AAO News

Hello AAO,

The Spring 2018 issue of Off the Record is now available. Its release is miraculously lining up with a true spring after the fool's spring, second and third winters we experienced. Rejoice! 

The new issue is available to members here.

This issue features some excellent pieces that, appropriately for the season, reflect back on work completed and look toward new things to come. The issue includes a report from the Middlesex Centre Archives, a reflection on the recent GLAM Summit by AAO Archives Advisor Iona McCraith, a guide to uploading and creating finding aids by AAO Archeion Coordinator Lisa Snider, and a review of a survey from 1987 by John Smart. It also includes updates on the AAO's goings-on, such as the results of the recent membership survey and the proposed new mission and mandate for the Association. 

The Spring 2017 issue is now available free to everyone here.

Happy reading!

Grant Hurley

Editor, Off the Record

Dear AAO members,

It is with great pleasure that the AAO Nominations Committee announces the following slate of Directors put forth to the AAO Membership for election at the Annual General Meeting in Waterloo on May 10th, 2018.

Vice-President/President Elect: James Roussain

James Roussain is currently the Instruction and Outreach Archivist at the John M. Kelly Library at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, position he has held since January 2017. Prior to joining the University, James worked for Scotiabanks’ Records and Information Management Office. James received his Master of Information (MI) degree from the University of Toronto. Beyond being the current president of the TAAG, the Toronto Area Archivists Group, James is currently researching how to engage large classrooms in the evaluation and use of primary source materials.

Director Without Portfolio: Lauren Halsey

Lauren Halsey is an Associate Archivist at the City of Thunder Bay Archives. She has a BA in English and received her MLIS from Western University, where she completed co-ops with Environment Canada and the University of Windsor (Leddy Library), and a practicum with the London Archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. As a member of the AAO, she has served on the Professional Development Committee and is active with NOAA. In her spare time, she hikes and is the Publicist for the Thunder Bay Hiking Association.

Director Without Portfolio: Nick Richbell

Nick Richbell joined the University of Waterloo Library as Head, Special Collections & Archives in 2015. He has overall leadership of the department with a focus on strategic planning and donor relations. Prior to Waterloo, Nick was the Corporate Archivist at Canadian Pacific Railway, Project Archivist at McGill University Archives, and Archivist and Collections Manager at McGill University Health Centre. He has served on the Board of the AAO since 2016 and is excited to run for a second term.

Nominations from the floor will also be accepted during the AGM.

See you in Waterloo!

The Organizational History Committee and the AAO Board of Directors is extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign for the organizational history book, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. We are proud to announce that we raised $4,920 through crowdfunding and an additional $3,000 from our corporate sponsors, Flume Media Archiving and Carr McLean. This puts our fundraising total at $7,920!

If you have not pre-ordered the book through the Indiegogo campaign or through your conference registration, there will be opportunities to order your copy online in May after the book is launched at the conference. We will follow up with more details about how to submit an online order in the coming months. The book will also be available for sale at the conference registration table.

Also, if you never had a chance to check out the pitch video for the campaign, you can still view it on the AAO’s YouTube channel. You will probably see some familiar faces!

Thanks again to those who provided support, and for those who still want to order a copy of the book, keep tuned for more details.

The Organizational History Committee is pleased to share an exclusive sneak peek of the cover design for In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. This cover utilizes the logos from the Ontario Association of Archivists and the Ontario Council of Archives to visually represent how the Archives Association of Ontario grew from the merger of those two associations in 1993.

There are only five days left to support the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for this book. Through the campaign, you can pre-order a softcover or a hardcover copy of the book and access perks including the opportunity to have your name listed in the book acknowledgements as a supporter! The campaign closes at 11:59pm on March 24, so don’t miss this chance to pre-order the book and show your support.

We are grateful to members of the archival community that have already contributed $3,705 to this project, as well as the $3,000 in corporate sponsorship graciously donated by Carr McLean and Flume Media Archiving.

You can also pre-order a softcover or hardcover copy when you complete your 2018 conference registration!

Nominations are currently being accepted for two (2) positions on the MAIG Executive. Each term will commence upon election at MAIG’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), held during the AAO Pre-Conference on May 9th, 2018 from 1:30-3:30pm.

Volunteering on the MAIG Executive is an excellent professional development experience, providing candidates with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, network with other professionals and share their knowledge and experiences with other members of Ontario’s Municipal archival community.

The positions that are currently open for nomination include:

Chair: Three-year term (May 2018 – April/May 2021)

• Serve as a liaison between the Board and municipal members, discussing any developments affecting municipal archive

• Serve as a liaison between municipal members to discuss archival changes, share resources and provide updates to the membership

• Coordinate AGM and yearly Open House for members

• Assist with the production of the Annual MAIGazine

 Vice-Chair: Three-year term (May 2018 – April/May 2021)

• Serve as a liaison between municipal members to discuss archival changes, share resources and provide updates to the membership

• Assist the Chair with coordinating AGM and yearly Open House

• Assist with the production of the Annual MAIGazine

You are invited to contact the following current Executive members with any questions about the available positions:

• Brenda Hicock, Chair and former Vice-Chair (brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca)

• Gillian Shaw, Vice-Chair (gillian.shaw@vaughan.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only. 

Please complete and submit this form to Brenda Hicock at brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca, using the subject line “MAIG Nominations 2018”.

Nomination forms must be received by close of business on Monday, April 30th, 2018.

Hello AAO list,

As Editor of Off the Record, the newsletter of the Archives Association of Ontario, I am pleased to announce that issues of Off the Record back to 1990 are now available online in a newly-redesigned section of the AAO website.

Just in time for the AAO's 25th anniversary, you can access historical issues here. Click on the years to see the issues available. 

Off the Record was launched in 1990 by the Ontario Association of Archivists (OAA) before the official formation of the AAO (through the amalgamation of the OAA and The Ontario Council of Archives) in 1993. Prior to 1990, the OAA had a newsletter (simply titled "The Newsletter") that was published periodically from as early as 1982 through to 1989. In the Fall 1989 issue, suggestions for a new name were requested from members. The Winter 1989 issue featured ideas sent by Bennett McCardle, including “On the Record” and “For the Record,” with a note on the former that "Someone has probably already used it for a gramophone trade journal or a public relations officers’ scandal sheet." "Trillarchivy" is suggested with the note that it "strikes a note of much-needed frivolity." "Alphabet Soup" is added with the note that "This will really mystify anyone not familiar with the grand amalgamation … but since TAAG, EOAA, NOAA, LDAG and others still exist, maybe this title has some permanent archival value after all." The "record"-related suggestion won out (with a slight change) and Off the Record started with the Spring 1990 issue. 

I am very grateful for the support of many individuals in completing this fantastic project. Laurie Dougherty (Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives) and Brian Beaven (Retired) donated missing issues. Katie Hull (City of Ottawa Archives) prepared the index and Melody Carle-Kemp (City of Ottawa Archives) did the digitization. Iona McCraith and Paul Henry shepherded the process. Myself and MacKenzie Gott (AAO Website Administrator) worked on the process to get the issues online. A full set of print issues is to be included in the AAO fonds at the Archives of Ontario. 

And of course, my deep thanks is due to the roster of past editors and contributors who have made nearly thirty years of issues possible.

If you want to know more about the AAO's illustrious history, your timing is incredibly good. The AAO is currently crowdsourcing funding for its upcoming book, In Pursuit of the Archival Endeavour: The Story of the Archives Association of Ontario. You can access the fundraising Indiegogo page here. If you are attending the AAO conference in Waterloo this year, you also have the option of purchasing a copy as part of your registration, or at the conference itself. 

Happy reading!

Grant

OTR Editor

Nominations are currently being accepted for one (1) position on the Board of Directors of the AAO. Each term will commence upon election at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on May 10, 2018.

Volunteering as a Director on the AAO Board offers an invaluable professional development experience. It provides candidates with an opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, develop their leadership skills, and to apply their existing knowledge and skill set to the service of Ontario’s archival community.

The position that is currently open for nominations include:

Director Without Portfolio: Two-year term (April 2018 – April/May 2020)

The Director Without Portfolio position provides assistance in the general governing of the affairs of the Association. Specific duties may therefore include:

• Serving as a Board liaison to one or more of the Standing and Special Committees of the AAO, and/or Sub-committees thereof;

• Participating fully in Board decision-making; and

• Contribute to the development of Association policies, procedures and guidelines.

You are invited to contact the following current Board members with any questions about the available positions:

• Tracey Krause, President and former VP (president@aao-archivists.ca)

• Grant Hurley, Director Without Portfolio (director2@aao-archivists.ca)

Nominations are being accepted by email only. 

Please complete and submit this form to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca, using the subject line “Nominations 2018”, and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee.

Nomination forms must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Donate items to this year’s Silent Auction!

The 2018 AAO Conference will be hosted at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

We are looking for members to donate items such as (but not limited to): 

• Artwork
• Archival supplies
• Baked goods 
  
• Books (related to the profession)
  
• Hand crafted pieces 
  
• Pottery
  
• Gift Baskets

Funds raised from this auction will go to the AAO Shirley Spragge Education Fund, to encourage the continuing education of archivists in Ontario. Your donations are greatly appreciated! A donation to the silent auction would not only support this fund, but also honour the memory of a respected colleague. All items donated will receive a tax receipt.

If you have interest in donating to this year’s silent auction, please contact Karen Ball-Pyatt by sending an e-mail to silentauction2018aao@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Is your institution planning an event for Archives Awareness Week this year?  Send the who, what, where and when to archivesadvisor@aao-archivists.ca and AAO will promote it on our website.  Include a link to your website or Facebook page for people to read more details or register for an events.

Use the Twitter hashtag  #2018AAW to share what's happening around the province. 

Are you an AAO member? Do you need event ideas, a poster, or tips on talking to the media about your archives or event? Visit our Archives Awareness Week 2018 page (only available to members) to download free posters and access publicity tips and ideas.

Students, new professionals and archivists in need! Up to $650 in funding and free registration is available to attend the 2018 AAO Conference in Waterloo! This funding is made possible by the Shirley Spragge Bursary.

The Waterloo AAO Conference features an exciting program on the theme "Celebrations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Workshops on digital preservation, Rules for Archival Description and subject headings and taxonomies, plus a reception, banquet and other social events promise to make for a fantastic time!

Applications for the Shirley Spragge Bursary open on February 19th and close on March 9th.

To qualify you must be an AAO member and an Ontario resident, and be either:

• A student enrolled in a recognized archival program (must submit proof of enrollment).
• A recent (1-3 years) graduate of a recognized archival program (must submit proof of program completion).
• A practicing or volunteer archivist in financial need (must submit proof of employment or volunteering).

The Shirley Spragge Bursary is adjudicated by the AAO Awards Committee. The successful applicant will be announced at the end of March. Interested applicants are required to fill in the bursary application available on the AAO website and demonstrate financial need, an interest in archives education and/or professional development, and confirmed intent to participate in the annual AAO conference. For more information and to submit your application, visit the Shirley Spragge Bursary page on our website.