AAO News

Nominations for the AAO 2026 Awards are now OPEN! 

In order to nominate someone for one of the awards, please review the nomination criteria and procedures before completing and submitting the nomination form. The form, which should be used for all five awards, along with the criteria and procedures can be found on the AAO's Awards page: https://aao-archivists.ca/awards.

An AAO member in good standing must sign the nomination form. It must be accompanied by a narrative (maximum one thousand words) explaining the reasons for the nomination. Additional documentation—including résumé, clippings, publications, etc.—is strongly encouraged but not required. An electronic version of the nomination package must be received by the chair prior to the deadline, with original documentation mailed upon request.

Nominations are being accepted for the following awards:

- Alexander Fraser Award
- James J. Talman Award
- AAO Emerging Leader Award
- AAO Corporate Award
- AAO Institutional Award

Nominations should be submitted to the chair of the Awards Committee, Rodney Carter, via email at awards@aao-archivists.ca by March 13, 2026.

Hello AAO,

Please take a break from shoveling snow find a cozy place to sit and peruse our newest issue of Off the Record! 

Members can access the issue here. 

First off, welcome to guest editor Jocelyn Oprzedek, who will be replacing Simon Vickers as co-editor following the Spring 2026 issue. Off the Record is in good hands!

The excellent submissions have continued to flow in over the past months, with several articles connecting how archiving the past shapes our present and future. Both Elsbeth Brown and Corey Orszak reflect on the relationship between activism and archives, though from vastly different contexts with Orszak sorting through CUPE 3903's mountain of records and Brown foregrounding ephemeral histories of the 1998 Pussy Palace raids. Stephanie Martin and Syriah Bailey in turn reflect on their efforts to open the Arquives to more Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (QTBIPOC) engagement through their series of Archiving Our Stories workshops designed to share archival knowledge and practice. Maddy Bognar then goes into detail about processing a fascinatingly unique (and somewhat challenging) collection of student publications from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University. Finally, our student spotlight section features Avory Capes, a recent graduate from University of Toronto's Masters of Museum Studies program. 

See you in the Spring 

Happy reading!

Isobel, Jocelyn, and Simon

The Archives Association of Ontario is looking for archivists who want to make a difference and contribute to the archival community in Ontario.  Volunteering 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 apply their existing knowledge and skill set to strategically focus on setting the overall direction of the AAO through updates to the constitution, policy and procedural development as well as budget planning and helping guide the various AAO committees, chapters and special interest groups.

Below is a list of all available Board positions that will be elected at the AAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 8 2026, during the 2026 AAO conference. For detailed descriptions of each position, please see the Board of Director's webpage.

• Vice-President/President Elect: Three-year term (May 2026 - May 2029)
• • 5-10 hours a week / 20-40 hours a month
• Director Without Portfolio (2 positions): Two-year term (May 2026 - May 2028)
• • 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month
• Chapter and Special Interest Group Stakeholder: One-year term (May 2026 - May 2027)
• • 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month
• Chair, Institutional Development Committee (IDC): Two-year term (May 2026 - May 2028)
• • 2-3 hours a week / 8-12 hours a month

To learn more, please register to attend a 30 minute Zoom online drop-in information session on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 12:00pm - 12:30pm by contacting the AAO office, aao@aao-archivists.ca.

Nominations can be submitted by downloading and sending the nomination form along with a short bio, via email, to the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca using the subject line "Nominations 2026", and direct your message to the attention of the Nominations Committee. Nominations must be received by the AAO Office by close of business on Thursday, April, 9, 2026.

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

• Shelley Respondek, President president@aao-archivists.ca

• Christopher Hogendoorn, Director Without Portfolio director2@aao-archivists.ca

• Holly Barclay, Vice President/President Elect vp@aao-archivists.ca  

Sincerely,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

Are you a student enrolled in a post-secondary archival or related programme? Please consider presenting about your research, projects, or experience at a special students session at the Archives Association of Ontario's 2026 Annual Conference.

The Conference will be held at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto from May 6-8, 2026.

We invite you to send in your proposal related to the conference theme "Object Lessons: Continuing Care for the Physical in a Digital World." The planned student paper session will be in a traditional format, with individual speakers each presenting a short paper. Proposals for presentations in different formats can be made under the main Call for Papers (due January 23, 2026). We especially welcome and encourage papers by and from students who identify as part of equity-deserving communities, and those associated with under-represented institutions or collections. 

Visit our Conference page for the full Call for Student Papers.

The deadline for student papers will be February 13, 2026. 

Questions? Please contact the Conference Committee at conference@aao-archivists.ca

Please note that the deadline for the Call for Papers for the AAO's upcoming conference, "Object Lessons," has been extended. Proposals will be accepted until January 23, 2026.

Visit the Conference page for the full Call for Papers.

On behalf of the AAO Board of Directors I am pleased to share the news that Connor White will join the AAO as part-time Archeion Coordinator after January 12, 2026.

Connor White is a digital archivist at the Centre de recherche sur les francophonies canadiennes (CRCCF) at the University of Ottawa. He holds a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Information in Archives and Records Management from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on marginalized and dispossessed communities, examining how their histories are preserved, interpreted, and integrated into contemporary academic discourse. He also specializes in inclusive, user-centred database design for archives and other records management systems.

As previously announced in the AAO’s 2024-2025 Annual Report, Kelli is cycling off as Archeion Coordinator. She will continue being involved with Archeion and the AAO as a volunteer with the AAO’s Digital Access and Preservation Committee.

Connor and Kelli are working together to make this change seamless for all Archeion institutions and AAO members. If you need any Archeion support, as always, please contact archeion@aao-archivists.ca.

Best,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

president@aao-archivists.ca

Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)

On behalf of the AAO Board of Directors and Secretariat, I would like to wish everyone a restful and healthy holiday season.

The AAO office will be closed for the holidays from December 22th, 2025 to January 4th, 2026 inclusive, reopening on January 5th.

Wishing you all the best,

Shelley Respondek

President, 2024-2026

president@aao-archivists.ca

2025-2026 Call for Volunteers - Advancement, CAC and DEI Committees

Do you want to get involved with the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO)? Are you a new or experienced professional looking to meet fellow archivists and contribute to the field?

If so, you’re in luck! The AAO is looking for individuals to help support our mandate of furthering the education of Ontario’s records and information professionals and advocating for the interests of the province’s community of archives, heritage organizations, and records institutions.

The AAO is currently looking for volunteers for the following committees:

• Chair/Co-chair of the Advancement Committee
• Chair/Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI)
• Committee members for the Advancement Committee
• Committee members for the Communications and Advocacy Committee (CAC)
• Committee members for the DEI committee

Detailed committee descriptions and a listing of current membership can be found on the AAO website.

If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to AAO Director, Christopher Hogendoorn, director2@aao-archivists.ca by December 12, 2025.

Hello AAO,

We are well into what has already been an eventful Fall (shout out Blue Jays)! Please cozy up and enjoy the record-breaking number of Off the Record submissions we received this season. 

Members can access the issue here. 

This issue will hopefully motivate you to spring into action and get engaged in your communities! The issue starts with a challenge from Jean Dryden to update the lyrics to a song that celebrates our archival labour. Ashton Osmak from the Archives of Ontario writes about the new AO's ambitious new website. Angela Bell and Julie Daechsel each introduce and contextualize two fascinating exhibits, one on Indigenous language revitalization at Trent University and the other on everyday community heroes at Markham Museum. Finally we have two articles that we hope will inspire readers to see the connections between activism and archival work. Michelle A. Hamilton and Mark Hopkins write about resistance to massive anti-heritage measures taken at Halton Heritage Services and the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) and Alexis Shotwell and Gary Kinsman answer questions about archiving activist movements through the AIDS Activist History project.

See you in the Winter 

Happy reading!

Isobel and Simon

Object Lessons: Continuing Care for the Physical in a Digital World

Dates: 6-8 May 2026

Location: St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is thrilled to invite proposals for its 2026 Annual Conference, our first in-person gathering in years. This return to a physical space invites us to reflect on the heart of the archival tradition: the stewardship of physical objects for the long term in an increasingly digital society.

When access is so often virtually mediated, what is the evolving role of the physical artifact? How do we respond to changing researcher expectations while preserving the unique value and materiality of original, physical records? This conference will explore the enduring importance, practical challenges, and profound joys of caring for physical collections. We seek presentations that offer both critical understanding and practical insights from archives of all sizes and types.

We welcome proposals on topics including, but not limited to:

• Changing user or researcher expectations. 
• The limits of digitization, and confronting the expectation that everything can or should be digitized.
• Case studies in physical care: stories of conservation, facilities management, or exhibiting unique physical collections.
• Processing and description of hybrid collections.
• Transformations in archival workplaces and workspaces.
• Supporting real access to and accessibility of physical records. 
• User responses to the physicality of materials. 
• The importance of physical preservation in archival traditions and human cultures.

Session Formats:

Your session may take the form of a:

• Traditional session – live presentation by a speaker with audience questions to follow; your proposal may be combined with others to create a full session 
• Discussion panel – brief presentations by each speaker with significant time allotted to questions from the audience 
• Roundtable or structured conversation – brief presentations followed by an open, planned discussion between speakers
• Creative and innovative approach to presenting your material 

Submission Guidelines:

We especially welcome and encourage papers by and from information professionals who identify as part of equity-deserving communities. We also welcome proposals from students, new graduates, emerging information professionals, and those associated with under-represented institutions or collections. All who work or volunteer with archival records are invited to submit a proposal.

In the spirit of intellectual honesty, the use of AI tools in preparing a proposal or presentation is allowed, but must be disclosed in your paper proposal and/or in the conference programme. 

Proposals for a session or paper should include a brief abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of no more than 100 words for each speaker. 

Please indicate if you are submitting a proposal for an entire session, or would like your presentation to be combined with complementary proposals from other speakers. For non-traditional formats, please also indicate the estimated duration of your presentation. 

Proposals should be submitted to: Conference Committee at conference@aao-archivists.ca. The preferred format is PDF. 

Individual papers should use the subject line format: AAO2026_Paper_Lastname-Firstname. Proposals for a session should select a “point person” and use the subject line format: AAO2026_Session_Lastname-Firstname. 

The due date for submissions is January 16, 2026. 

On behalf of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee