Scope and Content Monthly ACA Newsletter
November 2024, Volume 5, Issue 11
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Click here if you are having trouble reading the newsletter.
Scope and Content will be published December 5, 2024. If you have any comments or feedback, please contact the Communications Committee.
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By the time this comes out, the ACA’s Fall Planning and Priorities session will have already taken place, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for showing up and participating. The Planning and Priorities session takes place twice a year and is a chance for all ACA committee chairs and Board members to come together virtually to plan the upcoming months of ACA efforts and initiatives. The Board is trying to make the most of the time that we have at these sessions and to make them as useful as possible.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to update members on the happenings and work that is being done on the committees and working groups for which I am the Board liaison:
Governance
Governance has always been a busy committee, and this year has been no exception. This past summer, Ian Forsyth stepped down as co-chair of the committee and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ian for all his patience and gentle guidance as I got my feet under me in my first term as Vice President, and for all of his hard work on the many policies for which Governance is responsible. Shamin Malmas has stayed on as co-chair (thank you, Shamin) and she is now joined by Elizabeth Walker as the new co-chair. Thank you for stepping up, Elizabeth, and I look forward to continuing to work with you in your new position on the committee. A new Code Review Working Group has been approved by the Board, so there should be a call for volunteers for that coming soon. The committee has also been working on the review and update of the Honoraria Policy, the Advocacy Policy, and the Nominations and Elections Policy. The committee has also been tasked by the Board to look at a protocol for incoming and outgoing Board members for a smooth transition. Finally, Governance is reviewing what policies are priorities while juggling things thrown at them by the Board last minute.
Nominations and Awards Committee (NAAC)
NAAC has just come back from their summer hiatus and has hit the road running. They are hard at work planning for the 2025 in-person conference in Ottawa next year and are coming up with lots of ideas for the celebration of the ACA's 50th anniversary. With all the preparations for the 2025 conference ramping up, Shannon Hodge has stepped back from her role as co-chair on NAAC to be the Chair of the Host Team for the conference. Thank you to her for moving into that very important role and thank you to Alice Albarda for staying on to continue to chair NAAC through the next awards celebrations. NAAC has been working on updating biographies of ACA Fellows on our website, and getting associated webpages updated and ready for publication. I would also like to take this opportunity to officially welcome Sarah Glassford to NAAC.
Conference Planning Committee (CPC)
The CPC did not get much of a break after the 2024 conference before they were already back at work starting plans for not just the 2025 conference but also planning ahead to 2026 and 2027. Jennifer Mohan and Lara Wilson have both stepped back from their time on the committee, so I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank them for their time and hard work. Special thanks to Jennifer for chairing the committee during its first year through some of those growing pains that can occur with a new committee. Max Otte has stepped in as interim chair of the CPC to provide continuance and guidance. I also would like to take this opportunity to welcome Karen Langley and Barbara Williams to the CPC.
Records Management Working Group (RMWG)
The RMWG has been working on its review of the ACA's current records management procedures and its retention schedule, as well as the method by which the review will take place. Noah Duranseaud and Danielle Batista both stepped up as co-chairs of the working group (a big thank-you to both of them) and the group has now begun meeting monthly to start making progress. Executive Director Gillian Leitch is heavily involved in this work, so thank you to Gillian for your input.
Thank you once again to all the past and current members of these committees and the working groups, as well as all our other volunteers, for all the time and energy that you put into the work that you do.
Angela Fornelli Vice President
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Scope and Content is trying something new! In our ongoing efforts to foster connections across the entire archival community in Canada, we’re always looking for new ways for you (yes, you!) to get involved. Earlier this year, we began including a new segment called “Archivists in the News” to highlight pieces in newspapers, magazines, and social media that feature the work of Canadian archivists. Now, we’d like to try including your personal and professional voices more directly – even if you haven’t been in the news!
If you have something exciting that you want to let us know about, that you or your organization may have worked on; if you want to share a tricky archival problem that you recently worked through, or maybe still need help with; or even if you want to ask questions of us, the ACA Communications Committee – this is your chance to be heard! We’re looking for short paragraphs or blurbs that are less than 500 words and more casual than something you might submit to In the Field. You can either email us at communications@archivists.ca if you want to have a conversation with us to organize your thoughts, or you can use this form if you would like to submit anonymously.
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Keep your ACA Member Profile up to date! We kindly ask all our members - both new and longstanding - to take a moment to log into the Association of Canadian Archivists website and update their member information. keeping your profile current helps us stay connected and ensures you receive the latest updates, resources, and opportunities from the ACA community. Your engagement is key to our collective success!
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ACA Foundation - Giving Tuesday
This year's #GivingTuesday is December 3, and we're asking you to support the future of archives! ✨ The ACA Foundation helps students pursuing careers in the field of archival science, preserving history for generations to come. Your donation provides learning and networking opportunities for the next generation of archivists. You can make your one-time donation here, or you can set up a continuing monthly donation! Donations are eligible for tax receipts.
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Renew Your Membership This Fall
Get your 2025 membership in early and you’ll be entered in our annual Early Bird Prize Draw. Membership runs from January to December, so you’ll be covered for next year.
Remember, membership with the 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. |
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Membership Committee - 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 and winter months.
If you or your institution would be willing to donate a prize, please contact membership@archivists.ca. Thank you!
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ACA Hashtag Party
You’re invited to the ACA Hashtag Party!
What is it?
On the last Thursday of every month, the ACA Social Media Team organizes a hashtag party, which takes place virtually on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Threads. There is a different theme for each month, which we announce on social media and ARCAN-L in advance. 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 the 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 the latest?
Last month’s party took place on Thursday, October 31, and the theme was #ArchivesBacklog! Thank you to everyone who joined– we enjoyed seeing some behind-the-scenes of your processing backlogs. If you missed it, you can still head to all our social media channels to see everything that we re-shared, or search for the hashtag.
What’s next?
The next ACA Hashtag Party will take place on November 28, 2024, and the theme will be #ArchivesFounders. For this party, we’re looking forward to celebrating the people that your archives are named after – or significant figures who have been instrumental in establishing or maintaining your archives. On the day, share your materials, and don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag so we can re-share your posts. This will be the last hashtag party of 2024 – we will be announcing themes for 2025 soon!
Keep an eye on future issues of Scope and Content and on all our social media accounts to learn more about what each of these themes mean!
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@archivists.ca.
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Special Interest Sections M.A.S.I.S.
The Municipal Archives Special Interest Section (M.A.S.I.S.) is holding its Fall meeting November 18 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. While they have been quiet, they are still meeting and would like to take this opportunity to invite you to their next one. Topics and ideas for discussion include:
If folks have other ideas, or if some topics listed resonate more than others, you are encouraged to email either Jamie Sanford (MASIS.Chair1@archivists.ca) or Angela Fornelli (MASIS.Chair2@archivists.ca) before the meeting.
If you are not currently a member of M.A.S.I.S. but would like to see what they do, please feel free to join the meeting as well. Register for the meeting here. S.I.S.I.A.
Welcome to Special Interest Section for Indigenous Archives. At S.I.S.I.A. we aim to hold space for conversations that are meaningful and generative for your professional and personal archival selves. The S.I.S.I.A. group meets bi-monthly on the last Friday of the month at 1 pm EST. The goal of the S.I.S.I.A. is to establish an informal meeting space for members interested to or currently working with Indigenous collections. Although we follow an agenda, the meetings are open dialogue for members to discuss any topic related to Indigenous perspectives, experience, and interests generally, but also regarding the archive. We are very open to discuss whatever is of interest to you in the present moment on these topics and hope that we can be of support to each other on our varying paths of learning and unlearning both within and external to the archive. Register for the next Register here for the next meeting on December 13.
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Carr McLean Discount Available for 2024
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 Secretariat at executive.director@archivists.ca for the new discount code that will remain effective until December 31, 2024.
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University of Toronto Student Chapter
To kick off the academic year, the University of Toronto ACA student chapter is looking forward to a variety of social and professional events! They will be coordinating a pub night with TAAG as well as hosting a session with ACA Director-at-Large Adam Williamson. For their 2024-2025 tour series, they will be organizing tours of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the ArQuives. More information can be found on their Instagram (@aca.uoft). If you or your organization has opportunities for tours, talks, or other events that University of Toronto Faculty of Information students might be interested in, please reach out to them here.
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ACA 50th Anniversary Logo
The deadline for submissions has passed and we now have to make a choice for the logo for our 50th Anniversary. Ballots can be found here, and the voting, for members only, will remain open until November 15, 2025. |
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2025 Conference
2025 Program Team Chair Ferrin Evans has had to step down from this role. We want to thank Ferrin for all of the hard work he has done to get the Team up and running. Patti Harper has agreed to take over as Team Chair. A thank you to both!
The Call for Proposals for the 2025 Conference: ACA at 50: Critical Reflections, Envisioning the Future went out on November 6th. The deadline for submissions is December 11, 2024. The call can be found here.
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If you are interested in volunteering for any of these committees and Special Interest Sections, please sign up using the Volunteer Form. Please note, all volunteers with the ACA are required to abide by the ACA's Volunteer Code of Conduct.
ACA Communications Committee – In the Field blog
Do you have a keen eye for detail, excellent writing and copy-editing skills, and a passion for gathering and sharing stories about the accomplishments and ideas of fellow archivists? The Communications Committee is looking for a new Blog Team member to support the production of In the Field, the ACA blog. Check out the blog to see examples of the kind of work we produce, and click here for more information and to fill out the volunteer form!
ACA Professional Development Committee – Chair
The ACA’s Professional Development Committee (PDC) is looking for a Chair for a two-year term. PDC plans and facilitates professional learning workshops and associated programming and developing professional development content for the ACA website. Please contact Amanda Oliver at dal2@archivists.ca if you have any questions.
Chair Positions Open for ACA Special Interest Sections
We are currently seeking passionate and dedicated volunteers to chair two of our Special Interest Sections: Government Records (G.R.S.I.S.) and Sound/Moving Images (S.M.I.S.I.S.).
As a Chair, you will play a key role in leading discussions, organizing events, and advocating for best practices within your section. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact, collaborate with fellow archivists, and contribute to the advancement of our profession.
If you are interested in volunteering for one of these important roles, please contact John Richan at DAL1@archivists.ca with a brief statement of your interest and experience.
ACA Financial Review Committee (FRC)
The ACA’s Financial Review Committee (FRC) is looking for volunteers for a two-year term. The FRC is responsible for reviewing financial policy, budgets, and safeguarding the financial assets of the Association. These positions are open to all members. If you're a financial whiz, or hoping to hone your budgeting chops, we're happy to have you join us!
If you have questions, please contact Kyle Pugh, treasurer@archivists.ca.
ACA Governance Committee
The Governance Committee needs volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up using the Volunteer Form. If you have any questions, please contact Shamin Malmas, shamin_malmas@sfu.ca.
ACA Membership Committee
Breaking news: The Membership Committee is seeking a new member! The membership committee promotes membership in the ACA, works on new services and benefits for members, and coordinates the popular Mentorship Program to help those new to the profession. If this sounds like something in which you'd like to be involved, please submit an online application here. And if you'd like to learn more about the Membership Committee before you put your name forward, please feel free to contact Co-Chairs Peter Houston and Curtis Frederick at membership@archivists.ca. Thank you for considering joining!
Emerging Professionals and Student Special Interest Section
Are you a student in an archives-related program or new to the profession? Do you have an interest in growing your professional network and engaging in a supportive environment? Join our team in re-establishing the Emerging Professionals and Student Special Interest Section. We are currently looking for ACA members to help develop and implement the Special Interest Section in its earliest stages. Students and emerging professionals are integral to the ACA and the broader archival community, and this is a great opportunity for you to assist in creating a supportive space.
For more information or to express your interest, contact Carolyn Smith, Carolyn.Smith@dal.ca.We look forward to bringing back this Special Interest Section in the 2024/2025 year! |
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In the Field: The ACA Blog
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In October, In the Field published an Archives Spotlights interview with Karen Ng about Indigenous Archives. In this interview, Karen shares their experience working as the Archivist & Librarian for the Squamish Nation.
The In the Field blog continues to highlight some of the different environments where archivists work in the Archives Spotlights series. Our final theme of the year is digital archives. If you work with digital archives, we want to hear from you! Participating in Archives Spotlights is simple: just answer a few prompts! What type of records do you work with? What type of projects do you work on? What do you wish the public understood better about digital archives? The objective is to provide blog readers with a glimpse into a typical day in your life and to share the particularities of the archives you work with every day. To learn a bit more about the format, check out these recent Archives Spotlights interviews with Ariane Gauthier about government archives and with Ashlynn Prasad about museum archives.
If you’d like to participate in the Archives Spotlights series about digital archives, please contact the blog team by email before November 15, 2024. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Joint US Canada AtoM Users Group Meeting
The biannual meeting of the North American AtoM Users Group will take place on Tuesday, November 12 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00p.m. PT. There will be a special presentation by AtoM developer, Peter Van Garderen, followed by an update from the AtoM Foundation Roadmap Committee.
Register here: Registration for Joint US Canada AtoM Users Group Meeting
Peter Van Garderen is a distinguished alumnus of the University of British Columbia's iSchool program and the original creator of the AtoM software. What began as a prototype for his PhD research quickly evolved into a widely deployed open-source tool that filled a critical technology gap for archival institutions around the world. Peter will recount the early days and challenges of developing AtoM, including the creation of the Archivematica digital preservation platform, and the launch of Artefactual Systems as a service business to support the software's ongoing maintenance and support. Peter has since moved on to represent the archivist's agenda in the fast-moving decentralization (a.k.a. Web3) space. He'll share his views on the current and potential future state of software that supports archival functions. Visit Peter’s website for more background on his work.
For further information, contact mkosta@uwo.ca.
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Just in time for Christmas a sale on all ACAF merchandise. From November 15th to December 31st, 2025 get 15% off all merchandise, postage extra.
All proceeds raised through the ACAF store go towards advancing education by providing publicly available scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to post-secondary students, graduates and professionals to be used for training in the fields of archival science, record-keeping and information management. Support the Foundation with this very stylish swag! Visit the ACAF store here for these items and more!
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15 oz ceramic mug "Archives are the gift of one generation to another." $15 + tax and shipping
$12.75 + tax and shipping
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Combination package - all the swag
18 oz double wall vacuum tumbler; 15 oz ceramic mug; recycled cotton tote bag; and bamboo case sticky notes!
$75 + tax and shipping
$63.75 + tax and shipping
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In Memoriam We are saddened by the news of Joan Mitchell’s passing on October 16, 2024. Joan was the first Head of Archives and Special Collections at Wilfrid Laurier University. She led the department from its inception in 1994 until her retirement in 2009. She had a profound impact on the Laurier community and beyond. Joan's obituary is available here. |
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World Digital Preservation Day (WDPD2024)
With the theme Preserving Our Digital Content: Celebrating Communities, WDPD2024 takes place today, Thursday November 7, 2024.This is a great opportunity to connect the digital preservation community and to celebrate the digital legacy of all types of communities around the world.
“This year we’re bringing a special focus on communities,” says Sarah Middleton, Head of Advocacy and Community Engagement for the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC). “Through this WDPD theme, we really want to raise the roof and celebrate the diversity of the communities which surround and support us, whilst also drawing attention to the unique and valuable digital content which becomes their digital legacy.”
The WDPD2024 logo once again uses a golden colour to highlight new voices in our community, and the circles of different sizes embody the variety of organizations and institutions which make up the digital preservation community. Watch out for stickers and logo translations in your language, which will be available on the DPC website soon!
WDPD2024 is open to participation from anyone interested in securing our digital legacy - across all sectors and geographic locations – and the DPC invites archivists, data creators, curators, consumers and community members from around the world to Celebrate Communities this World Digital Preservation Day by sharing their own digital preservation stories through blog posts, social media posts, events and creative activities.
This year on WDPD2024 the DPC will release a brand-new resource in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and a range of community archives. The Our History Our Stories Post-Custodial Digital Preservation Toolkit is designed for those working with community generated digital content and will include a range of practical guidance, support, and advice to those working with digital records in the community context.
World Digital Preservation Day is just one of the ways the DPC helps to raise awareness of the strategic, cultural, and technological issues which make up the digital preservation challenge. The DPC also supports members through other advocacy activities, workforce development, and partnerships, helping members to deliver resilient long-term access to digital content and services and derive enduring value from their digital collections.
A detailed program and more information about WDPD2024 will be issued over the coming months. For all the latest updates, visit the World Digital Preservation Day page on the DPC website, follow the hashtag #WDPD2024 on social media, or contact angela.puggioni@dpconline.org for more details.
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ARCHIVESCANADA.ca Working Group Announced
The Canadian Council of Archives has constituted a Working Group to assess and re-envision the national finding aid network, ARCHIVESCANADA.ca. The Working Group consists of 18 members from across Canada. The members are tasked with:
The Working Group will deliver a final report on ARCHIVESCANADA.ca to the Canadian Council of Archives on the completion of its two-year mandate which began in January 2024.
The terms of reference and list of Working Group members is available on the Canadian Council of Archives website.
Working Group meeting minutes are open to the public and may be found here.
Working Group membership came together organically during discussions with CCA, the Joint US-Canada AtoM Users Group, and through invitations to contacts at provincial and territorial archives associations. They acknowledge that the membership does not reflect the rich diversity of the GLAM field in Canada. We hope through the surveys, interviews, and focus groups to widely consult with as many people as possible. If you are interested in supporting this work either through participating in a focus group, individual interview, or nominating members to join the Working Group, please contact Jo McCutcheon, Executive Director, Canadian Council of Archives.
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ARCHIVESCANADA.ca Practitioner survey You are invited to complete a survey intended to gather information about archivists and researchers who work with ARCHIVESCANADA.ca which is the national finding aid network for Canada. For more information, click here.
The information you provide will guide the ARCHIVESCANADA.ca Working Group to understand and advocate for ARCHIVESCANADA.ca users.
Participation in this survey is completely voluntary. The survey should take 20 minutes to complete.
The survey will be open from October 21 to November 30.
To complete the Practitioner survey in English, please click here.
To complete the Practitioner survey in French, please click here.
Please feel free to share these survey links with others who may be interested.
Your time and assistance are appreciated!
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Vous êtes invité à répondre à une enquête destinée à recueillir des informations sur les archivistes et les chercheurs qui travaillent avec ARCHIVESCANADA.ca, le réseau national d'instrument de recherche pour le Canada. Pour plus d'informations, veuillez cliquer ici.
L'information recueilli aidera le Groupe de travail ARCHIVESCANADA.ca à comprendre et à défendre les intérêts des utilisateurs d'ARCHIVESCANADA.ca.
Votre participation à cette enquête estentièrement volontaire. Il vous faudra 20 minutes pour répondre à l'enquête.
L'enquête sera disponible du October 21 àNovember 30.
Pour répondre à l'enquête auprès des praticiens en anglais, veuillez cliquer ici.
Pour répondre à l'enquête auprès des praticiens en français, veuillez cliquer ici.
N'hésitez pas à partager les liens vers ces enquêtes avec d'autres personnes susceptibles d'être intéressées.
Votre temps et de votre aide est apprécié!
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Digital Museums Canada
Digital Museums Canada is an investment program that funds digital storytelling projects for Canadian museums and heritage, cultural, and Indigenous organizations. They provide up to $250,000 alongside expert guidance in web accessibility. If you need funding for an online project, the call for proposals is open now until December 1, 2024.
Digital Projects
Apply for an investment of up to $250,000. Develop an online project from the ground up, with the support of a web development agency. Typically, Digital Projects take about 2-3 years to build to achieve your vision and meet web accessibility standards.
Community Stories
Apply for an investment of $25,000. Using DMC’s website building platform, focus on content development and digital storytelling. Typically, Community Stories are produced in about 18-24 months.
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Workshop: Archives Association of Ontario – Copyright Basics with Jean Dryden, December 5, 2024
Have you ever wondered what is protected under copyright, how long does copyright last, or what are the most recent changes to copyright? If so, then this is the workshop for you!
This one-day workshop provides an overview of how copyright law works and presents the copyright provisions (including relevant case law) that determine duration and ownership of copyright and the respective rights of copyright owners and users of copyrighted material (including fair dealing and the exceptions for libraries, archives, and museums). This course will be of particular interest to archivists, librarians, and museum curators who are responsible for managing copyright in their collections, as well as users of copyrighted content.
When: December 5, 2024, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm ET
Where: Zoom – Link to the meeting will be sent prior to the workshop beginning
Cost: $150 (AAO members); $100 (AAO student members); $240 (non-members)
Register here!
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Call for papers: International Archives Congress 2025
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the official website for the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025, which will take place from October 27-30, 2025 in Barcelona. The event, themed “Knowing Pasts, Creating Futures,” is expected to bring together archivists, records managers, and professionals from related fields from around the world to explore the future of our profession.
The official Congress website will serve as the central hub for all information related to the Congress, including details on registration, programme updates, and sponsorship opportunities. One of the key features available on the website is the Call for Papers, which is now open for submissions. This is a unique opportunity for professionals to contribute to the global discussion on archives and records management by sharing their knowledge, experience and innovative ideas. The call is available in English, French, Catalan and Spanish. |
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We’ve compiled some interesting initiatives and news stories regarding archives! Check them out below:
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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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Deadline: November 19, 2024
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Deadline: Until position is filled
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Project Archivist, Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
Deadline: Until position is filled
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Contract Archivist, Gwich’in Tribal Council – Culture and Heritage Department, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Deadline: Until position is filled
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Archivist, Villa Maria Pastoral Centre, St. Paul, Alberta Deadline: Until position is filled
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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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The next issue of Scope & Content will come out on
Thursday, December 5, 2024. See you then!
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Contact Us
Suite 1912-130 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Tel: 613-383-2009
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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