Scope and Content

Monthly ACA Newsletter

November 2025, Volume 6, Issue 11

President's Message

This year seems to be one of change, and change, as the old adage goes, “is as good as rest”. But I do wonder if that’s true. There has been a lot of change in 2025, and I don’t know about you, but I do not feel rested. I think that is why I love Fall and the quietness of Winter that is peeking around the corner. That is when it seems it is okay to slow down. However, as I write this, the Board and Committee Chairs are gearing up for the Priorities & Planning session in Ottawa (Nov 21^st and 22^nd), and we have a full agenda to keep us busy. Perhaps, after that, it will be time to slow down!

In other news, the ACA has hired back our Young Canada Works Summer Student, Mickenna Ward, to work part-time at the ACA office to help support our administrative tasks. Mickenna will be helping out with website support and event coordination as well as with the Records Management Working Group. On behalf of everyone at the ACA, Welcome Back Mickenna!

– Angela Fornelli, ACA Vice President 2023-2025

Member News

ACA 50th Panel Discussion: December 3rd  

As the 50th Anniversary of the Association of Canadian Archivists comes to an end, the Professional Development Committee of the ACA invites you to attend a panel discussion with five archivists to reflect on the past and present state of archives in Canada while considering some of their hopes for our profession.  

The panel will feature Jazmine Aldrich, Donald Johnson, Laura Millar (ACA Fellow), Tom Nesmith (ACA Fellow), and Ciaran Purdome and will be moderated by Mary Grace Kosta.  

The panel, titled Looking Back and Looking Forward: Perspectives on the Occasion of the ACA’s 50th Anniversary, will take place on Zoom on December 3rd from 11:30-1pm PT/2:30-4:00pm ET. The event is free for ACA members. 

For more information on the panelists, please visit the event page.  

New Format for Special Interest Section Indigenous Archives Meeting: November 28th

Dear ACA community, existing SISIA membership, and fellow First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultural memory keepers, record managers, organization, and community-based archivists - this message is for you! Please join us on November 28th, from 11-12 pm PST/2-3 pm EST for the next SISIA meeting. This meeting will host both Indigenous-only and Indigenous/non-Indigenous joint discussions. In consultation with SISIA membership, the group has decided to reorganize their meetings with the following agenda going forward:

• 2:00 pm-2:30 pm: Indigenous and non-Indigenous joint discussion and updates
• 2:30 pm-2:55pm: breakout into Indigenous/non-Indigenous rooms
• 2:55 pm-3:00 pm: reconvene and close; option to keep zoom open to continue conversation for either group

Please know that neither ACA membership nor a specific professional designation is required to attend the meeting. The entire meeting is open and free for First Nations, Inuit and Métis interested and working with communities and organizations containing Indigenous heritage, cultural, language and oral history collections in archive or related projects. If you are First Nations, Inuit or Métis and this catches your eye, please join SISA for this first meeting as we come together to build and shape our new initiative.

We would like to share our acknowledgement and gratitude to existing SISIA membership for putting the time in to discuss and bring this change forward. Thank you also to IMC and the ACA board for your support. Lastly, a big thank you to external ACA and SISIA community for reaching out, noting your concerns, and seeking this opportunity. SISIA is looking forward to November 28th!

Search for New ACA Executive Director Continues

During our search for a new ACA ED, you may notice some delays in our programs and services, but please be assured that the Board and staff remain committed to supporting our members and ensuring continuity. Our priority in the coming weeks will be recruiting a new Executive Director. Thank you for your understanding as we move through this transition.   

If you are interested in applying for the position, please see the full description on our website.

Enrolment for the 2026 Mentorship Program will be open from November 15 – December 15.   

The Membership Committee offers a mentorship program for new archivists, with an option for BIPOC archivists to choose to engage with another BIPOC archivist. Please consider signing up as a volunteer mentor to connect with a new professional and offer your insight into archival issues, working environments, and career development.  It is a meaningful way to contribute to the profession, and as a recent mentor told us, “I love having the opportunity to learn from students and those new to the field. If they get 1/10th out of the relationship that I get from them, then I can say "success!”.” 

 We encourage archivists and information professionals with a range of job titles and backgrounds to be mentors, and welcome recent graduates and new practitioners to enroll as mentees. 

 To find out more about the Mentorship Program’s goals, structure and eligibility, visit the Program’s homepage.  

 Mentorship Program Coordinators Heather Hubert and Susan McClure are available to answer questions at mentorship.program(at)archivists.ca. Questions specific to the BIPOC Mentorship stream can be sent to: bipocarchivists(at)gmail.com.  

Renew Your Membership This Fall!

Get your 2026 membership in early and you’ll be entered in our annual Early Bird Prize Draw. Membership runs January-December so you’ll be covered for next year. Membership renewals will open November 17th. 

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 for Early Bird renewals will be announced in December and winners will be drawn by the ACA Secretariat in January.   

Call For Early Bird Prize Donations

The Membership Committee is seeking potential gift prizes for the Early Bird Prize draw. This annual draw is held in January and awarded from the pool of ACA members who renew early in the fall/winter months. If you or your institution would be willing to donate a prize, please let us know.  

Contact: membership(at)archivists.ca

ACA Hashtag Party

On the last Thursday of every month, the ACA Social Media Team organizes a hashtag party which takes place virtually on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and now Bluesky! There is a different theme for each month that is announced in advance on social media and ARCAN-L. On the day of the party, you can share materials in your collections related to that theme, tag us and use the hashtag, and we’ll re-share your post! The goal of these parties is to engage more with institutions across Canada, see what kinds of materials other institutions have, and promote weird, fun, and interesting items from your own collections. 

What’s next? 
The next ACA Hashtag Party will take place on November 27, 2025, and the theme will be #ArchivesEnclosures. As archivists, many of us have a natural inclination to keep and preserve anything that might have historical value. A huge part of our jobs is developing a good sense of what we can get rid of – there's only so much space in the archives, after all – and usually that means tossing out the cardboard boxes, old cookie tins, and yes, even sometimes plastic garbage bags that materials get delivered in. But we don’t know about you – sometimes materials arrive in such beautiful boxes, tins, photo albums, and bags, that we can’t resist preserving the enclosures too as their own unique items! For this month’s ACA Hashtag Party, we want to see your favourite enclosure that came to you as a vessel for historical materials. (P.S. - if you haven’t received anything that was beautiful enough to keep as an enclosure, you can also share the worst enclosure, so we can commiserate with you!) #ACAHashtagParty #ArchivesEnclosures 

This will be the final hashtag party for 2025, but keep an eye on future issues of Scope and Content and on all our social media accounts for the 2026 themes! 

For any questions or feedback, or if you have initiatives that you would like the ACA Hashtag Party to support, please email us at communications(at)archivists.ca. 

Carr McLean Discount Available for 2025

The Carr McLean 10% discount is available for both Individual and Institutional ACA members for the entire membership year. This discount can be applied to any order over $100 and is non-transferable. Contact the ACA President at acapresident(at)archivists.ca for the new discount code that will remain effective until December 31, 2025.

In the Field: The ACA Blog

Recent Blog Publications

ACA@50 | In Conversation with Jean Dryden 
In this feature, Dharani Persaud chats with Jean Dryden, former President of the ACA and Editor of Archivaria, for an insightful conversation. 

Volunteer Profile: Sam Frederick, Professional Development Committee 
Sam Frederick volunteers with the ACA’s Professional Development Committee (PDC) and serves as the PDC Liaison on the Conference Planning Committee. Sam says, “I've met a lot of people through volunteering with the ACA...It’s been a great way to learn from what others in the field are doing across the country and find unexpected opportunities for collaboration.”  

If you’d like to submit a blog post, please read and complete this form. We look forward to your contribution!   

ACA Foundation Store

The ACAF has recently added these items to its store:

Limited edition and numbered ACA Anniversary Print. Designed and printed by the Carleton University Book Arts Lab, this beautiful print is only $75 + tax. Prints come in a plastic sleeve, but a tube can be purchased for an additional $3 for safe transportation.

ACA vintage Arthur Doughty Mugs. Unearthed recently! There are a limited number of mugs produced by the ACA, which feature an authentic likeness of Arthur Doughty, and the quote ,“Of all national assets, archives are the most precious: they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization.” Mugs are $20 + tax each.

These items and more can be purchased online and shipped to you directly (note that shipping costs are priced separately). All proceeds go toward funding publicly available scholarships, bursaries, and other financial assistance for post-secondary students, graduates, and professionals who are pursuing education and training in the fields of archival sciences, record keeping and information management! 

Archival Community News

Leo Transcription Grant

We are excited to announce the Leo Transcription Grant, which offers up to 100,000 free credits - enough to transcribe as many as 200,000 pages of handwritten manuscripts! The grant offers free transcription credits for historians, archives, and research projects and is designed to support open-access scholarship. You can find more details and the link to apply on the Leo blog.  

Hybrid Monetary Appraisal Masterclass offered in Winnipeg by CCA and NAAB: November 17-20, 2025

The National Archival Appraisal Board (NAAB) & the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) are pleased to offer HYBRID training in the monetary appraisal of archives. 

This upcoming Masterclass session, anchored at the University of Manitoba Archives, is offered as a hybrid training opportunity: participants may register to attend in person or remotely (in English only). This class offers an opportunity to build capacity at institutions in northwestern Ontario and across the prairies. By taking this class, you have the option to complete the course work only and take this knowledge back to your workplace. Reach out to the NAAB Secretariat to discuss fees and payment options. Bring immediate benefit to your archival institution by conducting small and medium dollar value in-house archival monetary appraisals.   

Upon successful completion of the summative assignment participants will become eligible to be designated as a Practising NAAB Appraiser.    

The Masterclass is designed for GLAM sector or heritage professionals with some appreciation of archival research and professional standards. If you have any questions or concerns about whether the Masterclass is right for you, please contact us at NAAB(at)archivescanada.ca 

Register here by November 14, 2025.

SAA’s New Issue of Archival Outlook Out Now

Archival Outlook is SAA's award-winning bimonthly magazine. Articles focus on best practice and how-to pieces on timely and relevant topics, how archives are used by the public, and archivists on the job. In addition, the magazine updates readers on important association business and the work of SAA's many shared interest groups. You can read the September/October issue online here.  

Canadian Council of Archives – ArchivesCanada.ca Working Group Update Fall 2025 

In 2024, after many years of Canada’s national finding aid network ArchivesCanada.ca being moribund, the CCA established a new Working Group to reimagine the network, make archives and their collections and exhibits more discoverable, and find ways for archives - big and small - to contribute.  

Since beginning, the Working Group has developed its Mandate/Terms of Reference and its Conflict of Interest Statement, both of which are available on the CCA website along with a list of Working Group members.  The minutes of all Working Group meetings are also available to the public.   

Here is a summary of research undertaken to date: 

The Working Group developed surveys with multiple choice and open-response questions, and conducted surveys of both practitioners and researchers in English and French. The sample size consisted of institutions and individuals who responded to calls for participation via email, listservs, and discussion boards. In total, 202 practitioner surveys and 73 researcher surveys were performed across online channels and with speakers of both official languages. 

The results were coded and analyzed, and four reports on the results of each survey were delivered to the CCA and the ArchivesCanada.ca Working Group. In addition, the survey findings were presented at three conferences (ACA, AAQ, and CRKN), and to the Joint US Canada AtoM Users Group. The PowerPoint slides were made public via the CCA website.  

The Working Group then developed a set of nine focus group questions for practitioners and another set of eight questions for researchers and conducted focus groups comprised of English practitioners, English researchers, English Archives Advisors, and French practitioners. There were 37 participants across six focus groups. 

We hope that the final report will be available to the archival community, and action taken to ensure that the national finding aid network will be reinvigorated and meet the needs of the Canadian public. 

Reach your audience with advertising in Scope & Content. Contact Communication (at) Archivists.ca for more information. 

Archivists in the News

The ACA Mourns the Passing of Dr. Brian Owens & Paulette Dozois 

The Board of the Association of Canadian Archivists offers our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. Brian Owens, Archivist Emeritus of the Leddy Library Archives & Special Collections at the University of Windsor on his untimely passing. Read more about his accomplishments on our website.: 

The Board of the Association of Canadian Archivists would also like to offer condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Paulette Dozois on her passing. Since the early 1980s, Paulette was an active member of the ACA, first serving on the Membership Committee and later the Public Relations Committee. Her presence in the archival community will be greatly missed. Read more about her accomplishments on our website.  

“During the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025, we are proud to host the prestigious International Council on Archives (ICA) Fellows Award Ceremony. This program is a cornerstone of the ICA's efforts to recognize and celebrate extraordinary contributions to the field of archives and records management by professionals around the world. 

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the esteemed recipients for 2025: Didier Grange, Normand Charbonneau, Henri Zuber, Avril Belfon, and Emma de Ramon!” (Source: the International Archives Congress’s Facebook Page). 

Félicitations, Normand! 

Job Opportunities

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.

Executive Director – Association of Canadian Archivists
Location: Remote
Deadline: November 15, 2025

Executive Director – Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia
Location: Vancouver, BC
Deadline: Until Suitable Candidate Found

Archival Projects Coordinator – Panneton & Associates
Location: Victoria, BC
Deadline: November 7, 2025

Archiviste universitaire – Université Laurentienne
Location: Sudbury, ON
La Date Limite: November 15, 2025 ou jusqu’à ce que le poste soit pourvu

Institutional Archivist – Laurentian University
Location: Sudbury, ON
Deadline: November 15, 2025 or until position is filled

Chief Executive Officer – Royal BC Museum
Location: Victoria, BC
Deadline: December 2, 2025

Follow the ACA on our social media channels:

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky

Do you have news you’d like the ACA to share via its social media channels? Contact the Communications Committee to give us the details! Communications(at)archivists.ca

The next issue of Scope & Content will come out on  

Thursday, December 4th, 2025. See you then!

Contact Us

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Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4

Email: aca(at)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.