Scope and Content Monthly ACA Newsletter
December 2022, Volume 3, Issue 12
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Click here if you are having trouble reading the newsletter.
Scope and Content is issued the first Thursday of each month. If you have any comments or feedback, please contact the Communications Committee.
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Update: ACA Fundraiser to Help Re-Build Ukraine’s Archives
As you may recall, the Association of Canadian Archivists facilitated an online silent auction and fundraising campaign to raise monies in support of our archival colleagues in Ukraine. This auction took place during International Archives Week, June 6-10, 2022, with all funds raised to be donated to Ukrainian archival institutions after the war is over to assist in the recovery and preservation of Ukraine’s documentary heritage. With all auction items now delivered and received, and all accounting processes complete, I am thrilled to announce that through our collective efforts we raised $6,103 towards this goal! Earlier this week, the ACA Secretariat issued a cheque for this amount to the Friends of the Galt Museum & Archives Akaisamitohkanao'pa, the body through which monies will be transferred to the State Archival Service of Ukraine. A HUGE shout out to all those who contributed to this campaign!!
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Call for Expressions of Interest: ACA 2024 Virtual Conference Program Team and Host Team Chairs With
conference plans for the ACA 2023 Conference in Charlottetown, PEI,
well underway, the Board is now turning its attention to the 2024
Virtual Conference. To this end, we are seeking expressions of interest
from folks who would like to try their hand at Chairing either the
Conference Program Team or the Conference Host Team. To give you some
idea as to what such chairship duties entail, please review the Draft Terms of Reference for the Conference Host Team and the Conference Program Team. Any additional questions can be sent directly to myself or Jo McCutcheon. Volunteer Forms can be found here. It’s a great opportunity
to meet new people, develop conference planning skills, and contribute
to the development of the most exciting ACA event of the year!
Virtual Conference Anchor Location Along
with individual expressions of interest, the Board would also like to
hear from you about where you would like the 2024 Virtual Conference to
be anchored. So
what does this mean, and why do we need to anchor a virtual event? By
anchoring a virtual conference to an actual geographical location, we
will be able to establish a time zone for the facilitation of synchronous virtual conference sessions. We will also be able to establish a geographic point of connection,
which would allow for regional colleagues to come together as a "Host"
or anchor team. Through this type of anchored, virtual hosting, Host
Team members would be encouraged to develop regional opportunities for
conference attendees to engage in learning about the anchor location.
For example, a Host Team might offer virtual tours of regional archives
and sites of historic interest, facilitate the showing of pre-recorded
performances of a notable regional band or theatre group, or feature
online exhibits developed by regional archives/heritage organizations.
Taken together, an anchor location and Host Team has the potential to
provide virtual conference attendees from around the world with the
opportunity to learn about one of Canada’s many amazing regions! What’s
your suggestion? Let me know.
Contact Me As always, please feel free to email me directly, or use the Raise an Issue
form if you have any concerns about the ACA or any suggestions on how
to make your association better. We always appreciate your feedback!
Season’s Greetings, Erica Hernández-Read President
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This past September, the Board received the sad news that our amazing Director-at-Large, James Roussain, was resigning from his ACA Board position effective October 1, 2022 due to a significant increase to his work portfolio. On behalf of the Board of Directors and membership, Thank You, James! Your time, energy, and brilliant contributions served to enhance our Association during your term, and you will be missed. |
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In accordance with Section 5.10 of By-Law No. 1, the Board has approved the appointment of Amanda Oliver to the position of Director-at-Large 3 effective October 31, 2022. Amanda’s term will extend until June 14, 2023, at which time a member vote will determine an official incumbent to this position. Welcome to the ACA Board, Amanda! With her previous experience both on the ACA Board and on various committees, we know she will be able to pick up where James left off without any trouble. |
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ACA 2023 Conference: Call for Submissions
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ACA 2023: Belonging - Considering archival bonds and disconnects
Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Delta Hotels by Marriott)
Dates: June 28 to July 1, 2023
The deadline for these proposals is: Friday, January 6, 2023.
A sense of belonging is a fundamental human need – as the story of Anne of Green Gables, PEI’s most famous (fictional) daughter, so vividly demonstrates. As peoples of many regions, ages, faiths, genders, abilities, sexualities, racialized or ethnic backgrounds, we want to see ourselves, our stories, and our experiences reflected in the historical memory of the many environments to which we feel we belong. Archivists and archival practitioners now realize how many aspects of archival work contribute to peoples’ experiences of inclusion and exclusion in a community.Through our actions towards historical memory, people may or may not see their stories and experiences reflected, leaving them with feelings of belonging or disconnection, or at worst exclusion.
The 2023 ACA Program Team invites proposals that reflect on the theme of “Belonging” from the perspectives of archival theory and practice, related disciplines and professions, and/or diverse lived experiences of archives, records, and memory work. What does ‘belonging' or conversely, ‘not belonging’ mean to you within your archival context or experience?
Topics could include (but are not limited to)
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Where does this profession belong? What disconnects exist between archivists, records managers, and/or IT professionals, and how can these be overcome? How are archival associations, councils, members, and associated organizations and communities working together in new ways?
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To whom do records belong? To the archives? To creators? To documented people/communities? To everyone? Who has stakes in the records and how are those understood/articulated/acted on?
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Whose experiences belong in archival records and collections?
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What groups of people or organizations are not well represented in archival collections? What impact do archival collections and/or exhibits connected with marginalized populations have on these groups’ sense of belonging in an institution, community, region, or nation?
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How are existing and emerging technologies changing arrangement, description, access, and use in ways that encourage or discourage a sense of belonging for patrons or staff? What are some innovative practices or projects that can cultivate a sense of belonging?
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What steps are being taken to develop a more diverse workforce? What kind of work has been effective in creating spaces of belonging? What barriers still must be overcome?
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How are archival services being made more inclusive for staff and users? How can archival spaces, services, practices, etc., be transformed so that more people feel like they belong in physical and virtual spaces? How do we relate to individuals or groups who do not want to ‘belong’ to the spaces archivists construct?
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How are new archivists transitioning into the profession? In what ways are archival workplaces and/or the archival community welcoming or otherwise? How does one figure out where they belong in the profession at any stage of their career?
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How can the desire to belong lead to practices shared between individuals and communities?
SUBMITTING PROPOSALS:
The 2023 Conference Program Team invites contributions, of either a practical and/or theoretical nature, in a variety of formats including:
- Traditional session: formal presentation of papers; approximately 20 minutes per speaker, with questions to follow as time allows.
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Panel discussion: abbreviated presentation of papers; approximately 10-15 minutes per speaker, with discussion to follow.
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Roundtable: brief 5-7-minute presentations with open discussion.
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Focused Debate on a specific topic: brief presentations with open discussion & debate to follow.
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Archival Book Club: Moderators select readings for discussion at the session; could also include creative elements like debate or voting for preferred works, as in the CBC’s “Canada Reads” broadcast.
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Sprint Session: Is there a challenge that could be solved by a group of people in a short-term, time-bound exercise? What could you accomplish with a set amount of time, a hive mind, and no distractions?
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Fishbowl session
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Storytelling session
- Other: Please share your ideas – be creative!
Please feel free to direct questions to Lara Wilson, Chair, ACA 2023 Conference Program Committee: Program.Team@archivists.ca.
Program Team Members: Robyn Biggar, Jonathan Bowie, François Dansereau, Sarah Glassford, Sara Janes, Karen Suurtamm, Kelly Turner
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Workshop Proposals The deadline for workshop proposals is January 20, 2023.
The ACA Professional Development Committee invites proposals for workshops relating to all areas of archival practice for the ACA 2023 Annual Conference, Belonging - Considering archival bonds and disconnects. We are also seeking proposals for workshops to be offered throughout 2023.
Workshops will be facilitated online via Zoom, and in-person at the ACA Annual Conference. An honorarium of up to $250 will be offered per workshop based on duration.
Workshops on all topics are welcomed, particularly those relevant to remote working environments. Topics may include accessing, using, and working with collections in a digital environment, digital preservation, digital humanities, data sovereignty, privacy and copyright, decolonizing archives, policy development, oral history initiatives, cultural memory work, grant writing, and project management or any other skills you think might support your colleagues in their work. Workshops can be between 1.5 hour and 2.5 hours long. Participation and interactivity are strongly encouraged to avoid Zoom fatigue. |
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Individual and Institutional Membership Fees – Ballot Measure Results
Voting for the ballot measure closed end of day November 30, 2022. The results will be transmitted to the membership via email and the ACA website will be updated as well. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Membership Committee, the Financial Review Committee, and the Secretariat, thank you for your questions and participation with this long-term project.
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Strategic Plan Working Group
The Strategic Plan Working Group of the ACA met on November 21, 2022 for a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis with the Chairs of Committees, Special Interest Sections, and the heads of the Student Chapters. The information gathered will help to build our recommendations for a strategic plan; work on this will take place in the new year.
If you would like to provide your input, you may do so by filling out the SWOT Analysis Feedback Form.
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Fall Membership Renewal It's time to start thinking about renewing your ACA membership! Renew your membership by December 31, 2022 and you’ll be automatically entered in our annual Early Bird Prize Draw. Membership runs January-December, so you’ll be covered for next year. Remember: Membership with ACA includes access to Archivaria, the Mentorship Program, discounted rates on workshops and the Conference, and more. Members can also help lead our Association by participating on Committees and the Board of Directors, as well as having voting power at our AGM. So why not renew early? Prizes this year include sport earbuds, novels by archivist-author Amy Tector, mugs, and gift cards. Also provided by the ACA Board is a one-night stay at the conference hotel for 2023 Conference in PEI as well as registration to a 2023 ACA workshop to be selected by the winner. See the full list of prizes: 2023 Early Bird Renewal Campaign.
Names will be drawn by the ACA Secretariat on January 6, 2023.
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ACA Mentorship Program
Sign-up forms are now open for participants to enroll in the ACA Mentorship Program! Students and new professionals can sign up as mentees to be paired with another professional in the Canadian archival community. The enrolment deadline is January 15, 2023.
We’re also seeking volunteer mentors. Please consider signing up as mentor to connect with someone newly entering the profession and offer your insight into archival issues, working environments, and career development. Any ACA member with a minimum of 5 years of post-graduate experience in the archival/information management field and a commitment to cultivating career development and fostering connections with emerging professionals is eligible. This could include equivalent years of experience. Please get in touch with the Mentorship Program if you have questions about eligibility: mentorship.program@archivists.ca.
Any questions can also be directed to the Mentorship Program Coordinators, Kyle Pugh and Nicole Aminian, at mentorship.program@archivists.ca.
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The ACA is still looking for volunteers to serve on the Conference Planning Committee.
The Conference Planning Committee is charged with developing preliminary plans for the annual conferences of the Association of Canadian Archivists 2-3 years ahead of the conference dates. If you’ve ever wanted to gain some experience in conference planning but were maybe a bit apprehensive about keeping up with the fun, yet hectic, pace of a Conference Program Team, this is the committee for you! Meet and work with colleagues from across the country to conceptualize what conferences could look like for the ACA in the future. Check out the Conference Planning Committee Objectives & Responsibilities before submitting your volunteer form.
If you have any questions about the Conference Planning Committee, please contact Erica Hernández-Read at acapresident@archivists.ca.
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As
many members know, the ACA Foundation (ACAF) and the Secretariat have been
working to restore the charitable status of the ACAF. As noted in previous
updates, the re-application process was completed in February, and in July the
CRA responded with questions about the activities of the Foundation and
requested that we clarify these activities. On November 21, 2022, the ACAF was
informed that re-application process could proceed as outlined in the response
letter provided to CRA, as per the October 20 deadline. The next step was
to submit amended Articles of Incorporation to Industry Canada, which was
completed November 28, 2022. The next step is notification from CRA that our
status has been re-instated. As soon as this notification is received, the
membership will be informed right away and any outstanding receipts will be
issued.
Community
members who wish to donate will be directed to the ACA Foundation
website, as we now have a
new financial management system that is separate from the ACA website. This
change came following directions from the CRA. We appreciate your support
and understanding while the Foundation Board of Directors and the ACA Board of
Directors work to see this process through. The Emerging Voices Scholarships,
the Ancestry Continuing Education Scholarship, and ACAF Bursaries will be
outlined on the website, along with a donations page where contributions can be
made.
If
you have any questions regarding the process, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Pugh, ACAF Board Chair |
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ACA@UBC Symposium: Call for Participants
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The
student chapter of the Association of Canadian Archivists at the
University of British Columbia (ACA@UBC) invites any interested archives
or information studies students from all universities around the world
to participate in its 14th annual Seminar and Symposium to be held
virtually February 10-11, 2023. The theme for this year's Seminar and Symposium is “Archives Unbound: Redefining Archival Concepts and Practice.”
Please visit the symposium website for more details regarding the theme and submitting a proposal. |
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In the Field: The ACA Blog
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November has been a busy month for the blog! Guest editors of the special issue of Archivaria on person-centred archival theory and praxis, Jennifer Douglas, Jessica Lapp, and Mya Balin, have been sharing a series of blog posts that reflect on the nature and enactment of person-centred approaches to archival materials and work. These blog posts complement the articles in the special issue, presenting a variety of perspectives on how centering the person in archival processes happens and why it matters.
If you're interested in submitting a post or want to discuss an idea fora post, please contact blog@archivists.ca.
A message from the editor, Rebecca Murray:
Thank you to everyone who has submitted an idea or a draft blog post this year - the platform and our conversations are richer as a result. I'd also like to express thanks to our team of copy editors for these and all posts you've seen on the blog this year: Catherine Barnwell, Francois Dansereau, and Kelly Turner. A big thank you too to Karen Suurtamm and Jo McCutcheon, who have been a great support to me and the editing team this year.
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ASA Conference 2023 Call for Proposals: Care for the People in the Archives, Edmonton, Alberta, May 26-27, 2023. The deadline for submitting conference proposals is Friday, December 2, 2022.
At the heart of archival work are the people impacted by the work. There are archival workers who process and make records accessible, donors who provide the archives with its holdings, the people documented in records held at archives, and users who access those records. The purpose of archival work is to provide information to people, and sometimes that information can be difficult and emotional. An aspect of our work that is little discussed at the archival schools is psychology. Working with records can be a challenge with regards to the human aspect. We may come across donors who are difficult or grieving, and donating a set of records could be part of their grieving process. Or, as archivists process records, the content could document traumatic human experiences such as death, torture, abuse, or hold other disturbing content. Or we may help users in our reading rooms who may have unexpected emotional responses to the content in the records – like flashbacks of a traumatic event. For ASA’s Conference 2023, we will examine these difficult aspects of our work.
We are inviting proposals that address this emotional component to archival work. Proposals could address the following topics:
- Labour issues in the archival profession;
- Experiences working with donors who are experiencing grief, trauma, or other mental health issues;
- Climate change anxiety in relation to working with records;
- Vicarious trauma experiences while doing archival work;
- Occupational health and safety at the archives;
- Reference service work and experiences of users who are triggered by traumatic information in the records;
- Working with communities to heal or restore loss;
- Change in perception by the public and their use of archives:
- Impacts of increased advocacy and social media presence;
- Increase in communities’ need for archives.
Please send your abstracts, 250 words or less, to reneg@archivesalberta.org. Include your contact information, the format you would like to present in (e.g., individual presentation, roundtable discussion, or panel discussion), as well as a bio of 50 words or less.
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SAHR Tuesday Talks – Raymond Frogner: The Unmarked Burial Sites of Indian Residential Schools in Canada
The International Council on Archives - Section on Archives and Human Rights invites you to its next First Tuesday Talk on December 6, 2022 at 4:00 pm (CET) / 10:00 am (ET).
This talk will present some of the archival research sources referenced during the investigation of unmarked burial sites located near residential schools in Canada. This research faces many challenges, including fragmented documentary sources, unclear jurisdictions, and the struggle of Indigenous communities to obtain the truth.
Please note that the presentation will be delivered in French. Interpretation into other languages will not be provided.
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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This conference will be recorded and published in the SAHR's playlist of ICA's YouTube channel.
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The Association of Moving Image Archivists' 2022 conference is happening from December 7 to 9 in Pittsburgh! The conference program includes sessions, workshops, screenings, receptions, and the Pavilion for exhibits and activities.
Take part in Hack Day, a tour of the University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections, Trivia Night, and more!
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AtoM Users Group
The next Joint US-Canada AtoM Users Group meeting is January 5, 2023 at 3:00 pm (ET).
Please join Kelsey Poloney for a presentation about the AtoM Import Tool for Formatting Bulk Descriptions at Simon Fraser University Archives. Kelsey will talk about the app they created that enables users to convert legacy CSV files into the Access to Memory (AtoM) template for ingest.
To be added to the Joint US-Canada AtoM Users Group, please contact Mary Grace Kosta at mkosta@csjcanada.org with
your name, institution, location, and an indication of whether you are
willing to share your contact information with other group members.
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Young Canada Works 2023-2024 The
Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) is pleased to announce that the
2023-2024 campaign for the Young Canada Works (YCW) program for heritage
organizations has launched. This program is funded by the Department of
Canadian Heritage (PCH), supporting the Government of Canada’s Youth
Employment and Skills Strategy.
All
archival institutions, as well as libraries operating in English, can
now apply online for short-term jobs for students (YCW in Heritage
Organizations) and internships for graduates (YCW at Building Careers in
Heritage) via the official YCW website.
The application deadline for short-term student jobs (HO) and internships (BCH) is January 20, 2023.
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Brian King Fabulous Researcher Fund – Call for Applications 2023
The ArQuives created The Brian King Fabulous Researcher Fund in 2016 to honour the memory of former volunteer Brian King, one of the original Flashback Gala creators. Brian’s enthusiasm and devotion to the organization are legendary. The Brian King Fabulous Researcher Fund enables researchers outside of Toronto to travel to The ArQuives to conduct research.
Applications are open to Canadian and international scholars, graduate students, artists, cultural producers, and other independent researchers with an established research agenda who wish to conduct research at The ArQuives. The value of the award is $2,000.
For more information, visit the ArQuives' Call for Applications.
The submission deadline is January 29, 2023 at 11:59 pm (ET).
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Lunch and Learn
The Society of American Archivists, Archivists of Religious Collections Section presents Lunch and Learn webinars on a wide variety of topics. For a list of upcoming sessions, browse the SAA's events calendar.
Of particular interest is Social Justice and Catholic Nuns with Sara Ludewig, Library of Congress, on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 7:00 pm (ET).
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Listen, Hear Our Voices Funding Call for Proposals
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has announced the official launch of the Listen, Hear Our Voices funding call for proposals to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation organizations in their efforts to digitize documentary heritage and enhance their digitization capacity.
For a fourth consecutive year, this initiative provides funding of up to $100,000 per project to eligible Indigenous governments and non-profit organizations to digitize existing documentary heritage related to Indigenous languages and cultures, and to support the building of skills, knowledge and resources to carry out this work in their communities.
For more information, visit the Listen, Hear Our Voices application site.
The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2023 at 12:00 pm (PT) / 3:00 pm (ET).
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Do
you know a member who's made big news? Is there something going on that
you think the Canadian archival community should hear about? Don't
hesitate to forward stories to the Communications Committee, and we'll help spread the word.
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Submit your job opportunity here and it will be posted to the ACA website. We will also share this opportunity on our social media channels.
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Do you have news you’d like the ACA to share via its social media channels? The Communications Committee has created a form you can use to give us the details!
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Contact Us
Suite 1912-130 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Tel: 613-234-6977
Email: aca@archivists.ca
www.archivists.ca
The ACA office is located on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
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