Fred Farrell 

Highlights

Provincial Archivist of New Brunswick, key supporter of the Canadian archival system and the professionals who work in it for more than forty years.  

Education and Background 

Born in Truro, N.S., Fred Farrell grew up in Valley (a small, neighboring community, and the genesis of two archivists). He received a BA in history (1973) and a BED (1975), both from St. Francis Xavier University, and completed the course work for a MA in History from the University of New Brunswick 1974. He continued his education throughout his career by taking archives courses and workshops through the US National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives of Canada, and the Association of Canadian Archivists. He retired in 2023. 

Professional Career 

Farrell began his career working on contract at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) in 1977 while conducting research for his Master’s thesis that was never completed. He went on to spend his entire career there, serving as manager of private sector and photographic records for many years and as Provincial Archivist from 2014 onward. 

Contributions to the Profession 

Fred Farrell was made a 2020 ACA Fellow “for his longstanding, unquestionable, unwavering, unconditional commitment to the Canadian archival system and the professionals who work in it for more than forty years”. Throughout his career, Farrell has been a tireless and vocal advocate for archives and archivists. He has served the archival community in a wide variety of roles at the local, provincial, and national levels, including Chair of the ACA Publications Committee (1980-1982), President of the Council of Archives New Brunswick (1992-1995), Chair of the Canadian Council of Archives (2000-2006), Chair of the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists and Co-Chair, National, Provincial and Territorial Archivists Conference (2018-2020). He has also contributed his knowledge and expertise to numerous taskforces and committees studying the situation of archives in Canada and particular issues relevant to archives, including focus groups on Rules for Archival Description (RAD) and attending the first RAD camp, the CAIN committee, and the 2014 Royal Society Expert Panel on Archives and the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives (established in 2016), where he represented the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists (CPTA). He has also served as a director of the National Archival Appraisal Board (NAAB) 2022 -2025. 

Honours, Awards and Recognition:  

• ACA Fellow, 2020 

Further Information 

• ACA Bulletin Scope and Content Oct 2020, vol. 1, issue 10 https://archivists.ca/2020-ACA-Awards/ 
• Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives: Members biographies https://archives2026.com/about/ 

 Photo source:https://archivists.ca/2020-ACA-Awards/