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
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.
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 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.
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):
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!
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.
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:
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.
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!
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.
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:
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.
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!
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705-1 Eglinton Ave. East
Toronto ON
M4P 3A1
aao@aao-archivists.ca
(647) 343-3334
