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AAO News

  • 19 Jan 2022 9:00 AM | Tiffany Ribeiro (Administrator)

    After much consideration, the AAO Board of Directors has decided that as of March 31, 2022, the AAO will no longer be offering the Archives Advisor Program. This decision was made following an intensive operational and fiscal analysis. 

    As the needs of the AAO membership continue to evolve, the AAO continues to look for ways to better serve its members. This includes supporting the expansion of our professional development offerings.

    The AAO Board is continuing to plan for the future and is reviewing our programming offerings and membership benefits. As such, in 2022 we will be undertaking a membership survey to further understand the needs of our members. We are tremendously grateful for all of the work of the archives advisors over the years. 

    In this time of transition, members can reach out to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca or contact AAO President Krista McCracken at president@aao-archivists.ca.

    Sincerely,

    AAO Board of Directors

  • 30 Nov 2021 12:48 PM | Tiffany Ribeiro (Administrator)

    Support the AAO for GivingTuesday! Donate today for your chance to win a complementary individual AAO membership and tote bag!

    By supporting the AAO on GivingTuesday, you are directly helping us develop and sustain our programs and services. Monetary donations assist the AAO in planning, organizing and offering cost-efficient workshops, conferences and other professional development opportunities for archivists and professionals in related fields.

    You can help support the AAO in other ways too! Consider donating your time, talent or resources and become a volunteer or a workshop speaker! You can also help us spread the word on various social media platforms by resharing the AAO’s GivingTuesday campaign or by sharing your own message as to how the AAO has helped support you in the past.

    You can donate directly on the AAO website. You will receive a tax receipt for your contribution. All donations for GivingTuesday will be put in a raffle to win a complementary AAO 2022-2023 individual membership and tote bag! The raffle draw will take place on Thursday, December 2, 2021.

    Thank you for your support!


  • 16 Nov 2021 12:29 PM | Tiffany Ribeiro (Administrator)

    The Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for the 2022 Annual Conference to be held on May 25 to 27 at Brock University in St. Catharines.

    Theme: These Are Unprecedented Times: How Archives and Archivists Changed, Struggled and Thrived Through Challenging Periods

    How often have we heard the phrase, “these are unprecedented times” over the past couple of years? Regardless of the era, archives and archivists need to adapt and respond professionally and resourcefully in times of disruption and change.

    The Conference Program Committee invites proposals for examinations on this general topic in past, present and future contexts.

    Potential subjects for consideration include:

    • Changes to archival work through and post the COVID-19 pandemic or other major upheavals – practical and theoretical;
    • Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession and in our collections;
    • Responding to key movements such as Black Lives Matter, Truth and Reconciliation, etc.;
    • Developing better connections and engagement with known and new research communities;
    • Straddling the demands of rapid digital advances and the spectre of technological obsolescence;
    • Other subjects will be considered.

    Submissions of proposals for complete sessions or individual papers are welcomed. Proposals should consist of a brief abstract of approximately 250 words, a mini bio, your institutional affiliation, and if you prefer to present in-person or virtually and be sent to:

    The AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca

    The due date of applications/submissions is January 7, 2022.

    Sessions may take the form of a:

    • Traditional session - 2 to 3 presentations of 20 minutes per speaker with questions to follow
    • Discussion panel - brief presentations of approximately 10-15 minutes per speaker with discussion to follow
    • Roundtable or structured conversation - presentations of 5 to 7 minutes with open discussion between speakers
    • Creative and innovative approach to presentations - 1 hour, 15 min

    Come join us in the Niagara Peninsula – the setting of much connective history, entertaining tourism attractions, unique natural beauty, and the heart of the Canadian wine industry. Forget Paris. You will love Niagara in the springtime.

    While we are preparing to see everyone in person in May, there may be a need for a shift to a virtual based environment depending on ongoing pandemic measures.

    On behalf of the 2022 Conference Program Committee


  • 26 Oct 2021 4:32 PM | Michael Friesen
    Hello AAO members!

    The fall 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

    The most recent issue includes a message from AAO president Krista McCracken; a profile on AAO member Rob Fisher; a joint article by Neale Borutskie and Sean Smith on the Archives of Ontario’s GLAM Wiki initiative; another article by Sean Smith introducing the Ontario archival community to Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Dr. Karen Cyrus, who are working on a project titled Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives; and a tribute to the late John David Smart by Iona McCraith.

    Stay dry!

    Michael

  • 12 Oct 2021 10:33 PM | Tiffany Ribeiro (Administrator)




    • Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Virtual Open House

      October 22nd, 2021 – 9:30am-2:30pm

       

      You are invited to join the MAIG Executive for our virtual Open House event on October 22nd. This year, as an alternative to our annual in-person event, our municipal archives colleagues will be connecting via Zoom!

      Join us in the morning for presentations by Liz Dommasch and Megan Lockhart from the Oxford County Archives, Carolynn Bart-Riedstra and Carol Small from the Middlesex Centre Archives, and Karin Noble from the Grey Roots Museum & Archives. The presentations will feature exclusive looks behind the scenes into their institutions’ facilities, storage spaces, reading rooms, processing areas, and more. Following the presentations, join us in the afternoon to connect with other municipal archive colleagues and engage in exciting archival conversations during our MAIG meeting.

      Agenda:


    • 9:30am-9:45am • Welcome and introductions
    • 9:45am-12:00pm • Presentations by: 
    • - Liz Dommasch and Megan Lockhart, Oxford County Archives

      - Carolynn Bart-Riedstra and Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives

      - Karin Noble, Grey Roots Museum & Archives

    •  

    • 12:00-1:00pm • Break for lunch
    • 1:00pm-2:30pm • MAIG meeting
    If you plan on attending the MAIG Open House please send your RSVP by Wednesday, October 20th, to Megan Lockhart at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca or by calling 519-539-9800 ext. 3070.

    ***Note: You can enter the Open House Zoom session by simply clicking the link below. The same link can be used to attend both the morning Open House presentations at 9:30am, and the MAIG meeting after lunch at 1:00pm. A link to the Zoom session will also be posted on the MAIG webpage before the event along with the MAIG meeting agenda package.


    Please find the Zoom details below:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88578204511?pwd=VzRDcjBFbUhhVjlaSVpwbWx1bzl1Zz09

     

    Meeting ID: 885 7820 4511

    Passcode: 324727

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    +12042727920,,88578204511#,,,,*324727# Canada

     

    Dial by your location

            +1 778 907 2071 Canada

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    Meeting ID: 885 7820 4511

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    Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdQ6fvkD2r



    I’m looking forward to connecting with you all at the Open House!

    Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair


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  • 14 Sep 2021 7:11 PM | Tiffany Ribeiro (Administrator)

    NEW EDITION: Municipal Archives Interest Group - Annual MAIGazine Publication

    On behalf of the MAIG Executive, I am pleased to present the 17th issue and 2021 edition of the Municipal Archive Interest Group’s yearly publication, the “MAIGazine”. The theme for this year’s issue was inspired by the resilience and optimism displayed by our colleagues in spite of an ongoing pandemic and features exciting updates from municipal archives throughout the Province, along with information on our fall virtual Open House. Please find the current issue available on the MAIG webpage.

    For more information about MAIG or to view previous issues of the “MAIGazine” please visit our page on the AAO website: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

    Thank you to everyone who submitted articles and news for the 2021 Edition! If you have comments or suggestions on how to improve future issues of the “MAIGazine” feel free to contact our Executive.

    Best Regards,

    Megan


  • 27 Jul 2021 1:32 PM | Michael Friesen
    Hello AAO members!

    The summer 2021 issue of Off the Record is now available. Members can access the issue here.

    The most recent issue includes a message from incoming AAO president Krista McCracken, a profile on AAO member Amy Furness, an article by Olivia White about how she identified a mysterious image of a girl with fairy wings, the 2021 AAO awards announcement, and much more. The cover photo comes courtesy of Oxford County Archives. Thank you to Megan Lockhart for giving us permission to use it.

    The excellent fall 2020 issue is now available to all.

    Michael


  • 14 Jul 2021 12:56 PM | Deleted user

    Hello colleagues,

    After having to regrettably cancel the annual Open House of the Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAIG Executive is excited to announce that we will be holding a virtual Open House this year. The Open House is set to take place this fall (exact date TBD) and the Executive is putting out a call for archives that would like to take part. We are looking for participants who would like to share behind the scenes videos of their institutions/facilities (storage vaults, stacks, reading rooms, conservation labs, programming and exhibition spaces, etc.), provide virtual tours, or share short presentations on specific projects related to collections storage, space utilization, or renovations/expansion.

    Presentations and tours will be shared via video communication app (e.g. Zoom or something similar) with time slots of approximately 30 mins – 1 hour available depending on the number of participants. We are seeking 3 to 4 participating archival institutions. If you are interested in presenting for the virtual Open House, please contact Megan Lockhart, MAIG Chair, at mlockhart@oxfordcounty.ca by August 6.

    Information on previous Open Houses, and minutes from Open House meetings are available in past editions of our newsletter the MAIGazine available at https://aao-archivists.ca/maig.

    We look forward to hearing from you.

    Sincerely,

    The MAIG Executive – Megan, Amber, and Gina

    Drop here!
  • 20 May 2021 9:25 AM | Anonymous

    Hello colleagues,

    The Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) is seeking article submissions to include in our 2021 edition of the MAIGazine. This year’s theme will be “Resilience, Optimism and Obstacles,” and we would love to hear any updates or interesting news you would like to share. Did you begin or complete an exciting project this year? What changes to your institution (good or bad) were brought on by the pandemic? Any lessons learned? Where do we go from here and what is next for your archives?

    We will also be introducing a new column called “The Brag Board” where we will highlight and celebrate exciting accomplishments and milestones achieved by individuals and institutions in our community. Examples include, but are not limited to: receiving a grant, completing a special project, media mentions, new hires, retirements, reaching a career milestone, or simply shouting out a colleague for their work! We are looking for short submissions for this feature, and are excited to use this column to collectively encourage and celebrate one another moving forward.

    If you are interested in contributing, please send your submissions as a Word Document to Amber Mandich (amandich@elgin.ca) by July 30th. If you are including photos with your submission, please send them as JPEG files. Feel free to contact Amber with any questions about submitting your article.

    For information about MAIG, or to view past issues of the MAIGazine, please visit our webpage here: http://aao-archivists.ca/maig .

    Thank you in advance for your submissions. We look forward to reading your articles!

    Sincerely,

    The MAIG Executive – Megan, Amber, and Gina


  • 17 May 2021 9:13 AM | Anonymous

    The AAO Awards Committee – consisting of Jean Dryden, Matt Szybalski, David Sharron, and Rodney Carter – were pleased and honoured to announce the winners of the 2021 AAO Awards at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting held on May 14th, 2021.

    Three Emerging Professional Awards, an Alexander Fraser Award, a James J. Talman Award, and one AAO Institutional Award were presented this year.

    Amanda Oliver was presented with the AAO Emerging Leader Award in 2021 for her impressive professional and scholarly work, her demonstrated leadership, and her active participation in the professional archival community.

    The Emerging Leader Award was presented to Joshua Klar in recognition of his work in establishing and managing the Norfolk County Archives, his community outreach efforts, and for his active participation in Archives Association of Ontario.

    For her professional and scholarly work, service to archival associations, and in recognition of the key role she has played as a mentor to racialized colleagues, the AAO presented the Emerging Leader Award to Katrina Cohen-Palacios.

    For his dedicated service to the archival community in Ontario and his tireless efforts in sharing his knowledge and passion for digital preservation, Grant Hurley was presented with the Alexander Fraser Award.

    This year, the James J. Talman Award was presented to Mary Grace Kosta for her work developing the student practicum program at the Archives of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph with which she has demonstrated an outstanding level of imagination and innovation in supporting new members of the archival profession. 

    In recognition of the extraordinary work of its archivists and volunteers, and its continuous improvement over the years, the Archives Association of Ontario presented the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives with the AAO’s Institutional Award.

    The full citations for the winners can be here. Please join me in congratulating them all.

    Rodney Carter

    Chair, AAO Awards Committee


705-1 Eglinton Ave. East

Toronto ON

M4P 3A1

aao@aao-archivists.ca

(647) 343-3334


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