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!

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

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

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

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

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 - 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

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

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.

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 the AAOEe Executive at aaoeast@gmail.com.

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)

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 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) 

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).

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

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