellen Millar, articles by the AAO's Iona McCraith on security and Lisa Snider on searching tips for Archeion, and feature contributions from Rebekah Mitchell on a volunteer-driven photo rehousing project, and by John Smart on the crucial role of the Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives in a fight for funding in 1996.

The equally sunny Spring 2018 issue is also available for everyone.

Happy reading!

Grant

Nominations for 2019-2020 AAO Slate of Board Directors

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 13:12:58 GMT

Dear AAO members,

It is with great pleasure that the AAO Nominations Committee announces the following slate of Directors put forth to the AAO Membership for election at the Annual General Meeting in Belleville on May 9th, 2019. Please note that the new position of Web Administrator is contingent upon membership approval at the AGM.

Vice-President/President Elect: Jennifer Grant

Jennifer Grant is an assistant archivist at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University Libraries. She previously worked in Corporate Records and Archives at the Law Society of Ontario. Jennifer has a MISt (2008) with a specialization in archival studies from the University of Toronto.

Secretary/Treasurer: Jessica Barr

Jessica Barr is the University Archivist and Records Manager for the University of St. Michael’s College, where she is responsible for the official records of the University. She also manages the University art collection, the records of the Faculty of Theology, and the records of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

Director Without Portfolio: Samantha Shields

Samantha Shields is a Photographic Archivist with Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and a member of the AAO’s Professional Development Committee. She holds a BAC (Honours) in Psychology and Art History from Queen’s University and earned her MLIS from the University of Western Ontario. Sam’s interest in the Archives sprouted while researching early Canadian photography during her undergrad. Her primary interests of research are the archival processing of born-digital photographs, and the exploration of using machine learning for assisting with image indexing and description.

Web Administrator: MacKenzie Gott

MacKenzie Gott is the Heritage Collections Officer at the Canadian Research Knowledge Network. She has worked in private, public, and non-profit settings as an information professional since graduating with a MA from York University and a MI from the University of Toronto. MacKenzie joined the Archives Association of Ontario in April 2016 as a member of the Communications and Advocacy Committee; she became the web administrator in September 2017 and since then she has revamped the website, co-wrote the social media policy, and published content on social media.

Nominations from the floor will also be accepted during the AGM.

See you at Belleville!

Results of OAAR 2018 now available!

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 16:21:10 GMT

As part of its celebration of Archives Awareness Week, the Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to release the third edition of the Ontario Archival Accessions Register.

Based on a survey of accessions received across the province in 2018, the OAAR presents basic information on newly acquired records, including the collecting institution, the record creator, a brief summary of the scope and content of the accession, outside covering dates, associated subject headings, reference codes or accession numbers, extent, and information on the relationship of the accession to existing holdings and descriptions (where applicable).

This third edition of the OAAR includes contributions from 17 archival institutions, together providing information on nearly 600 individual accessions received in the last calendar year. The range of participating archives is once again diverse, including municipal archives, community archives, university and college archives, museum archives, specialist archives and the Archives of Ontario.

Download the 2018 OAAR from the AAO website and see what archives in Ontario have been collecting.

Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual General Meeting

Gillian Shaw — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:36:43 GMT

Please join the MAIG Executive in the beautiful city of Belleville, for our Annual General Meeting. The afternoon meeting will take place at Loyalist College (Link Lounge), with light refreshments and exciting municipal updates.

When: Wednesday, May 8, 2019 from 1:30 -3:20

Where: Loyalist College (Link Lounge) | 376 Wallbridge Loyalist Rd, Belleville, ON, K8N 5B9

We look forward to seeing you in Belleville!

~ For more information about MAIG, or to subscribe to our Listserv, please contact us at: maig.listserv@gmail.com ~

Donate to the Silent Auction!

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 22:32:40 GMT

Donate items to this year’s Silent Auction!

The 2019 AAO Conference will be hosted at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario.

We are looking for members to donate items such as (but not limited to):

Artwork
Archival supplies
Baked goods
Books (related to the profession)
Hand crafted pieces
Pottery
Gift Baskets

Funds raised from this auction will go to the AAO Shirley Spragge Education Fund, to encourage the continuing education of archivists in Ontario. Your donations are greatly appreciated. A donation to the silent auction will support this fund and honour the memory of a respected colleague. All items donated will receive a tax receipt.

If you are interested in donating to this year’s silent auction, please contact Kim Kerr and Carol Cooper by sending an e-mail to silentauction2019aao@gmail.com.

Registration is Now Open for the 2019 AAO Conference!

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 15:26:23 GMT

Registration is Now Open for the 2019 AAO Conference!

We are pleased to announce that the early bird registration for the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) 2019 conference in Belleville, Ontario is now open! The theme of the conference is Unlocking the Vaults: Access, Outreach & Engagement. The conference will be held at Loyalist College, Belleville, from May 8 to May 10, 2019.

The Program at a Glance is available on the conference website along with information about the pre-conference workshop, where to stay while in Belleville, social events and much more!

For information about what is included in your registration and to register please visit the Conference Registration page. Early bird registration runs from March 1 to April 8, 2019. Registration will close on April 30.

We hope to see you in The Friendly City!

AAO Board Nominations 2019

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 12:43:37 GMT

AAO Board of Directors Election - 2019 Nomination Process

Nominations are currently being accepted for four (4) positions on the Board of Directors of the AAO. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on May 11, 2019.

Please note that the new positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Web Administrator are contingent upon membership approval at the AGM.

The positions that are currently open for nominations include:

Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2019 – May 2022)

Liaising with AAO Standing and Special Committees and/or Sub-committees thereof, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
Performing the duties of the President in cases of absence or inability; and
Supporting the President in providing general supervision of the operations of the AAO, its staff, and the secretariat office.

The VP assumes the position of President in the second year of his or her term; and in the third year serves as a non-voting member of the Board in the capacity of Past President.

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (May 2019 – May 2021)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;
Participating fully in Board decision-making; and
Contribute to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

Secretary/Treasurer: Two-year term (May 2019 – May 2021)

The Secretary/Treasurer provides a key oversight function of the financial affairs and records management of the association. Specific duties include:

(Secretary role):

Being acquainted with Roberts Rules of Order, and ensuring the Board follows these in its proceedings;
Ensuring that documentation for all Board meetings is compiled, posted to the AAO Google Drive, and shared with meeting participants in advance of each meeting, consulting with Board members as necessary to do so;
Taking and finalizing all Board meeting minutes, and ensuring that all decisions are motioned and recorded;
Circulating draft Board meeting minutes to meeting participants for review within two weeks following each meeting;
Entering decisions carried in the master Motions database;
Saving all approved Board meeting minutes on the Google Drive and ensuring public access to them via the AAO website;
Playing a lead role in efforts to maintain and update the written policies, procedures, guidelines and manuals of the Board; and
In collaboration with the AAO Office, ensuring that the records of the Association are properly filed and disposed of.

(Treasurer role:)

Monitoring, on a monthly basis, the AAO's budget as prepared and managed on the Association's behalf by the AAO Office, and bringing issues regarding revenues or expenditures to the Board's attention as they arise;
Ensuring the Board's financial policies are being followed, or recommending actions where financial policy gaps persist;
In cooperation with the President, approving all expenses incurred by the Association and signing all cheques of the Association;
Recommending the approval of the auditor (to be identified by the AAO Office) to the membership (to be ratified at each AGM);
Presenting to the membership (at each AGM) highlights of the annual audit prepared by the auditor; and
On behalf of the Board, working with the AAO Office to ensure that government compliance documents are filed with various government agencies as required.

Web Administrator: Two-year term (May 2019 – May 2021)

Maintaining the association’s website and providing administrative support to AAO members seeking to add or update content.
Promotion of AAO events and news via the association’s social media accounts.
Assist the annual conference committee with the promotion and communication of the conference through the website and social media accounts.
Maintain policies related to the position.
Prepare monthly reports and complete a monthly tracking form on the use of the association’s social media accounts.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

James Roussain, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)
Emma Hamilton-Hobbs (secretary.treasurer@aao-archivists.ca)
Nick Richbell (director1@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only.

Please complete and submit this form to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line “Nominations 2019”, and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nomination forms must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 1, 2019.

Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary are OPEN!

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:56:37 GMT

Would you like to attend the 2019 AAO Conference in Belleville? Up to $650 in funding and free registration is available through the Shirley Spragge Bursary for students, new professionals, and archivists in financial need.

The 2019 AAO Conference program follows the theme "Unlocking the Vaults: Access, Outreach & Engagement." Workshops, a reception, a banquet and other social events promise to make for a fantastic time!

Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary are now open. Applications close on March 8, 2019.

To qualify you must be an AAO member and 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).

The Shirley Spragge Bursary is adjudicated by the AAO Awards Committee. The successful applicant will be announced by the end of March. 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: http://aao-archivists.ca/shirley-spragge-bursary

Winter 2019 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:30:00 GMT

Hello AAO,

As your devoted OTR Editor trudged through the unplowed sidewalks of Toronto this morning to put the finishing touches on the newest issue of Off the Record, he would be pleased if you'd do him the favour of downloading it at your leisure!

The Winter 2019 issue is now available for members.

This issue features up-to-the-minute AAO news and updates, a member spotlight interview with John Lund, a report by AAO Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider on the recent Ontario Museum Association conference, and a profile of the Archives of Ontario's new exhibit, ANIMALIA. It also includes a piece by yours truly on Alice Munro's short story "Dulse" and the archival narratives of Grand Manan Island, NB.

The still-fresh Winter 2018 issue is now available free to anyone.

Happy reading!

Grant

OTR Editor

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 15 to Submit to the Ontario Archival Accessions Register

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 20:23:50 GMT

Greetings archival community of Ontario!

You are invited to contribute to the 2018 edition of the Ontario Archival Accessions Register (OAAR). As in previous years, we are asking repositories to submit basic details on new accessions by completing the attached reporting form. We hope to continue building on the last two years’ surveys by encouraging even more institutions to participate, whether they are currently AAO members or not. The aim is to cast the net widely and capture the most comprehensive snapshot of archival collecting possible. We’re planning to use the three years’ worth of data to begin some analysis work on collecting patterns and trends, so the bigger the response rate the better.

Please use the attached form to report material legally acquired by your institution in the calendar year 2018. Completed forms should be directed to: chairs@aao-archivists.ca T

The deadline to submit responses is Friday, March 15, 2019. The collected data will be made available on the AAO’s website during Archives Awareness Week in April.

Background information and FAQs on the OAAR and the Provincial Acquisition Strategy of which it forms a part can be found on the AAO website.

Attachments area

AAO Awards-Call for Nominations

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 19:04:53 GMT

The nominations for the 2019 AAO Awards are now open!

The Awards Committee is accepting nominations for the Alexander Fraser Award, the James J. Talman Award, and the new AAO Emerging Leaders Award, which are presented to individuals. The Committee is also accepting nominations for the Corporate and Institutional Awards which recognize archives, corporations and other organizations that have made significant contributions to the archival community in Ontario.

Nomination period closes March 15th, 2019.

The awards will be presented at the AAO Conference in Belleville from May 8-10, 2019.

For more information on the awards criteria and nominations process, please visit https://aao-archivists.ca/page-18198.

Join the Association of Independent School Archivists on Slack!

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 17:55:03 GMT

Are you an archivist at an independent school? The Association of Independent School Archivists invites you to join us on Slack! AISA is a group that meets twice a year to discuss the opportunities and challenges inherent to our roles, learn from each other, and attend a workshop or bring in a special speaker.

At our last meeting, we signed up for Slack where we have been sharing resources and ideas. Curious about others' displays? How they engage with students? What kind of donations they accept from alumni? We'd love to chat!

Support the AAO for Giving Tuesday!

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 12:48:18 GMT

Consider giving back to the archival community today!

Giving Tuesday is a global movement recognizing giving and volunteering. This year, consider directing your charitable dollars to the Archives Association of Ontario. You can donate directly on the AAO website. You will receive a tax receipt for your contribution.

By donating to the AAO, you will help develop and sustain our programs and services, and assist in offsetting our reliance on grant funding. Our services, including our Archives Advisor and Archeion, Ontario’s Archival Information Network, are widely relied on by the community to improve the accessibility and preservation of Ontario’s irreplaceable documentary heritage.

We truly appreciate your support.

Guidelines for 2019 DHCP funding released!

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 00:57:57 GMT

LAC has released Guidelines and Application Form for 2019 DHCP funding on their website. Please note the minor changes in Guidelines. Deadline for submitting a completed application package is January 8, 2019, before 11:59 p.m.EST.

If you plan to apply and would like advice on your application or to discuss your project, please contact Iona McCraith archivesadvisor@aao-archivists.ca.

Fall 2018 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 15:16:14 GMT

Dear AAO,

Ah, the glories of late October. Waking up in total darkness in a warm bed and hitting the snooze button. Eating too many chocolate bars in the office on the day after Halloween. Laying awake till 2 AM hearing ghosts because you watched that terrifying Netflix show too close to bed. All totally non-specific, shared experiences of the season. But best of all - and definitely for everyone - reading the newest issue of Off the Record!

The new issue of OTR is now available for members.

This excellent issue includes AAO news and updates, a member spotlight interview with Liz Mayville, an article by AAO Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider on bulk uploads, a reflection on a summer's work well done by Louise Curtis, a report on the new Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall exhibition by Krista McCracken, and an article on an exciting new way to process collections using speech recognition by Kathy Traynor.

All my thanks to these wonderful and talented contributors who make OTR such an engaging publication!

The still-very-good Fall 2017 issue is also now available free to the world.

Best,

Grant Hurley

OTR Editor

Call For Papers: Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) 2019 Conference

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:23:12 GMT

Call For Papers: Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) 2019 Conference

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for the 2019 AAO Conference to be held 8-10 May in Belleville, Ontario.

Unlocking the Vaults: Access, Outreach & Engagement

In 2019 we invite archivists to show us how they are sharing their collections with the wider world. This might be by cutting through cataloguing backlogs, developing digitization and digital archives workflows, or by taking archives to community groups in innovative ways.

This is an opportunity to speak about successes – as well as the challenges faced – in promoting collections, expanding audiences, and fostering engagement with archives. We’d also like to hear about your instructive failures!

The AAO 2019 Program Committee invites proposals which touch on any aspect of the broad theme of improving access to archives.

Session topics may include:

Providing access via digitization
Innovative outreach activities
Engagement with diverse user groups or emerging areas of research and scholarship
Promoting archives through partnerships
Strategies for reducing backlogs

Submissions of proposals for papers are invited.

The Program Committee will accept both individual submissions for papers as well as full session proposals for multiple speakers.

Full sessions are 1h15m in duration and may take the form of:

Conventional sessions (formal presentation of papers; approximately 20 minutes per speaker, with questions to follow as time allows);
Panel discussion (abbreviated presentation of papers; approximately 10-15 minutes per speaker, with discussion to follow);
Roundtables (brief 5-7 minute presentations with open discussion); or
Focused Debate on a specific topic (brief presentations with open discussion & debate to follow).

Full session proposals should include: name and contact information of all the presenters, along with a brief biography, a short session description (500 works, max) and a session abstract (suitable for use in the conference program, 150 words, max.).

Individual paper proposals should include your contact information, a brief biography and a short description of the paper (150 works, max)

Proposals should be sent to the AAO Office using this form.

The deadline to submit proposals is November 30, 2018.

If you have any questions, please contact the Program Committee Chair:

Rodney Carter
Archivist, RHSJ St. Joseph Region Archives, Kingston
rgscarter@gmail.com

The 2019 AAO Conference will include, depending on student interest / response, a Student Papers session and, possibly a Poster session. A separate call for submissions will be issued early 2019.

Two NEW features in Archeion

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 18:22:51 GMT

A reminder to Institutional Members that Archeion offers two new features:

1.Bulk Uploads

Up until now, you could only manually input authority records and archival descriptions into Archeion one by one. However, if you are interested in adding authority records and archival descriptions in bulk through an Excel spreadsheet that you create, please contact Lisa Snider for more details at archeion@aao-archivists.ca or 1-(800) 208-1936.

If you use AtoM 2.3 in house, the process is very easy. If you use another product or method in house, you can convert that format into the specific Archeion AtoM Excel spreadsheet. Lisa can provide guidance for either type of database, and whether this bulk upload method would work for your situation.

2. Extra Space

Institutional Members receive 1 GB of free space with their membership. If you need more space for digital objects, we offer 5 GB and 10 GB packages. Please contact Lisa Snider at archeion@aao-archivists.ca or 1-(800) 208-1936.

Summer 2018 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:47:58 GMT

Hello AAO,

As we enter the dog days of summer, I highly recommend sitting back and relaxing into your favourite deck chair (or desk chair for those of us not on vacation) and enjoying the newest issue of Off the Record!

The issue is now available to members.

The issue features updates from AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith and Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider, the 2018 AAO Award winners, a response to the organizational history book panel at the recent AAO conference by John Smart, and a piece by yours truly on the Canadian cartoonist Seth.

Furthermore, the excellent Summer 2017 issue is now available free to everyone.

Best,

Grant Hurley

OTR Editor

DEADLINE EXTENDED: July 20 to submit to 2018 MAIGazine

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 12:32:24 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is extending its deadline for article submissions to include in our 2018 MAIGazine publication. The new deadline is Friday, July 20.

We want to hear your stories about public outreach - successful programs, programs you are currently developing at your archives or failed attempts at outreach. How have you engaged your community in local heritage and culture? Please consider submitting to the MAIGazinetoday!

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send your submissions to Megan Lockhart (mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca) by July 20.

For information about MAIG, the MAIGazine or to view past issues, visit our webpage at http://aao-archivists.ca/maig. Feel free to contact our executive with any questions.

Thank you to those who have already submitted an article!

- Gillian, Megan and Gina

Submit today to the 2018 MAIGazine

Wed, 23 May 2018 18:14:19 GMT

The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is looking for submissions to include in our 2018 MAIGazine publication. This year we are seeking articles that fall within the theme of “Outreach in Archives”. Do you have a story to tell about an outreach initiative at your archives that brought people together? Have you developed an innovative way to reach out to the public and get your community engaged in archives and heritage? Or have you recently experienced a failed attempt at outreach and what did you learn? We want to hear from you!

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send your submissions to Megan Lockhart (mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca) by July 6^th.

For information about MAIG, the MAIGazine or to view past issues, visit our webpage at http://aao-archivists.ca/maig. Feel free to contact our executive with any questions.

Thank you in advance for your submissions,

- Gillian, Megan and Gina

Spring 2018 issue of Off the Record now available!

Grant Hurley — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 12:34:24 GMT

Hello AAO,

The Spring 2018 issue of Off the Record is now available. Its release is miraculously lining up with a true spring after the fool's spring, second and third winters we experienced. Rejoice!

The new issue is available to members here.

This issue features some excellent pieces that, appropriately for the season, reflect back on work completed and look toward new things to come. The issue includes a report from the Middlesex Centre Archives, a reflection on the recent GLAM Summit by AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith, a guide to uploading and creating finding aids by AAO Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider, and a review of a survey from 1987 by John Smart. It also includes updates on the AAO's goings-on, such as the results of the recent membership survey and the proposed new mission and mandate for the Association.

The Spring 2017 issue is now available free to everyone here.

Happy reading!

Grant Hurley

Editor, Off the Record

Nominations for 2018-2019 AAO Slate of Board Directors

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:29:46 GMT

Dear AAO members,

Vice-President/President Elect: James Roussain

James Roussain is currently the Instruction and Outreach Archivist at the John M. Kelly Library at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, position he has held since January 2017. Prior to joining the University, James worked for Scotiabanks’ Records and Information Management Office. James received his Master of Information (MI) degree from the University of Toronto. Beyond being the current president of the TAAG, the Toronto Area Archivists Group, James is currently researching how to engage large classrooms in the evaluation and use of primary source materials.

Director Without Portfolio: Lauren Halsey

Lauren Halsey is an Associate Archivist at the City of Thunder Bay Archives. She has a BA in English and received her MLIS from Western University, where she completed co-ops with Environment Canada and the University of Windsor (Leddy Library), and a practicum with the London Archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. As a member of the AAO, she has served on the Professional Development Committee and is active with NOAA. In her spare time, she hikes and is the Publicist for the Thunder Bay Hiking Association.

Director Without Portfolio: Nick Richbell

Nick Richbell joined the University of Waterloo Library as Head, Special Collections & Archives in 2015. He has overall leadership of the department with a focus on strategic planning and donor relations. Prior to Waterloo, Nick was the Corporate Archivist at Canadian Pacific Railway, Project Archivist at McGill University Archives, and Archivist and Collections Manager at McGill University Health Centre. He has served on the Board of the AAO since 2016 and is excited to run for a second term.

Nominations from the floor will also be accepted during the AGM.

See you in Waterloo!

AAO Organizational History Book: Thank You For Support and Crowdfunding Update

Sun, 25 Mar 2018 22:11:26 GMT

The Organizational History Committee and the AAO Board of Directors is extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign for the organizational history book, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. We are proud to announce that we raised $4,920 through crowdfunding and an additional $3,000 from our corporate sponsors, Flume Media Archiving and Carr McLean. This puts our fundraising total at $7,920!

If you have not pre-ordered the book through the Indiegogo campaign or through your conference registration, there will be opportunities to order your copy online in May after the book is launched at the conference. We will follow up with more details about how to submit an online order in the coming months. The book will also be available for sale at the conference registration table.

Also, if you never had a chance to check out the pitch video for the campaign, you can still view it on the AAO’s YouTube channel. You will probably see some familiar faces!

Thanks again to those who provided support, and for those who still want to order a copy of the book, keep tuned for more details.

AAO Organizational History Book Cover Sneak Peek and Pre-orders!

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:31:23 GMT

The Organizational History Committee is pleased to share an exclusive sneak peek of the cover design for In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. This cover utilizes the logos from the Ontario Association of Archivists and the Ontario Council of Archives to visually represent how the Archives Association of Ontario grew from the merger of those two associations in 1993.

There are only five days left to support the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for this book. Through the campaign, you can pre-order a softcover or a hardcover copy of the book and access perks including the opportunity to have your name listed in the book acknowledgements as a supporter! The campaign closes at 11:59pm on March 24, so don’t miss this chance to pre-order the book and show your support.

We are grateful to members of the archival community that have already contributed $3,705 to this project, as well as the $3,000 in corporate sponsorship graciously donated by Carr McLean and Flume Media Archiving.

You can also pre-order a softcover or hardcover copy when you complete your 2018 conference registration!

AAO’s Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Executive Election – 2018 Nomination Process

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 18:00:58 GMT

Nominations are currently being accepted for two (2) positions on the MAIG Executive. Each term will commence upon election at MAIG’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), held during the AAO Pre-Conference on May 9th, 2018 from 1:30-3:30pm.

Volunteering on the MAIG Executive is an excellent professional development experience, providing candidates with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, network with other professionals and share their knowledge and experiences with other members of Ontario’s Municipal archival community.

The positions that are currently open for nomination include:

Chair: Three-year term (May 2018 – April/May 2021)

Serve as a liaison between the Board and municipal members, discussing any developments affecting municipal archive
Serve as a liaison between municipal members to discuss archival changes, share resources and provide updates to the membership
Coordinate AGM and yearly Open House for members
Assist with the production of the Annual MAIGazine

Vice-Chair: Three-year term (May 2018 – April/May 2021)

Serve as a liaison between municipal members to discuss archival changes, share resources and provide updates to the membership
Assist the Chair with coordinating AGM and yearly Open House
Assist with the production of the Annual MAIGazine

You are invited to contact the following current Executive members with any questions about the available positions:

Brenda Hicock, Chair and former Vice-Chair (brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca)

Gillian Shaw, Vice-Chair (gillian.shaw@vaughan.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only.

Please complete and submit this form to Brenda Hicock at brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca, using the subject line “MAIG Nominations 2018”.

Nomination forms must be received by close of business on Monday, April 30th, 2018.

Issues of Off the Record back to 1990 now available online!

Grant Hurley — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 17:27:25 GMT

Hello AAO list,

As Editor of Off the Record, the newsletter of the Archives Association of Ontario, I am pleased to announce that issues of Off the Record back to 1990 are now available online in a newly-redesigned section of the AAO website.

Just in time for the AAO's 25th anniversary, you can access historical issues here. Click on the years to see the issues available.

Off the Record was launched in 1990 by the Ontario Association of Archivists (OAA) before the official formation of the AAO (through the amalgamation of the OAA and The Ontario Council of Archives) in 1993. Prior to 1990, the OAA had a newsletter (simply titled "The Newsletter") that was published periodically from as early as 1982 through to 1989. In the Fall 1989 issue, suggestions for a new name were requested from members. The Winter 1989 issue featured ideas sent by Bennett McCardle, including “On the Record” and “For the Record,” with a note on the former that "Someone has probably already used it for a gramophone trade journal or a public relations officers’ scandal sheet." "Trillarchivy" is suggested with the note that it "strikes a note of much-needed frivolity." "Alphabet Soup" is added with the note that "This will really mystify anyone not familiar with the grand amalgamation … but since TAAG, EOAA, NOAA, LDAG and others still exist, maybe this title has some permanent archival value after all." The "record"-related suggestion won out (with a slight change) and Off the Record started with the Spring 1990 issue.

I am very grateful for the support of many individuals in completing this fantastic project. Laurie Dougherty (Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives) and Brian Beaven (Retired) donated missing issues. Katie Hull (City of Ottawa Archives) prepared the index and Melody Carle-Kemp (City of Ottawa Archives) did the digitization. Iona McCraith and Paul Henry shepherded the process. Myself and MacKenzie Gott (AAO Website Administrator) worked on the process to get the issues online. A full set of print issues is to be included in the AAO fonds at the Archives of Ontario.

And of course, my deep thanks is due to the roster of past editors and contributors who have made nearly thirty years of issues possible.

If you want to know more about the AAO's illustrious history, your timing is incredibly good. The AAO is currently crowdsourcing funding for its upcoming book, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. You can access the fundraising Indiegogo page here. If you are attending the AAO conference in Waterloo this year, you also have the option of purchasing a copy as part of your registration, or at the conference itself.

Happy reading!

Grant

OTR Editor

AAO Board of Directors Election - 2018 Nomination Process

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 15:31:49 GMT

Nominations are currently being accepted for one (1) position on the Board of Directors of the AAO. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on May 10, 2018.

The position that is currently open for nominations include:

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (April 2018 – April/May 2020)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;

Participating fully in Board decision-making; and

Contribute to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

Tracey Krause, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)

Grant Hurley, Director Without Portfolio (director2@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only.

Please complete and submit this form to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line “Nominations 2018”, and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nomination forms must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Donate to the Silent Auction at the 2018 AAO Conference

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:31:16 GMT

Donate items to this year’s Silent Auction!

The 2018 AAO Conference will be hosted at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

We are looking for members to donate items such as (but not limited to):

Artwork
Archival supplies
Baked goods
Books (related to the profession)
Hand crafted pieces
Pottery
Gift Baskets

Funds raised from this auction will go to the AAO Shirley Spragge Education Fund, to encourage the continuing education of archivists in Ontario. Your donations are greatly appreciated! A donation to the silent auction would not only support this fund, but also honour the memory of a respected colleague. All items donated will receive a tax receipt.

If you have interest in donating to this year’s silent auction, please contact Karen Ball-Pyatt by sending an e-mail to silentauction2018aao@gmail.com.

Thank you!

LET'S CELEBRATE! ARCHIVES AWARENESS WEEK, APRIL 2 - 8, 2018

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 22:31:17 GMT

Is your institution planning an event for Archives Awareness Week this year? Send the who, what, where and when to archivesadvisor@aao-archivists.ca and AAO will promote it on our website. Include a link to your website or Facebook page for people to read more details or register for an events.

Use the Twitter hashtag #2018AAW to share what's happening around the province.

Are you an AAO member? Do you need event ideas, a poster, or tips on talking to the media about your archives or event? Visit our Archives Awareness Week 2018 page (only available to members) to download free posters and access publicity tips and ideas.

Shirley Spragge Bursary 2018

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:26:30 GMT

Students, new professionals and archivists in need! Up to $650 in funding and free registration is available to attend the 2018 AAO Conference in Waterloo! This funding is made possible by the Shirley Spragge Bursary.

The Waterloo AAO Conference features an exciting program on the theme "Celebrations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Workshops on digital preservation, Rules for Archival Description and subject headings and taxonomies, plus a reception, banquet and other social events promise to make for a fantastic time!

Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary open on February 19th and close on March 9th.

To qualify you must be an AAO member and an Ontario resident, and be either:

A student enrolled in a recognized archival program (must submit proof of enrollment).
A recent (1-3 years) graduate of a recognized archival program (must submit proof of program completion).
A practicing or volunteer archivist in financial need (must submit proof of employment or volunteering).

The Shirley Spragge Bursary is adjudicated by the AAO Awards Committee. The successful applicant will be announced at the end of March. 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 our website.

Participate in the 2017 Ontario Archival Accession Registry Extended to March 23

Sun, 11 Feb 2018 02:13:57 GMT

Many of you have asked that we extend the deadline submission to the 2017 Ontario Archival Accession Registry (OAAR). We are happy to announce that we have extended submission to the OAAR till March 23.

The Archives Association of Ontario would like to invite each and every institution in the province that collects archival records to contribute to the 2017 edition of the Ontario Archival Accessions Register (OAAR). Just like last year, we are asking repositories to submit basic details on new accessions by completing the attached reporting form. We hope to build on last year’s pilot survey by encouraging even more institutions to participate, whether they are currently AAO members or not. The aim is to cast the net widely and capture the most comprehensive snapshot of archival collecting possible.

Please use the form available on the OAAR page to report material legally acquired by your institution in the calendar year 2017. Completed forms should be directed to: chairs@aao-archivists.ca The deadline to submit responses is Friday, March 23, 2018. The collected data will be made available on the AAO’s website during Archives Awareness Week in April.

Background information and FAQs on the OAAR and the Provincial Acquisition Strategy of which it forms a part can be found on the AAO website.

Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for AAO Organizational History Book!

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 02:35:24 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018. To mark this milestone, the AAO is publishing an organizational history book, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. This book examines the association from its earliest roots to its future directions. We are launching a crowdfunding campaign to support the design, printing, and binding of the book, and this is an opportunity to obtain a copy of the book while demonstrating your support.

In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour is a valuable resource for past and present AAO members interested in the history of the organization, and it has academic value for anyone studying archival networks and archival associations. It is the first comprehensive history of a Canadian provincial archival association. The narrative stretches back to the earliest chapter organizations that were formed in Ontario, providing context for how the profession has changed over the past forty years.

If you support this project now, you can take advantage of these exciting perks!

Item Level Supporters will receive a softcover copy of the book.
File Level Supporters will receive a hardcover copy of the book (the crowdfunding campaign is one of your only opportunities to get a hardcover copy!)
Series Level Supporters will receive a hardcover copy of the book and their name printed in the book.
Fonds Level Supporters will receive a hardcover copy of the book, their name printed in the book, and an exclusive AAO 25th anniversary bookmark.
Repository Level Supporters will receive a hardcover copy of the book, their name printed in the book, an exclusive AAO 25th anniversary bookmark, and acknowledgement at the book launch celebration (to be held at the 2018 Conference in Waterloo).

The campaign runs until March 23, 2018. To show your support and get your own copy of the book, visit our Indiegogo campaign! See if you can spot any familiar faces in our pitch video.

The book will be available in May 2018, and by supporting the crowdfunding campaign today you guarantee yourself a copy. We are proud of the history that we have compiled, and thank you sincerely for any support that you can provide.

Support the AAO for Giving Tuesday!

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:02:39 GMT

Consider giving back to the archival community on November 28!

By donating to the AAO, you will help develop and sustain our programs and services, and assist in offsetting our reliance on grant funding. Our services, including our Archives Advisor and Archeion (Ontario's Archival Information Network), are widely relied on by the community to improve the accessibility and preservation of Ontario's irreplaceable documentary heritage.

We truly appreciate your support.

AAO Conference 2018 - Call for Papers: Celebrations: The good, the bad and the ugly.

AAO — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 16:06:25 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for the 2018 AAO Conference to be held 9-11 May in Waterloo, Ontario.

Celebrations: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Celebrations come in many forms, and they can be judged successful or less so. The past five years have seen two major government-driven national celebrations—the War of 1812 bicentennial and the Canadian Confederation sesquicentennial celebrations—as well as many more regional and local, and more grassroots celebrations. We celebrate International Archives Day on June 9; we celebrate Archives Awareness Week on the first week of April. And certainly we celebrate our own achievements by holding public launches of digital exhibits, by mounting physical exhibits, by going into classes and showing the value of primary resources, by running outreach events at community festivals. All of these activities might be considered celebrations of the rich array of archival materials we make available to the world.

BUT… Sometimes our celebrations can be controversial, or get us into trouble. Sometimes celebrations can delay or derail other work. Grant funding tied to specific celebrations affects how we plan our projects and programs. Sometimes celebrations present skewed emphases on, or interpretations of, events.

The conference theme for 2018 will focus on celebrating: what we collect, what we do, who we are as a profession. However, this conference will not examine just celebrations themselves in their many forms, whether successful or not, but also the concept of celebration.

The AAO 2018 Program Committee, therefore, invites proposals which speak to any aspect of the broad theme of celebrations.

Topics can include:

- How does one evaluate the success of an archival outreach program or initiative?
- How have changes in Ontario archives and the archival profession affected how we work?
- Should we celebrate something that didn’t go as planned? A failed project?
- What does a celebration of the future look like?
- Does the celebration of single/discrete past events strengthen public awareness of archives, or does it distract from the many other ways in which our records are valuable and necessary?
- Should we actually be celebrating or should we be taking a step back and critically analyzing our work and practices?
- Canada’s 150^th celebrations: boom or bust?

Submissions of proposals for papers and posters are invited.

The proposals should be sent with a brief abstract of no more than 250 words and a bio to:

AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

Use the subject line format: AAO 2018 Conference Proposal_[last name, first name]

If you get a panel proposal together, please select a "point person" for your panel group and use the subject line format: AAO 2018 Conference Proposal_PANEL-[title]-[last name, first name]

The deadline to submit proposals is December 15, 2017.

The 2018 AAO Conference will include, depending on student interest / response, a Student Papers session and, possibly a Poster session.

A separate call for student submissions will be issued early 2018.

On behalf of the AAO 2018 Conference Program.

2017 Archives Awareness Week Events Calendar

Sat, 01 Apr 2017 16:00:57 GMT

Hello Colleagues,

We are please to announce that the Events Calendar for Archives Awareness Week 2017 is now available.

Still have an event you would like to see on the calendar? No problem. Your event can be included by emailing the AAO Archives Advisor.

Tweeting about events? Please use the hashtag #2017AAW.

It's going to be an exciting week!

Organizational History Committee Call for Submission of Images

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:21:39 GMT

Hello colleagues,

To celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2018, the AAO Organizational History Committee has been energetically working towards production of a written history of this association and its preceding Ontario Council of Archives and Ontario Association of Archivists. We are interested in obtaining photographs as a key element in telling this story.

Volunteer writers and a general editor have been secured, publishing options are being considered and research has commenced into our past stories, development, challenges and growth as a strong provincial heritage organization.

In previous communications we reached out to you, seeking your input regarding memories of your time serving on a Board or Committee or personal stories as a member. We still want to hear from you if you have tales to tell!

However, a history is more complete with photographic memories to accompany the written word. We are canvassing the AAO community in the hopes of receiving photographic submissions to supplement the story of the association. If you have a photograph of an important event or a memorable individual and would like to submit it for consideration, please send it to our Account Coordinator, Terra Belanger, at aao@aao-archivists.ca with the subject line “Organizational History Photograph Submission.” Please consult the guidelines regarding submission of images and include a completed copy of the form with your submissions.

Sincerely,

AAO Organizational Committee

Paul Henry, Chair
John Smart
Brian Beaven
Karen Teeple
Lutzen Riedstra
Marissa Paron, AAO Past President
Dana Thorne, AAO President
Iona McCraith, AAO Archives Advisor

Indigenous Resources Page

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 21:03:22 GMT

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is pleased to share the second of two pages aimed at supporting the Truth and Reconciliation process. The first page, Toward Truth and Reconciliation, was launched in December and included resources aimed at assisting Ontario’s archival community to navigate the path toward the decolonisation and Indigenization of our practice.

The second page, Indigenous Resources, is aimed at improving access to Indigenous focused archival holdings. The page contains a list of online exhibits and links to archival descriptions and material that relate to Indigenous communities from institutions across Ontario. It also contains a list of general resources including First Nations map, a map of Treaty areas in Ontario, and links to guides related to Indigenous archives.

Anyone can contribute to the page. If you have resources you would like to share, or comments or suggestions about the page, please direct them to the AAO's Web Administrator.

Kind regards,

Amanda Tomé

AAO Web Administrator

Toward Truth and Reconciliation

Danielle Robichaud — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 15:26:59 GMT

The AAO is pleased to share the first of two pages aimed at supporting the Truth and Reconciliation process and improving access to Indigenous focused archival and cultural resources. Toward Truth and Reconciliation is a dedicated page aimed at assisting Ontario's archival community to navigate the path toward the decolonisation and Indigenization of our practice. The page consists of free and openly available resources for those seeking to critically examine:

Colonialism, the legacy of the residential school system, and Indigenous issues in Canada;
The diversification of collections as part of the truth and reconciliation process;
Access barriers for Indigenous peoples to institutionally held archival holdings;
The ethics of collection use and digitization.

Recognizing that the reconciliation process is one that requires listening, reflection and action, the Toward Truth and Reconciliation page has been conceived as an evergreen resource that will evolve over time. We thank those who have already contributed and welcome input about areas for improvement.

As a next step, the AAO will be developing a dedicated page aimed at improving access to Indigenous focused archival holdings and cultural heritage items in Ontario. We invite you to forward information regarding these types of resources that may not be currently captured in Archeion for inclusion on this page. Online exhibits, digitized collections, community-based initiatives and finding aids are encouraged.

All comments and suggestions can be directed, by email, to the AAO’s Web Administrator at webadmin@aao-archivists.ca.

Donating to the AAO

Danielle Robichaud — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:02:48 GMT

Have you considered donating to the Archives Association of Ontario? Donations can be made online and you will be eligible for a tax receipt!

Financial support helps us provide programming, education, advocacy and share knowledge to over 325 members. We promote the development of a co-operative system of archives in Ontario by:

Advocating on behalf of Ontario’s archival community to the government of Ontario, local government and other provincial institutions to advance archival practice and promote the value of archives
Promoting professional standards, procedures and practices among archival repositories
Facilitating archival communication and cooperation among institutions, users and sponsors
Providing leadership through communication and co-operation with individuals, groups and associations interested in the preservation and use of Ontario's documentary heritage
Being part of a network of provincial, territorial and national archives associations

Additionally, the AAO offers a number of different services to its members, including:

Guidelines for starting and managing an archives through the advisory services of the AAO Archives Advisor and Archeion Coordinator
Educational opportunities through professional development and web resources
Opportunities for members to make professional connections
Archeion, a database containing archival descriptions and digital objects from AAO member institutions

Rules for Archival Description (RAD) Survey Results

Danielle Robichaud — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:42:41 GMT

Information for Regional Consultations

1. Complete this section if you are responding for a GROUP.

Contact person: Marissa Paron, President

Name of Organization: Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

Date that the community consultation was held: Survey open from October 30 to November 30, 2015.

Number of participants: 48 survey respondents (43 AAO members, 5 non-members)

Purpose and scope of the standard

2. Is there a need for a separate Canadian standard or could Canadian archivists adopt some other existing standard(s), e.g. the ICA standards or DACS?

To answer the following questions, the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) surveyed its membership and the local archival community. 48 responses were provided.

Asked to rate six potential options, our respondents cumulatively put their choices into the following order:

Simple RAD based on core elements that is mapable to current ICA standards.
Replace RAD with ICA standards.
Undertake an extensive revision of RAD on the basis on the recommendations of the Meeting of Experts.
Allow the use of other archival descriptive standards in Canada.
Adopt the RAD2 draft that was prepared in 2004.
Do nothing.

42% of respondents said their preferred solution would be to reduce RAD to a core set of descriptive elements that are interoperable with current ICA standards.

23% preferred to scrap RAD entirely and replace them with ICA standards in Canada.

21% voted first for an extensive revision of RAD based on the recommendations of the Meeting of Experts. However, an almost-equal number of votes put this in their least desirable outcome (19%). Open-text responses indicate that this could be seen as a waste of scarce resources:

“In my mind, it would be a pity to spend hundreds of volunteer hours updating RAD when there is already an international standard.”
“I would sooner we work on archival identity and funding challenges.”

Respondents seem to be torn: many believe it would waste already-invested time to redo all their descriptive work in a new format; an equal number believe the format is currently useless and should be either deprecated or extensively rewritten.

48% rated “do nothing” as a last resort; 48% put the adoption of the 2004 draft RAD revisions as the second least favoured option.

Arguments for maintaining RAD in some form include:

“It would be a shame to lose all the hard work that created RAD.”
“Any review of RAD needs to consider the significant investment that archives have made in transitioning legacy records to the current RAD standard, the development of new descriptions and the investment in technology to support RAD.”
“I am happy that there is an awareness that a lot of time and money has already been used to create RAD-compliant descriptions. Whatever is done or created needs to consider this so that these past resources are not wasted.”
“RAD currently comprises consistent patterns of implementation that have been communicated over a substantial period of time -- i.e., it is a workable wheel that is widely understood and does not need to be re-invented.”
“With hundreds of thousands of on-line descriptions based on RAD available now, let's not make it impossibly difficult for archives to map to a new standard.”

Arguments for replacing RAD entirely with other standards include:

“Completing RAD is only possible when there is sufficient staff on hand. Even then, it's not realistic as there are so many other needs in an archives that need tending to. For a one-person archives operation RAD isn't even on the table as a priority. Who was RAD developed for?”
“The Canadian archival community is silo-ing itself by using a Canadian-centric standard when we should be moving towards adopting a standard that works well globally.”
“I'm not sure what is specific to Canadian archives that requires our own standard. Resources in the archival community are tight. Why not adopt the international standard and spend our time advocating for better funding, more cohesion, tackling the issue of electronic records, etc.”
“It doesn't form a unified set of descriptions across Canada, as was intended. Many smaller institutions used either a variation of RAD, or no standard at all.”
“I just don't understand why, in 2015, we would be developing nation-specific standards. Why not pool expertise internationally, ensure Canadian interests are represented in ISAD, and in turn freeing up some resources/time at home for other pressing issues.”
“It doesn't reflect the research needs or vocabularies of non-advanced researchers, it doesn't adequately address digital records, it's incredibly difficult to align with established metadata standards, it doesn't reflect the needs of archivists or researchers in a digital environment, it's too long, it doesn't help demystify archives.”

3. Are there strengths in RAD that are not found in other descriptive standards and which should be preserved in any revision?

33 of the 34 usable responses to our question about RAD’s strengths did not refer to other standards and whether RAD provided unique solutions to problems. The only response that did so:

“I find that ISAD does not provide enough detail and guidance for the physical description fields, which I particularly like about RAD.”

This is an area that could use further investigation: many practicing Canadian archivists are working heavily with RAD and may have no other frame of reference.

One notable joke response had the same text entered as the answer to both the “strengths” and “weaknesses” questions:

“It is likely the only current archival descriptive standard still devoting a chapter to stamp collecting.”

20 answers (59%) referred to its consistent usage, an answer that is more generally applicable to any standard applied consistently (which, several other responses indicated, RAD is not):

“It provides a universal descriptive standard for Canadian archives permitting institutions to share data and providing researchers consistency.”
“The fact that I can go (most) anywhere in Canada and still understand the finding aid is also great.”
“It's good to have a standard. Hierarchy of description makes finding aids somewhat useful for users to drill down into collections.”
“The current form is well known by practising archivists.”
“Force of habit / Stockholm Syndrome.”
“RAD does allow for one-stop shopping. I still think that is its biggest benefit.”
“Consistency and clarity across archival institutions. Easy to implement.”
“Its level of acceptance across Canada.”
“It's better than nothing.”
“At least some set of rules exist.”

Four respondents indicated that RAD’s flexibility in levels of description was a strength:

“Ability to create one description for the entire fonds, and drill down as needed.”
“Can accommodate fonds level down to item level descriptions.”
“Relationship of parts to the whole; hierarchy is well outlined.”
“Hierarchy of description makes finding aids somewhat useful for users to drill down into collections.”

Some respondents identified specific features as strengths, particularly for traditional textual record description:

“Item-based descriptions and physical description areas.”
“Works well for description of textual archival holdings.”
“Thorough and complete for textual records and other traditional archives donations”
“It is useful for most traditional archival descriptions.”
“It's fairly flexible.”

One respondent asserted that the standard’s “strengths are historical:”

“I am proud that a leading standard was developed in Canada but I feel that future efforts should be international in scope.”

Four responses indicated that RAD had no strengths; 10 respondents skipped this question.

4. Are there defects in other existing descriptive standards that a Canadian standard should remedy?

As above, very few responses explicitly compared RAD to ISAD(G) or DACS when asked about RAD’s strengths or weaknesses. This is an area requiring further study.

When asked whether a revised RAD should align or diverge with ISAD(G), 35 respondents answered as follows:

13 respondents (37%) requested that RAD align as closely as possible with ISAD(G)
8 respondents (23%) requested that RAD keep a minimal set of elements in common but be free to follow its own structure
8 respondents (23%) reiterated that they preferred to replace RAD entirely
4 responses (11%) were unsure or not clearly decided.
2 respondents (6%) indicated that RAD could diverge entirely from other standards

The majority of respondents did not indicate any particular fields or functions where RAD could fill existing gaps. One response did indicate “an archivist’s gut reaction” about needing a standard that could be used in open data, to preserve context.

One respondent exhibited indecision, but noted Canada’s strong theoretical tradition:

“On one hand I think that we should just adopt ISAD and be done with this whole discussion. It would save a lot of time and effort and it would allow us to use a robust standard that is already in place and well supported with a large user community. On the other hand Canada is so unique in some ways when it comes to our core archival theory and that needs to be taken into account.”

Other qualitative responses of note:

“I believe we need to identify what the core requirements are to move forward with the transition to a primarily digital based repository.”
“Needs to be more practical, easily applied to the collection and its usage. It is good to have a standardized format but it needs to be less complicated. If aligning with an existing standard, ICA would be okay.”
“A minimal set of similar elements is the best way to go at this point in time. RAD is regarded as one of, if not the best example of a descriptive standard worldwide.... Because of this position, RAD should constantly adapt to the current international archival environment, while at the same time setting the tone for other standards to be measured against.”
“RAD also needs to reflect the unique nature of archival description (and arrangement) in Canada.”
“RAD should be closely aligned with ICA standards, particularly now that many repositories are using ICA-ATOM as their chosen descriptive software.”
“Should follow international standards, but should be tailored for Canada's archival principles.”
“Global. We need to speak the same language.”

5. RAD's approach was to be a "one-stop shop" for description at all levels in all media. Is this still a feasible aim? For example, ISAD(G) and DACS focus on aggregate levels of description and leave archivists to look to external media-specific standards for item-level description.

Many open-text responses to the question about RAD’s weaknesses (50%) indicated RAD cannot be used with digital or multimedia materials. This suggests that the standard is not feasible as a one-stop shop. Continuing in this vein would require the committee to incorporate more types of media at the item level, and, ideally, commit to more regular updates in the future.

Some responses from previous questions indicated that RAD’s flexibility in terms of levels of description was a strength; only one specifically mentioned the item level. Conversely, 11 of the 40 respondents on RAD’s weaknesses (27.5%) mentioned that it was too detailed. One respondent indicated that RAD does not “play well” with other metadata schemas, indicating that media-specific item-level descriptive guides need to be built into RAD.

6. RAD's focus is on archival description. Should this focus continue in the standard or should it expand to take in other functions? – e.g. accessioning, arrangement, subject indexing, administrative and preservation metadata?

19 of the 36 responses to our question (53%) indicated that RAD should serve as a description-only module, fitting into existing standards that perform the remaining functions.

Four respondents desired RAD to incorporate all the example metadata we listed in our question: accessioning, administrative, arrangement, preservation.

A further 10 responses indicated some fields as more important than others, but these results were inconclusive: 6 responses asked for arrangement, 6 accessioning, 6 preservation, and 2 administrative. One response included among these asked that they be developed separately, not as part of RAD.

Qualitative responses of note include the following:

“RAD should focus on description, if it is to focus on anything at all, although it would be nice if it could accommodate arrangement to a better degree than it currently does. The ICA has separate standards for, e.g., functions, creators, etc.; let's not needlessly duplicate effort.”
“The lack of specific standards in the areas of accessioning and arrangement is problematic. Especially since description is supposed to follow these important processes. However, I don't think RAD should encompass standards for all other functions of an archives. RAD should have guidelines for elements that describe what other processes have occurred to the record(s) being described.”
“RAD should maintain its current scope, but changes should be undertaken with recognition of other standards in mind, and related elements to those standards mapped for crosswalk purposes.”
“Start with description, definitely. Others are nice-to-haves and I think we should cleave to international standards where possible.”
“Absolutely focus on other functions! Yes, yes, include all of the above but try to make them as simple/useful as possible for all institutions, not only large institutions with a full staff contingent.”
“Ideally RAD should be replaced by ICA standards with any subsequent revision focusing on crosswalking existing RAD description records to the ISAD(G) formatting. If done correctly it will, by default, help lay the groundwork for quality metadata creation and preservation of data.”
“You can't have a standard without an identity and right now too many archives are buried in other organizations - museums, libraries, historical societies - where archival knowledge and processing is limited. Or they don't even exist in many of our communities, which constitutes an even greater loss to the whole.”

Structure of the standard

7. RAD is organized into a general chapter and separate "media-based" chapters. Should the standard continue this structure? For example, ISAD(G), RAD2 and DACS organize the standard by area of description and element.

As mentioned in previous responses, survey participants did not spontaneously compare RAD to ISAD(G) or DACS. Thus, comparative strengths and weaknesses such as these require further study, as would usage of other standards in Canadian archives.

However, many responses (50%) bemoan the lack of suitability for particular types of media, including digital materials. Media-based chapters would require regular updating as new media types become more common and demand specific treatment. Others mentioned family collections and mixed collections (including library materials and museum artefacts) as being hard to describe using RAD.

Many respondents (42%) opted for a RAD reduced to core common elements that could be supplemented by other standards. Therefore, media-based chapters, if kept, could refer to external media-specific schemas. Seven respondents of 40 (17.5%), in reference to RAD’s weaknesses, specifically mentioned its inability to map and crosswalk to other standards. One described an ideal RAD “as a core engine upon which building blocks may be attached or unattached.”

8. RAD groups elements into areas of description inherited from the bibliographic standards for describing publications (AACR2 and ISBD). Should the standard continue this form of organization? For example, ISAD(G) introduced new logical groupings of elements as areas of description (e.g. identity, context, content, etc.)

As mentioned in previous responses, survey participants did not spontaneously discuss the conceptual organization of the standard in comparison to competing standards. Thus, comparative strengths and weaknesses such as these require further study.

Only one response suggested that a basis on AACR2 was a benefit, and this response indicated that, generally speaking, any fallback standard that could be referred to for answering questions that arose through RAD’s ambiguities could perform that function.

In terms of weaknesses, 7 responses specifically mentioned its basis on AACR2 and bibliographic description as a hindrance.

Some terms used to describe RAD generally include “complicated,” “tedious,” “time-consuming,” “unintelligible,” “bulky,” “unwieldy.”

One response requested the ability to use RAD with a “More Product, Less Process” style:

“The inability to reflect description undertaken in MPLP environments (minimum set elements for file lists that do not have to include scope and content, for example).”

Another answered that RAD does not currently function well for describing orphan works.

9. RAD's style of writing and numbering conventions are derived from AACR2. Are there better models? For example, ISAD(G) provides standardized data for each element (number, name, purpose, rule, examples).

As in previous cases, survey participants did not spontaneously discuss the conceptual organization of the standard in comparison to competing standards. Thus, comparative strengths and weaknesses such as these require further study.

10. RAD includes prescribed punctuation rules. Are these still necessary?

Responses that related to punctuation issues were offered in response to the weaknesses of RAD:

“Focus in current written version on punctuation, formatting, etc., rather than more important aspects.”
“Perception of a requirement to conform to irrelevant and arbitrary notations of grammar and punctuation. Forget the humbug, such as (e.g.) "space dash space," and using "fonds" without a preceding definite article (the, this, or etc.).”

Five other respondents noted that RAD focuses too much on formatting in general. One example:

“Too technical, as in an over-emphasis on specifically how something should be typed or should display.”

11. Does RAD need a data model to underpin the standard? This could identify the entities involved in description, their attributes and their relationships. The data modeling approach was the basis for the thorough overhaul of the librarians' cataloguing standard (RDA replacing AACR2). The ICA is currently undertaking the development of a conceptual model for archival description (see http://www.ica.org/13799/the-experts-group-on-archival-description/about-the-egad.html).

Only one respondent bemoaned RAD’s inability to:

“reflect alternate models outside of traditional hierarchical description, i.e. interrelationship and links with other records.”

As before, another respondent mentioned the need for an archival description system that could be used for open data and preserve contextual information:

“How will our descriptive standards provide for open data initiatives? … As an archivist my gut reaction is ‘What about the context?’ Can we move forward with open data and preserve context?”

The need for adopting a data-modelling approach for RAD should be the subject of further study by the CCAD.

Digital archival materials

Integration of descriptive requirement for digital archival materials

12. RAD includes a chapter on Records in electronic form. Does this chapter still provide an adequate basis for description of digital archival materials?

50% of open-text responses to the AAO’s question on RAD’s weaknesses explicitly mentioned its failure to deal with digital materials.

Some of the responses:

“To keep up with the rapidity of technological change we require either a descriptive format that is flexible or a core engine upon which building blocks may be attached or unattached. I believe that this was a part of the original intent with the general rules as a base for the specific media format rules. However, it has not proven to be as adaptable as hoped.”
“Little to no adaptability to describing electronic records or managing the intricacies of complex facsimile issues engendered by digitisation efforts.”
“The provisions for electronic and born-digital materials do not reflect current realities.”
“Designed in the pre-digital world.”
“Not enough explanation for appropriately describing digital materials or mixed media collections that include digital material.”
“Does not address digital records in a meaningful way.”
“Takes no account of digital environment.”
“Lack of clear physical description rules for electronic records.”

RAD’s description of digital materials was also described as “not suitable,” “weak,” “outdated,” and “not conducive.”

13. PREMIS is a metadata standard developed to record information relating to the preservation of digital objects. How should an archival description standard relate to PREMIS?

As mentioned above, 10 of the 36 responses (to our question about focusing on description) requested a preservation metadata section in whatever standard we adopt. These responses did not specify digital or analog preservation; interest in PREMIS interoperability can only be inferred.

However, since the majority of our responses have indicated that any future RAD revision should reduce it to a core set of descriptive-only elements that are interoperable with ISAD(G), it can be asserted that interoperability with PREMIS would be outside the scope of RAD’s authority.

Governance of the standard

14. CCAD currently maintains RAD. Within an archival network pressed for resources, what organizational structure will best ensure the standard can be maintained sustainably?

Of the 36 answers to our question, 25 (70%) responded that the CCA should helm this project. This includes some suggestions of other organizations in conjunction with the CCA, as follows:

There was one suggestion each of “ACA with LAC support” and “CCA with ACA.”
“CCA with LAC” was mentioned twice.
“ACA, CCA, and AAQ” was suggested once (the only time AAQ was mentioned).

The ACA was suggested in some way a total of 6 times; LAC, 4 times.

The ACA was suggested as the exclusive authority once.

The ICA was suggested as the authority three times, in conjunction with responses that preferred to discard RAD.

One stated:

“I don't know that we currently have any organisation with the structural capacity to govern and maintain RAD in any consistent or remotely responsive fashion.”

One respondent, whose first priority was to revamp RAD for use in conjunction with international standards, and whose second preference was to discard RAD, suggested that the ICA should be the main authority, working in conjunction with Canadian representatives. They also said:

“I do not think this is an initiative that can be undertaken by the CCA alone. It needs representation from LAC and representatives of various archival institutions (academic, municipal, volunteer, museum/galleries, etc.).”

2 responses were “not sure;” 12 participants skipped this question.

Some respondents suggested the types of participants on a committee for governance of the standard:

“I would like to see a committee of a wide variety of professionals from across the country.”
“Archivists who work on a regular basis doing arrangement and description.”
“Not archivists who are in administration or who are academics. This is why we are in this mess to begin with and have a tool that doesn't serve its purpose.”
“A committee of ACA and CCA members.”

One respondent asked for more transparency and communication from the CCA than there has been in the past about RAD maintenance.

Another asked about the existing maintenance:

“I am confused that LAC has contracted CCA to perform what I thought was one of the CCA's core functions.”

Another respondent asserts that funding is the first priority for this structure:

“At issue is not the governing body but the assurance that we have a guaranteed funding source. Funding cannot rest upon one funding source but rather should be from all levels of government. It should be a pan-Canadian solution.”

15. What are the costs associated with maintaining a standard and what models exist for ensuring sustainability? For example, RDA is subscription-based, the ICA standards are freely available online, and DACS is available for sale in hardcover and for free in pdf.

Very few of our respondents spontaneously mentioned sustainability, suggesting that this question needs more explicit exploration, possibly through environmental scans and best-practice evaluations.

As quoted above, some respondents asserted that funding is a problem in the field. It is important to ask whether Canadian archivists would be willing to financially support the development and maintenance of a standard: were, for example, subscription a requirement, it may change many responses.

The structural capacity of all our national bodies was identified as a concern, and sustainable funding sources were identified as a indicator of success:

“I don't know that we currently have any organisation with the structural capacity to govern and maintain RAD in any consistent or remotely responsive fashion.”
“At issue is not the governing body but the assurance that we have a guaranteed funding source. Funding cannot rest upon one funding source but rather should be from all levels of government. It should be a pan-Canadian solution.”

Some responses questioned the cost of moving away from RAD, in terms of work already done:

“Any review of RAD needs to consider the significant investment that archives have made in transitioning legacy records to the current RAD standard, the development of new descriptions and the investment in technology to support RAD. RAD 2 died at the gate because archives were too heavily invested in RAD, with many still expending to transition to RAD. As many archives are currently seeing their fiscal envelopes curtailed it may be a very tough sell to argue the case for a need for change. If we are to change or move away from RAD there must be a clear incentive to do so. What will the argument be to justify the change? Any messaging must be clear and it must be consistent. It can't simply be, ‘Hey we are thinking of changing RAD.’ It must also include, ‘... and here is why.’”
“Please keep in mind that any grand changes need to then be adapted by each repository and going back and rewriting descriptions will pose a significant challenge.”
“I foresee resistance if the new model of RAD required major reconfiguration of description databases or the re-description of fonds. If database modifications or re-description becomes necessary, will there be funding to assist institutions?”

Consultation

16. RAD is a community-based standard; what are the best ways to ensure community input in the revision process?

We asked no explicit questions about community input, but some comments were offered spontaneously. We did receive other information about who should be consulted, shared in questions below.

One respondent explicitly criticized the CCA’s previous levels of transparency, while endorsing their continued control of the standard:

“CCA [should govern RAD revisions]; however with more transparency and communication.”

Other suggestions ask for frequent consultations and updates on progress:

“Be transparent with monthly updates to the community and allow for more community input.”
“More information and direction from CCA would be helpful.”
“Need for a broad and transparent consultative process. Tired of waiting for decisions to be made from above/need updates on what is occurring at regular intervals.”

Ensuring community input is an area that would require further study.

17. Who else should be consulted and what are the best ways to engage them? Examples of potentially interested groups include archivists, archives advisors, archival educators, archives creators, archives users, digital preservation specialists, software developers, and professionals in allied heritage sectors (librarians and curators).

Of the 47 responses to this question, 100% agreed that archivists are to be consulted during this process.

Archives advisors were the second most popular choice, with 41 votes (87%); users, 37 votes (79%); archival educators in academic programs, 36 votes (77%); digital preservation specialists, 35 votes (75%).

IT developers, archives creators, and librarians/curators received the fewest votes, with 26 (55%), 22 (49%), and 21 (45%), respectively.

The divide - between practicing archivists, scholars, and advisors at the top, and semi-related professions at the bottom - is worth noting. Archivists clearly want a tool designed for ease of creation, and ease of use by researchers - not necessarily a format influenced by other disciplines. Consulting users is a high priority.

A notable qualitative response:

“All of the above should be consulted - especially IT developers and digital preservation specialists. We really need to consider how descriptive practices work in an environment where access is moving, more and more, to be mediated through an online environment.”

A few contributions illustrated the need to work with museums, galleries, and libraries, where archives are a part of those institutions:

“As a museum with an archives we are already managing several complex and interconnected standards. While we understand that born digital materials and multicultural changes affect how we manage collections, it is important that standards are reasonable stable. It is impossible to keep changing our data when having to integrate three streams of content - library, museum, archives and genealogical materials too.”
“It needs representation from LAC and representatives of various archival institutions (academic, municipal, volunteer, museum/galleries, etc.).”
“[RAD is] not great for small institutions that have a variety of material (archives, library collections, some artifacts), but don't have the resources to catalogue them with separate standards, particularly if using AtoM as their cataloguing software.”

Revision roadmap and transitional strategies

Much will depend here on whether or not there is any general consensus on the previous topics; however, any suggestions would be appreciated.

18. What are the priorities, how should consultation and revision proceed, what is a reasonable timeline?

Some respondents expressed apathy towards the revision of RAD. While “doing nothing” ranked last overall, in half of all cases it seemed a preferable solution to undertaking extensive revision, or dropping RAD entirely, depending on the respondent’s first priority.

Some responses indicated higher priorities than RAD in a constrained industry:

“I would sooner we work on archival identity and funding challenges.... we need our legislators and the public to recognize our role in society and push a mandate for regional archives. We can't describe what we don't have.”
“Clearly the community is feeling ambivalent. It would be a shame to lose all the hard work that created RAD -- the standard has served us well for the most part but needs some maintenance.”
“As many archives are currently seeing their fiscal envelopes curtailed it may be a very tough sell to argue the case for a need for change. If we are to change or move away from RAD there must be a clear incentive to do so.”
“I'm not sure what is specific to Canadian archives that requires our own standard. Resources in the archival community are tight. Why not adopt the international standard and spend our time advocating for better funding, more cohesion, tackling the issue of electronic records, etc. In my mind, it would be a pity to spend hundreds of volunteer hours updating RAD when there is already an international standard. International sharing of descriptive records will be increasing in the future, and we'd be better to find a way to make sure Canadian institutions can share their holdings and make them more discoverable. I think the development of an accession standard is a good idea (though again, it would be great if it was international). I just don't understand why, in 2015, we would be developing nation-specific standards. Why not pool expertise internationally, ensure Canadian interests are represented in ISAD, and in turn freeing up some resources/time at home for other pressing issues.”

Others believe now is the time:

“This process is long overdue, but the timing seems about right, now that more institutions are acquiring and trying to describe born-digital records.”

19. What is required to support backwards-compatibility, should RAD undergo revision?

Backwards-compatibility with existing records was a significant concern for a few respondents, regardless of whether RAD was revised or other standards were adopted, but solutions were not offered.

It is worth taking another look at the following responses:

“If database modifications or re-description becomes necessary, will there be funding to assist institutions?”
“Any review of RAD needs to consider the significant investment that archives have made in transitioning legacy records to the current RAD standard, the development of new descriptions and the investment in technology to support RAD.... As many archives are currently seeing their fiscal envelopes curtailed it may be a very tough sell to argue the case for a need for change. If we are to change or move away from RAD there must be a clear incentive to do so. What will the argument be to justify the change? Any messaging must be clear and it must be consistent. It can't simply be, ‘Hey we are thinking of changing RAD.’ It must also include, ‘... and here is why.’”

20. What resources and tools would the archives community require for transition to a new standard?

Respondents seemed united: where any replacement with another standard, or extensive revision, seems likely, archivists will require a crosswalk or mapping guide to transition existing descriptions to the new standard. No archivist should be left to transfer their work in isolation, or to make the choice between redoing work and developing their own crosswalking tools.

The CCAD could develop new rules in conjunction with standards in other areas, such as in technologies. The CCAD could work in tandem with Artefactual and other developers to provide resources and tools and ease any transitions. A few respondents mentioned this:

“RAD should be closely aligned with ICA standards, particularly now that many repositories are using ICA-ATOM as their chosen descriptive software.”
“[RAD is] not great for small institutions that have a variety of material (archives, library collections, some artifacts), but don't have the resources to catalogue them with separate standards, particularly if using AtoM as their cataloguing software.”
“Any review of RAD needs to consider the significant investment that archives have made in the ... technology to support RAD.”
“How one may document and perform accessioning may be constrained by the database in use at an archives or technological limitations.”
“I foresee resistance if the new model of RAD required major reconfiguration of description databases.”
“We really need to consider how descriptive practices work in an environment where access is moving, more and more, to be mediated through an online environment.”

Another respondent pointed us towards their entries in Archeion, our province-wide AtoM implementation, to show how RAD is incompatible with the technical requirements of the software. Their inability to input RAD records exactly into AtoM fields has been a hassle for them. This is but one example of how RAD could become more relevant.

General comments

21. Please provide any other comments, suggestions or questions relating to possible RAD revision.

Users were noted by 79% of our respondents as a demographic that should be consulted on RAD revisions, as seen in question 17. Further to this, 23% of respondents to our question about weaknesses noted that the accessibility of archival description was an issue that could be rectified in revisions of RAD:

“Unclear language. Needs to become more user-friendly and readable.”
“Overly complicated; language doesn't match users’ knowledge and archivists are always needed to interpret it.”
“Complicated, not useful to researchers.”
“It doesn't reflect the research needs or vocabularies of non-advanced researchers ... it doesn't help demystify archives.”
“Most researchers aren't interested in all the detail collected.”
“The rules are overly long, with lots of unnecessary material.”
“[We should adopt] ICA standards. Then we are all using a similar format which will help researchers understand how to access archives regardless of the country.”
“I have never seen any academic researchers respond to RAD the way archivists do. Researchers just want the basics and what to get to the documents.”
“Strongly hostile to users in both senses of the term (e.g. archivists AND researchers) — reinforces stereotypes of archives as hidebound fortresses of mirthless pedantry whose staff are more obsessed with esoteric trivialities than making records accessible or indeed serving users' needs in any way.”

As in the last comment, a portion of respondents said it was inaccessible even to archivists, often focusing on the time and skill constraints of small archives:

“Too much information. It needs a basic guide or map to follow for those who only do description occasionally because of staff and budget shortages.”
“Unintelligible to most and therefore not applied consistently.”
“In reality there is NO TIME to do full RAD - TOO time consuming. Not a practical tool.”
“Needs to be more practical, easily applied to the collection and its usage. It is good to have a standardized format but it needs to be less complicated.”

Several respondents mentioned that RAD is applied inconsistently between institutions:

“There are no format standards so even though finding aids across Canada have the same content they aren't organized the same.”
“Would benefit from a structure that included more examples.”
“Lack of consistency between institutions. Too vague, broad. Can be interpreted differently.”
“It doesn't form a unified set of descriptions across Canada, as was intended. Many smaller institutions used either a variation of RAD, or no standard at all.”

To summarize the majority findings of the AAO’s survey, our respondents requested a revision of RAD that:

reduces RAD to core elements
limits its scope to descriptive elements
maps to ISAD(G)
is backwards-compatible with existing work in RAD
is less detailed than the current version of RAD
works with digital materials
is governed by the CCA
consults archivists, archives advisors, users, archival educators, and digital preservation specialists in the process

To add to the majority findings, notable concerns would suggest a revision that:

has no ambiguities in interpretation, and will be implemented consistently
uses plain language in its guides, and encourages plain language in descriptions
is developed through a transparent process that keeps the community informed
tailors itself toward small archives and limited capacity
in some way values the input of practicing (arranging and describing) archivists over archival academics
reflects the technological changes in description and access in recent years
could give context to digital objects such as open datasets, or function in a linked-data capacity
is cost-effective for archivists to adhere to, and for the CCA to undertake
consults experts from other cultural heritage fields, especially multi-purpose institutions that catalogue a variety of materials with RAD

Areas of further research include:

an explicit comparison of RAD’s features to those of other standards, in terms of unique strengths, needs not currently met, hierarchical structure, data models, etc.
the costs of maintenance, and sustainable models used elsewhere
plans to ensure community input
plans to ensure backwards compatibility and sufficient resources for transition

#1Lib1Ref

Danielle Robichaud — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 21:09:07 GMT

[The following message has been edited from the original, which was first circulated on ARCAN-L.]

On January 15th Wikipedia turns 15. To celebrate the Wikipedia Library has developed a week-long #1Lib1Ref event. Conceived as a 'micro-contribution drive', the aim is to encourage librarians to contribute references to Wikipedia pages. The edits are a way of mirroring reference services and passing on subject expertise. The event is also an important step toward diversifying the current landscape of Wikipedia editors.

Although #1Lib1Ref is aimed at librarians, the initiative is an excellent opportunity for archivists to share their knowledge. As a result of our day to day work we all know the biographies, historical accounts, and articles that do a particularly good job of bringing the people and events captured in our collections to life. Why not visit the page(s) related to your holdings to see if those resources are referenced? If they aren't, why not take things a step further and work them in?

If you would like to learn more about the types of contributions archivists can make to Wikipedia, the Wikipedia Library has a great primer available for Cultural Professionals. I am currently drawing on several of the outlined suggestions as part of my (virtual volunteer) work as a Wikipedia Visiting Scholar at the McMaster University Library and as an co-instructor of the AAO's Wikipedia for Archivists workshop running later in February of this year.

To follow the #1Lib1Ref event online, I recommend the corresponding thread on Twitter.

Happy editing!

Danielle

Rules for Archival Description (RAD) Survey

Danielle Robichaud — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:43:54 GMT

The Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) has been contracted by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to update and revise the Rules for Archival Description (RAD). Ahead of a national Meeting of Experts during Winter 2016, the CCA is seeking input from the Canadian archival community regarding the future of RAD.

The Archives of Association of Ontario (AAO) has created a SURVEY to facilitate the communication of member input, based on available background information provided by the CCA. This collection of data will inform the AAO's official feedback regarding the RAD review. It complements community consultations being led across the country by other provincial and territorial councils, including the recent Archives Association of British Columbia's Roundtable on The Future of RAD held October 23rd, which was captured, in part, using #rethinkRAD on Twitter.

AAO members and other interested members of the Canadian archival community are encouraged to fill out the following survey before November 30th to ensure that their views play a role in shaping the future of RAD. Individuals wishing to submit additional comments directly to the CCA, separately from the AAO, will be provided with an opportunity to do so at a later date as will be communicated by the CCA.

Warm regards,
The AAO Board of Directors

Direct link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NDQ8D7X

Workshop Registration Extended

Danielle Robichaud — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:46:21 GMT

Registration for the AAO Emergency Response and Salvage workshop has been extended to October 12, 2015.

Institutional Issues Forum

AAO — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 18:54:24 GMT

On the heels of the Archives Association of Ontario's (AAO’s) successful conference in London, the Institutional Development Committee would like to invite all AAO members to attend the Institutional Issues Forum on October 22, 2015 (right before the AAO Leadership Meeting).

The focus of the Forum will be a discussion of two items, for which your input is required to ensure the success of the community: (1) the creation of a provincial acquisitions strategy, which is becoming a necessary reality as we look to the future, and (2) exploring how we can take the world by storm during Archives Awareness Week 2016!

Please find the agenda here: AAO IDC Forum Agenda

If you are interested in joining us for the day, the event details are as follows:

October 22, 2015 from 10:00 to 4:00; coffee at 9:30.

Archives of Ontario, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd., Toronto

Coffee and light refreshments will be provided. A variety of restaurants are available on the York University Campus for lunch.

There is no cost to attend the forum but we do ask that you register. Maximum number of participants is 45.

To register please visit our website: http://aao-archivists.ca/event-2052446

Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Negotiations

Danielle Robichaud — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 19:31:30 GMT

Below is an email from Jean Dryden that originated on the ARCAN-L listserv about the current Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations.

Beyond signing the petition, AAO members may find this list of talking points provided by Dryden of use while talking to or emailing candidates running in the current federal election.

* * *

As you may know, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is being negotiated behind closed doors with no public discussion or input.

Here's an update about the status of the talks -- apparently the US representative is trying to squeeze in a meeting by the end of September and it is a slim possibility that they will manage to finalize the agreement.

Once the negotiations are concluded, Canada would be required to extend the term of copyright protection to life plus 70 years from the current life plus 50, and amend the law in other ways that make copyright law even more restrictive than it is now. Michael Geist ha written eloquently about this.

You may want to sign a petition against the copyright provisions of TPP that is being run by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Since we are in the middle of an election, you may also want to take the opportunity to raise this matter with candidates who are seeking your vote.

Regards,

Jean Dryden

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada releases Executive Summary and Calls to Action

Danielle Robichaud — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:18:53 GMT

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has released its findings, including an Executive Summary and Calls to Action. Both have implications for archives and the public record.

Visit the TRC's website for more information about its mandate and documents pertaining to its findings.

Feedback wanted about Wikipedia's Cite Archives template

Danielle Robichaud — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 17:21:38 GMT

The fine folks at Wikipedia Library are in the process of developing a Cite Archives templatefor use as a citation guideline when contributing to Wikipedia. As part of the development process the Wikipedia Library is inviting comments from the archival community on the template draft's Talk Page.

Currently there are myriad templates that align with print and electronic resources, but none of them reflect the nature of archival material. Of the available options the Cite Web templateis (arguably) the most appropriate template for archival material, as it allows editors to tease out the name of a digital collection, along with the name of the item. It does not, however, allow for the nuance of archival specific practice, like the difference between fonds vs collections, or the (straightforward) identification of the parent institution where archival material is held.

The development of a citation template for archival material is particularly important given the rise of digitized archival content. As the availability of digitized material continues to grow, the potential for that content to be used in Wikipedia pages as a citation source increases dramatically. At the same time, from an outreach and access standpoint, it is simply really, really exciting.

While digitized images of graphic material have made a mark on Wikipedia pages in a variety of ways [1][2][3], there is great potential for digitized textual records, and supporting websites or finding aids, to be used in the same way as books, newspapers and other print documents. For example the Louise Nevelson papers are cited throughout the Wikipedia page for Nevelson. The content was integrated by Sarah Stierch a former Wikipedian in Residenceat the Archives of American Art.

Archives and Wikipedia is a topic that I'm quite interested in and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.I'm also running a workshop called Wikipedia for Archivists with Amanda Hill at the upcoming AAO Conference.

For those of you interested in learning more about how archives can contribute to Wikipedia, the Wikipedia Library's Share Your Archives page is a great starting point.

Best wishes,

Danielle

Director Without Portfolio/Web Administrator

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provenance

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartography

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan

Newest release of historical Vital Statistics records on microfilm

Danielle Robichaud — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 17:12:25 GMT

Now available at the Archives of Ontario - newest release of historical Vital Statistics records on microfilm

The Archives of Ontario’s newest release of historical Vital Statistics records is now available on microfilm in our reading room and through Microfilm Interloan Service. Vital Statistics are some of our most heavily used records, and are a highly valuable tool for genealogical research. The newest release covers registrations for Ontario births from 1917, marriages from 1932 and deaths from 1942, as well as all indexes.

Click here to learn more about the Archives of Ontario Microfilm Interloan Service. To discover the wealth of information available at the Archives to help you trace your family history, click here.

Archives Awareness Week at the Archives of Ontario

Danielle Robichaud — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 16:17:55 GMT

Join the Archives of Ontario for Archives Awareness Week 2015! From April 7th to 11th, we will be celebrating archives’ unique potential to inspire and excite people, bring communities together, and tell memorable stories about the past with a number of exciting events.

Come to the Archives of Ontario all week long to enjoy our Customer Appreciation Week, and to learn about our collections and services

On Thursday, April 9th, we will be hosting at the Archives a special series of activities, where you can:

Ask an expert about preserving your family heirlooms
Tour the Archives of Ontario building
Attend presentations about current initiatives in Ontario archives and archival organizations

To end off the week, visit our table at the “Finding Your Upper Canada Ancestors” workshop on Saturday, April 11th to get expert help with your genealogical research.

Don’t miss out on these exciting events, where you can experience firsthand the thrill of discovery! Find more information about our Archives Awareness Week activities and to register for our April 9th presentation series and tour here.

Congratulations to the new Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Kelli Babcock — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:18:08 GMT

On behalf of the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) I would like to congratulate the Honourable Michael Coteau MPP (Don Valley East) on his recent appointment as Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and as Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games. An MPP since 2011, Mr. Coteau previously served as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

The AAO would also like to thank the outgoing Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Honourable Michael Chan, for his outstanding support of Ontario's archival and heritage communities, and congratulate him on his new portfolio as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade.

The AAO is continuously grateful to the the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for the ongoing support of our association through the Provincial Heritage Organization Operating Grant. We look forward to continuing to promote wide public access to Ontario's heritage, and encouraging public participation in heritage conservation activities, with the Ministry's support for many years to come. The AAO will also be taking this opportunity to request a meeting with Minister Coteau, in order to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our profession, and to extend our congratulations in person.

Sincerely,

Ned Struthers
President, 2014-2015
president@aao-archivists.ca

The AAO Website is Under Construction

Danielle Robichaud — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 01:18:48 GMT

The AAO's website is being transitioned to a new server. Some content is currently unavailable, but the site remains operational. This means that you can still register for events and renew your AAO membership.

The transition should be complete by the end of July 2014.

Please contact aao@aao-archivists.ca with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

The AAO 2014-2015 Board

AAO Partnership with Managing Matters Inc.

Kelli Babcock — Thu, 01 May 2014 11:09:16 GMT

Dear members and friends of the Archives Association of Ontario,

Association and Event Management Company Managing Matters Inc. is expanding and branching out into the world of archives with a new client – The Archives Association of Ontario.

On May 1^st 2014, Managing Matters began working with the AAO volunteers to handle the day-to-day operations of the Association including website development and management, database management, member inquiries, registration for events, financial management and other administrative tasks. With their annual conference mere weeks away, Managing Matters will be providing support to the Board of Directors at the busiest time of their calendar year!

“On behalf of the AAO Board of Directors, I am very excited to begin working with Managing Matters. The AAO Board of Directors has found Jenny, Maddy, Becky, and the rest of the Managing Matters team to be incredibly organized, enthusiastic, creative, and professional in conducting the secretariat services transition process over the course of the past month. Partnering with Managing Matters is an incredibly positive change for the AAO. I invite all AAO members to get in touch with our new secretariat team with any questions, feedback or ideas that you may have for our association's future,” said Kelli Babcock, President, Archives Association of Ontario.

“We are very excited about the partnership between the Archives Association of Ontario and Managing Matters and are looking forward to helping the association grow. We believe that our expertise in association and event management, as well as our team of dedicated staff will take the association to the next level and strengthen AAO's ability to deliver value to its members,” said Jenny Faucher, President, Managing Matters.

About Managing Matters Inc.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Managing Matters Inc. provides full-service association and event management across North America and Internationally. For more information about Managing Matters visit www.managingmatters.com

About the Archives Association of Ontario

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a network of archives and archivists providing programs, education, advocacy and shared knowledge, consisting of approximately 300 members. The AAO represents archival institutions, those working in archives, as well as volunteers, patrons, and supporters of archives. For more information about the AAO visit http://aao-archivists.ca/