Dear colleagues,

On behalf of Algoma University, I would like to thank the AAO and particularly the Awards Committee, for conferring the 2013 Institutional Award on the Arthur A. Wishart Library and the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre.

Krista and I were deeply honoured to accept the award on behalf of the many, many individuals and organizations who have worked on collecting the documents, photographs, oral histories, videos, and other materials -- now at Algoma University -- for the purposes of healing, sharing, and learning.  Our nation continues to suffer from the devastating, wrenching effects of the Residential Schools.  But we continue to work with the Survivors, their children, and their children's children, combining activism with the documentary history to reach towards restorative justice for all Canadians.

This summer, in August, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association will host another Gathering and Conference at Algoma University.  Information will be coming out at shingwauk.org.  We'd love to see more archivists visit us, and the Sault is beautiful in August (there's finally no snow!).  Last night was so lovely and the pub was wonderful -- it would be great to re-create some of that in the Sault!

On a final note, I remark on how Arthur Doughty's words about archives being the gift of one generation to the next fits with Chief Shingwauk's vision of two cultures journeying together to achieve a synthesis of the best of both.  Archives are critical to that journey and to ongoing cross-cultural understanding.

Meegwetch,

Ken 

Ken Hernden, MLIS | University Librarian | Arthur A. Wishart Library | Algoma University | 705.949.2301 x4611 | [log in to unmask]