In our “Emerging Voices” series, we highlight reflections from students, early career professionals, and first-time conference attendees from the ACA 2026 virtual conference! Today we’re featuring Payton Kufeldt, a PhD student at the University College Dublin. 

Left: Conference HQ (aka my desk in Dublin)
This year’s ACA Conference had a slightly more unusual setting for me: a desk in Dublin, my Canadian archival community on my screen, far too many open tabs, and a very serious stuffed moose named Steven perched behind the screen like an unofficial supervisor for the week. He appeared to take his duties very seriously. Because the conference was virtual, my setup was very much my everyday workspace. It was from here that I presented part of my doctoral research as a recipient of the ACA Foundation’s Emerging Voices Award.

My presentation titled “How Does That Help Me? Recordkeeping Culture, Institutional Knowledge, and Records Management Practice” drew on the literature review for my ongoing doctoral work at the University College Dublin (UCD). As I am just beginning the data collection stage of my ethnographic case study research, this presentation, rather than focusing on findings, brought together ideas from records management, knowledge management, and industrial-organizational psychology literature to explore a practical question: how can theory actually support day-to-day practice? In doing so, the presentation offered an opportunity to begin shaping these interdisciplinary strands into a coherent argument and to test their resonance with a wider professional and academic audience.

My slide framing the talk: how can theory actually support day-to-day practice? 

While presenting, I found that one of the most reassuring parts of the experience was the response to the session. The questions and conversations that followed were thought-provoking, and I came away with many rabbit holes to explore. It felt less like presenting and more like being part of a shared discussion, which is exactly what makes conferences like this so valuable.
Right: In my office at UCD re-watching recordings and taking extra notes, one of the perks of a virtual conference.

 

The experience also carried a more personal significance for me as a researcher based in Dublin, working, studying, and self-funding my research. Being away from Canada while presenting to my own Canadian archival community brought into focus what it means to maintain scholarly and professional connections across distance. It also underscored the investment I am making in my doctoral studies, both financially and personally, but also in terms of staying present within a community that has shaped my personal and professional identity. At the same time, it offered a meaningful break from the often solitary pace of independent research. 

Working across time zones and outside of a local cohort can sometimes make engagement feel fragmented, so having the opportunity to share work in a live, responsive setting within my own community felt especially meaningful to me. 

The UCD Careers Network offices, where my case study research is situated.

I also really enjoyed the chance to attend sessions across such a wide range of topics. One of the best parts of conferences is stepping outside your own research area and discovering new approaches, projects, and ideas. I came away with a long list of things to read, follow up on, and reflect on. 

What stood out most overall was the energy of the conference community. Across sessions, there was a consistent sense of openness with people sharing work-in-progress, reflecting honestly on challenges, and making space for new ideas and perspectives, which made the whole experience feel more active and collaborative rather than purely observational. 

Looking back over the whole week, I can’t begin to express my gratitude to the ACA Foundation, all of the volunteers, and the attendees who made the conference such a welcoming and engaging experience. I’m already looking forward to the 2027 conference and to seeing how both the conversations and the field continue to evolve in the meantime. Until then, I’ll be following the work of colleagues across Canada from my desk in Dublin with my notebook, my headphones, and Steven still keeping an eye on proceedings from his usual spot.

Payton Kufeldt is a Vancouver native and second-year PhD student at the University College Dublin (UCD), where she researches institutional knowledge and recordkeeping culture. She holds an M.A. in Archives and Records Management from UCD and a B.A. from the University of British Columbia. She works as a Documents Manager at CAE Parc Aviation (on placement in AerCap) and previously served as Project Archivist at the Guinness Archive.