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About us

Formed in 1993, the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a volunteer-led organization that fosters a community of information specialists by representing and serving archives and records professionals.

The AAO is a network of archives and archivists providing programs, education, advocacy and shared knowledge. Consisting of approximately 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.  

What we do

The AAO promotes 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 in order 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 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


Vision and Mission Statements

The Mission Statement of the AAO was created at the Leadership Meeting in October 2012. A Vision Statement was added and the Mission Statement updated statement was passed in 2019: “The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) will be Ontario’s foremost network to support the province’s archives, heritage, and records institutions and information professionals.”

Vision statement

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) will be Ontario’s foremost network to support the province’s archives, heritage, and records institutions and information professionals.

Mandate statement

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a network dedicated to 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.

Governance

The AAO is governed by a volunteer-based Board of Directors and represents archival institutions, those working in archives, and volunteers, patrons, and supporters of archives. It promotes archives as vital to the fair, transparent, and equitable operations of the Canadian and Ontario governments, and society as a whole. The AAO's Constitution outlines the bylaws guiding the administration and operations of the AAO.



Here's a look at the AAO's activities over the past year (2025).

Activities of the AAO for 2025 depicting membership distribution, outreach statistics, the number of Professional Development events, and stastics from Archeion.


AAO activities for 2025 (Image description)

Membership:

  • Distribution: The majority of members reside in Southern Ontario, but there are members residing throughout the province.
  • Categories: In 2025 the AAO had a total of 426 institutional members, 68 individual members, 54 student members, 9 retired members, and 4 Friends of the AAO, totalling 561 members.

Outreach:

  • In terms of outreach, the AAO had 1975 followers on Facebook, 1578 followers on Instagram, 537 followers on YouTube, and 1071 followers on LinkedIn.
  • Off the Record published 21 articles across 4 issues.

Member Services:

  • The Professional Development Committee hosted 7 workshops with a total of 134 attendees.

Archeion:

  • Archeion had a total of 234,545 page views, 45,050 new descriptions added, which brought the site to a total of 167,251 descriptions, and 204 institutions. Note that the page views for Archeion exclude October and November due to high amounts of bot traffic.

The Archives of Ontario receives financial support from the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services as administered through the Archives of Ontario Grant.

200-40 Eglinton Ave. East

Toronto ON

M4P 3A2

aao@aao-archivists.ca

(647) 343-3334


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