Professional Development Committee

The Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) is dedicated to offering professional learning opportunities for its members. This includes our internationally respected Annual Conference, as well as a range of online and in-person programs and services to support members at all stages of their careers. 

The Professional Development Committee reviews and advises the Board of Directors on matters related to professional learning for archivists, archival practitioners, and records professionals in Canada. Specific duties include:

• Advising on strategic directions for professional learning and skills development initiatives
• Planning and facilitating professional learning workshops and associated programming at the annual conference, at locations across Canada, and on-line to a virtual audience

We are committed to:

• Providing access to professional resources to support archives and records professionals to be effective in their careers
• Partnering with hosts across Canada to design and deliver professional development programming
  
• Mentoring and supporting new professionals through Student Chapters and associated programming such as the ACA Mentorship Program
  

The ACA is committed to providing access to all our members. If you require special accommodations please contact professional.development (at) archivists.ca and we will work to accommodate your request to the best of our ability.

Current Initiatives

The Professional Development Committee has three main tasks that it is currently working on, consistent with the ACAs strategic plan and equity commitments. It is working to develop new professional development opportunities for members. The Committee is working with the Program Committee for the 2021 conference to include a professional development stream as part of the conference, and it is working on identifying member's development needs and looking for ways to deliver relevant local and regional instruction and training at other times during the year. The Committee is researching the pros and cons of accreditation, for graduate archival education programs, and for professional archivists. (Updated February 2021).

Committee Members (2025)

John Yolkowski, chair

Sam Frederick

Emily Collins

Mary Grace Kosta

Amanda Oliver, Board Liaison [Dal2 (at) archivists.ca]

For more information about the Professional Development Committee, please contact professional.development (at) archivists.ca.