You are cordially invited to a free online lecture (25 September 2025 at 12 p.m. EST): “The Ideal Book: Introducing the Doves Press and Bindery Collection at McMaster University.” 

In 2024, McMaster acquired a complete run of all vellum-bound editions produced by the Doves Press (1900-1916) — that high point of Arts and Crafts typographic excellence — as well as the associated output of the Hammersmith Publishing Society and a significant collection of related primary documents. Taken together with our existing holdings from this enterprise, McMaster now possesses one of the most comprehensive Doves collections in the Americas. To celebrate this extraordinary acquisition, join McMaster’s conservator and librarians for a 90-minute discussion about the significance and legacy of the Doves Press and Bindery. We will explore their aesthetic milieu and broader cultural context, their immense impact on subsequent printing and book design, the personalities and (often fractious) relationships between key figures associated with the project, and — not least — the astonishing story of how the legendary Doves Type came to be destroyed, meaning that the output of the press could never be replicated.  

This lecture will be led by Bronwen Glover, McMaster’s Archives and Book Conservator; Myron Groover, Archives and Rare Books Librarian; and Ruth-Ellen St. Onge, Distinctive Collections Cataloguing Librarian. 

Register using this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/8517557930544/WN_ZszcNXwwSCezo6wfSa5x1g#/registration  

We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2025 AABC / YCA Joint Conference "Archival Innovations: Archives in the 21st Century" is now open!

Join us online October 7 - 9, 2025 for an engaging schedule of presentations and the pre-conference workshop "Managing an Oral History Program". Learn how archival practitioners have risen to challenges in unique and innovative ways - using experience, technology, tools, and partnerships to leverage a new dynamic path forward.

Conference information including session and speaker introductions, a daily schedule, and links to our supporting sponsors, can be found on the conference website <https://aabcycaconference2025.wordpress.com/>.

*Not sure if you should still register if you can't attend the whole online conference? We will be recording the presentations so if you have to step away, you will receive the conference link that you can watch afterwards!*

*A bundled registration rate is available for the pre-conference workshop and the conference registration!*

Registration links can be found on the conference website at: Registration – AABC & YCA 2025 Conference <https://aabcycaconference2025.wordpress.com/registration/>.

The August issue of Archives Matter from the Australian Society of Archivists is available now: https://www.archivists.org.au/communications/id/712

A Halton community member has started a petition aimed at the Halton Region council and a reversal of its decision:  https://www.change.org/p/reverse-the-decision-to-close-halton-region-s-heritage-operations.

The ACA has sent a letter to Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, over the Halton Region's decision to dismantle Halton Heritage Services, and to de-accession its collection. The letter can be viewed here. 

Please join us for the Association of Canadian Archivists at the University of Toronto.

Archivists from the University of Toronto community will be presenting the papers they delivered at the Association of Canadian Archivists Conference this past June. A detailed schedule is below and in the RSVP link.

You're welcome to drop in for individual sessions or stay for the entire day — we look forward to seeing you there!

When: 9:15 – 3:30, Thursday, August 7

Where: Maclean Hunter Room, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, 120 St. George Street, Toronto

The event is free and open to everyone.

RSVP: To help us plan coffee breaks, please RSVP to: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/aca-at-uoft-tickets-1526643514849?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Schedule:

9:15 – Welcome

9:30-10:00 - Cheryl Regehr on Humanizing Archives of Human Suffering

10:00-10:30 – Wendy Duff and Arden Hody, on At What Cost? The Emotional Impact of the Changing Role of the Archivist

10:30-11:00 – Break

11:00-11:30 - Andrew Wiebe on Astrolabes and Other Structural Cosmologies in the Archives: An Indigenous Critique of Archival Structures and Values

11:30-12:00 - Simon Rogers on The Past, Present, and Future of Monetary Appraisal

12:00-12:30 - Francesca Rousselle on Archivist as Curator and Educator: A Case-Study from the John M. Kelly Library Special Collections

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30- 2:00 – Thomas Fox and Adam Williamson (Fiorella Foscarini) on The Invisibility of Translation in Archival Research

2:00-2:30 - Kelli Babcock on CTRL+F: User Behavior in Archives Discovery Systems

2:30 – 3:00 - Break

3:00-3:30 - June Chow on Community Approaches to Access and Repair: Chinese Immigration records in Canada’s national archives

Call for 2026 Virtual Conference Program Team Chair  

The ACA is seeking a Conference Program Team Chair for the 2026 Virtual Conference. This is an opportunity to shape the conference program and give back to your professional community.  

Responsibilities: 

The 2026 Program Team Chair will oversee the annual conference, from recruiting the members of the Program Team to leading the development of the conference theme and overall programming. The Program Team Chair is (thankfully!) not responsible for all aspects of the conference and works closely with the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), the ACA Office, and the members of the Program Team. Specific duties include leading the Program Team to: 

• Develop, in consultation with the Conference Planning Committee, a conference theme; 

• Submit the conference theme and a call for submissions to the Board for approval; 

• Announce the approved theme and call for submissions; 

• Review submitted proposals and select the content of the conference; 

• Solicit plenaries based on conference theme and facilitate conference participation; 

• Solicit and evaluate conference workshop submissions and poster proposals and select for the conference; 

• Communicate with accepted proposals and those not accepted;  

• Announce a call for session chairs and placement within the program; and 

• Work with the ACA Board and Host Team to schedule and plan the conference opening. 

Time Commitment: 

The Program Chair will begin planning work in the summer of 2025 by forming the Program Team and beginning work on developing a conference theme. The Program Team typically meets once a month, excepting the period when the committee is evaluating proposals for inclusion (which is more time intensive), and the Program Team Chair is expected to attend monthly Conference Planning Committee meetings. If selected, the Program Team Chair is expected to attend the Conference that will be held virtually in June 2026. The Program Chair is also responsible for identifying and contacting plenary speakers. This requires a large time commitment, and it is recommended that interested individuals have some institutional support. 

Qualifications: 

You must be a member in good standing of the Association of Canadian Archivists. Preference will be given to individuals with previous ACA volunteer and conference planning experience. The successful candidate should have some of the following attributes: 

• Experience leading a committee or group with diverse members; 

• Experience delivering projects within budget; 

• Strong communication skills; 

• A collaborative outlook and willingness to delegate; 

• Excellent organizational skills, meeting deadlines and deliverables; and 

• Awareness of current trends in archives and recordkeeping.  

Application Process: 

Please submit a short expression of interest of no more than 250 words detailing your qualifications, conference planning (or similar) experience, and engagement with ACA to executive.director@archivists.ca by end of day July 28, 2025. 

The Association is open to considering Co-Chairs should that be of interest. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to CPC Chair Max Otte at conference.planning@archivists.ca or Ottawa Program Chair Patti Harper at  Program.Team.2025@archivists.ca if they have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity.

[Posted on Arcan-L)

Dear Friends, It is with sadness that I share the news of the passsing of David W. Leonard, esteemed historian and archivist, and recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence. David's contributions to the preservation of Alberta's history are well-summarized here: https://www.alberta.ca/aoe-david-leonard.

On a more personal note, David was a wonderful supervisor during the time I worked at the Provincial Archives of Alberta as a Government Records Archivist, which is where we first met. He became a lifelong friend, and was a kind and generous soul. Ever passionate about history, he was an avid collector of old vinyl records and movies from from the 1940s and 1950s, often recording excerpts of musical numbers from these to share with his friends. We also wrote three books together: one on tracing your ancestors in Alberta and two others on the history of Alberta's Peace River Country, having many adventures driving around in Peace River country searching for old homesteads and other landmarks.

With David's passing, the Alberta, and Canadian, archival community has lost an outstanding community member.

Best wishes,

Victoria Lemieux

Victoria Lemieux, MAS, PhD, CISSP  (she/her/hers) Professor,Archival Science, School of Information Co-Lead, Blockchain@UBC research cluster Faculty Associate, Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems Affiliated Faculty Member, Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering The University of British Columbia

ASA members who are attending graduate school in archival studies are eligible to receive a bursary of $1500 to support their studies.

*Eligibility:*

-        Alberta resident or has a permanent address in Alberta

-        ASA individual member in good standing

-        Full-time student in a graduate program in archival studies

 

*Criteria for Selection:*

-        Academic and/or professional merit

-        Potential for contributing to Alberta’s archival community

-        Preference given to first-time applicants

*Deadline:* *July 31, 2025*

For more information and to apply visit:

https://archivesalberta.org/professional-development/bursary/

If you have questions, please contact Rene Georgopalis at reneg@archivesalberta.org.