Please excuse cross-postings.

Call for Proposals

ACA 36^th Annual Conference

June 2-4, 2011, Toronto, Ontario

Back to Basics??

The general statement which all archives use to describe their role and function is to acquire, arrange and describe, preserve and make available the records in their care. From the language we use to the descriptive formats we prescribe, the manner in which this is done is constantly evolving though much of the thought behind our practice remains the same.

The 2011 ACA Programme Committee is seeking proposals that examine the core functions and theoretical underpinnings of the work that archivists undertake in order to understand how they are holding up in the face of changing technologies, a changing user and donor base, and the increased demands on shrinking budgets. By examining the historical precedents in light of the current archival practices of today the committee hopes to enliven discussion and spark conversations about the intersection of theory and methodology in the current landscape.

Proposals are invited from all areas of archival theory and practice and may include such topics as:

“Acquire”

• What do we want to acquire? Has this fundamentally changed or merely morphed? What might a new landscape look like?
• Documentation strategies: new emphasis on an old practice.
• Does the acquisition of electronic records affect core functions and core competencies of the archivist?
• Old “New Media” – acquisition concerns and possibilities.

“Arrange and Describe”

• Language and descriptive standards – who do they serve and how should they evolve.
• The electronic/hypertext environment – does it fundamentally alter our notions of interrelatedness and context presenting new arrangement challenges.
• Archival description in the age of wikis, social tagging, and user-generated data
• How do traditional archival concepts cohere with contemporary information challenges which question the meaning of custody, reproduction and distribution of version, fixity and stability of form, and collaborative authorship?

“Preserve and Make Available”

• Who are our researchers, and does the audience effect the nature of work an archives undertakes?
• Digitization projects and the role of archivist as curator.
• More Product, Less Process (MPLP): reactionary measure or revolutionary step?
• What effects are changing privacy and intellectual-property rights having on access or acquisition?

SUBMITTING PROPOSALS:

The 2011 Conference Program Committee invites contributions, of either a practical and/or theoretical nature, in a variety of formats including:

1. Traditional session: formal presentation of papers; approximately 20 minutes per speaker, with questions to follow as time allows.
2. Panel discussion: abbreviated presentation of papers; approximately 10-15 minutes per speaker, with discussion to follow.
3. Roundtable: brief 5-7 minute presentations with open discussion
4. Focused Debate on a specific topic: brief presentations with open discussion & debate to follow
5. Poster session: information is summarized using texts and images, and mounted on poster board

Use the “Call for Submission” button on the ACA website at http://www.archivists.ca/.  Submitting your session proposal in electronic form using this link is strongly encouraged.

Note:  Please be advised there will be a Call for Student Papers as well as a Call for Posters later this year, with submission deadlines early in 2011. 

The deadline for submission of proposals is: 24 September 2010

Please feel free to direct questions to:

Heather Home, Chair, ACA 2011 Program Committee

Queen’s University Archives

Kathleen Ryan Hall

Queen’s University

Kingston, Ontario

K7L 3N6

e-mail: [log in to unmask]

telephone: 613.533.6000 x74456