AAO News

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

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.

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)

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

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.