The ACA 2023 Annual Conference is fast approaching! The ACA blog, In the Field, is featuring the profile of a few members who will be presenting at the 2023 conference. Today we are featuring the profile of Sarah Hanahem, graduate student at McGill University.

Q: What is the title of your conference presentation? 

Sarah: The title of my presentation is “How Donor-Archivist Relationships Helped Shape the Foundation of the McGill University Archives.” Through accession files, I tried to analyze the relationships between the first university archivist at McGill University and donors. 

Q: Can you walk us through your academic and professional path? 

Sarah: I first completed a bachelor's degree in communication at Université de Montréal (U de M) with a minor in comparative literature. Only in my last year of university did I come across the archival profession. I started with a year-long certificate in Archival Studies also at U de M. In 2021, I started the Master of Information Studies at McGill University, and I graduated in June 2023. I was lucky enough to work for McGill University Archives, the Quebec Lesbian Archives, and Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, where I still work. 

Q: What brought you to the field of archival studies and practice? 

Sarah: During the last year of my bachelor's degree, I read Archive Fever by Jacques Derrida for a class. I think this was the first time I was confronted with the meaning of archive and how it can shape memory. I registered for the Archival Studies certificate at the Université de Montréal the following year!

Q: What does the theme of the ACA 2023 conference, “Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects,” mean to you in terms of overall archival orientations and practice?

Sarah: The theme “Belonging: Considering archival bonds and disconnects,” for me, refers to this need to feel represented in archives. I think this idea of representation needs to orient our practices as archivists, from the acquisition to the communication and use of archival documents. We should also identify gaps in current collections and find ways to fill them or at least publicly acknowledge them. 

Q: Can you tell us about your research approach and perspectives?

Sarah: The research project I completed for my Master’s used a data collection approach. I looked at over 80 accession files and tried to identify trends that could inform the relationships between archivists and donors. I was mostly interested in power imbalances and how these relationships led to gaps and silences in the archives. 

Q: What are you most looking forward to at this year's conference?

Sarah: I'm looking forward to seeing live presentations and engaging with my peers in person for the first time in a few years! I'm also looking forward to seeing how people interact with the theme of the 2023 conference through their presentations. Finally, I'm also looking forward to getting feedback on my own presentation.