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AAO News

  • 08 Mar 2018 11:31 AM | Anonymous
    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!

  • 07 Mar 2018 5:31 PM | Anonymous

    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.

  • 15 Feb 2018 12:26 PM | Anonymous

    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.
  • 10 Feb 2018 9:13 PM | Deleted user

    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.


  • 05 Feb 2018 9:35 PM | Anonymous

    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.
  • 24 Nov 2017 11:02 AM | Anonymous
    Consider giving back to the archival community on November 28!

    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.


  • 06 Sep 2017 12:06 PM | AAO (Administrator)

    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 150th 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.


  • 01 Apr 2017 12:00 PM | Deleted user

    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!

  • 17 Mar 2017 8:21 AM | Deleted user

    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


  • 09 Mar 2017 4:03 PM | Deleted user

    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



705-1 Eglinton Ave. East

Toronto ON

M4P 3A1

aao@aao-archivists.ca

(647) 343-3334


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