At the AAO Conference on May 10th, the AAO Awards Committee presented
awards to three individuals and one institution.



The inaugural *AAO Emerging Leader Award* was presented to *Gillian Shaw*
for her work and service which demonstrates consistent growth, leadership
and promise to the archival profession in Ontario.



The *Alexander Fraser Award* was presented to *Margaret Bignell *for her
contributions to the archival community in Ontario in the field of archival
conservation and preservation.



*Robin Keirstead* was awarded the *James J. Talman* *Award* for his
innovative work at the Region of Waterloo and Western University, his
mentoring of archivists and archives, and the imagination he brings to all
his work.



The *AAO Institutional Award* was given to *Elgin County Archives* for their
Green Screen Program, which combines technology and archival photographs in
an innovative way to bring these images to life for community members of
all ages.


The full citations for the winners can be found below. More details on the
awards and photos of the winners taken at the lunch will be available on
the AAO website (https://aao-archivists.ca/page-18198) shortly.



Congratulations to this year’s award winners!


Rodney Carter

Chair, AAO Awards Committee




*The 2019 AAO Awards*

The AAO Awards Committee - consisting of Jean Dryden, Matt Szybalski, David
Sharron, and Rodney Carter – were pleased and honoured to present four
awards at the Annual Conference held in Belleville on May 10th.

*The AAO Emerging Leader Award*

This award, announced in 2018 to mark the 25th anniversary of the
Association, was created recognize early-career archivists (who have been
in the profession between two and ten years), whose work and service
demonstrate consistent growth, leadership and promise to the archives
profession in Ontario. Achievements may include involvement in professional
organizations, and/or participation in relevant projects, and/or written
and scholarly work. This award is intended to recognize cumulative
contributions rather than any single activity.

The Awards Committee and the AAO Board were pleased to present the
inaugurals Emerging Leader Award to *Gillian (Jill) Shaw.*

As an archival records analyst with the City of Vaughn, Jill works
effectively within the records management and archival systems to provide
access and preserve the materials in the City’s care.  Further, she
displays a natural ability to develop partnerships with local community
groups through social media, exhibitions and other outreach efforts.

Beyond her work at Vaughn, Jill has also been very active within the
professional archives community since 2015.  As communications liaison for
the Professional Development Committee of the AAO, Jill developed a social
media strategy that led to increased participation and awareness of the
PDC’s activities.  She has also served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the
Municipal Archives Interest Group where she led a revitalization of the
MAIG website and magazine, organized open houses and AGMs, and created a
municipal archives listserv after a formal study of the needs of this
archivist group.  When she finds the time, Jill also volunteers with the
Association of Canadian Archivists in the membership and mentor committee
and the Markham Fair’s Demonstration Committee.

In the words of her nominator, “Jill is a consummate professional,
incredibly knowledgeable about the archival profession and always eager to
lend a helping hand. She has shown immense promise and enthusiasm for the
AAO, and the archival community in Canada, and I cannot think of anyone
more deserving of the title of “Emerging Leader”.”

*The Alexander Fraser Ward*

Named after the first Archivist of Ontario, the Alexander Fraser Award is
given to individuals who have contributed in a significant way to the
advancement of the archival community in Ontario. Achievements may range
from written and visual work to involvement in organizations or
participation in projects. This award is designated to recognize cumulative
contributions rather than any single activity. Generally speaking,
contributions need to go beyond a specific archives or community.

The AAO presented the 2019 Alexander Fraser Award to *Margaret Bignell* for
contributions to the archival community in Ontario in the field of archival
conservation and preservation.

Margaret, recently retired conservator at Queen’s University Archives, has
a history with the province’s archival community that pre-dates the AAO,
having presented a workshop on disaster planning at the Ontario Association
of Archivists annual conference June 1992 which led to the production of
the booklet “An Introduction to Disaster Planning and Prevention for Small
Archives”.

Margaret served for many years on the conservation/preservation committee
of the Archives
Association of Ontario, and helped to review and adjudicate CPCAR/NADP
grant applications as the
external invited preservation expert on the AAO’s Institutional Development
Committee. Under Margaret’s supervision, Queen’s University Archives was
one of the regional depots for the Archives Association of Ontario’s
Thermohygrograph Program. Margaret was also an active member of AERN
(Archives Emergency Response Network) since its inception, and further, she
served for many years on the Canadian Council on Archives Preservation
Committee.  She has also served as an incredible ambassador of the archives
and the conservation profession, appearing regularly in news stories on her
important work. In addition to her work at Queen’s Archives, she also
taught paper conservation at the Masters of Art Conservation program at
Queen’s, mentoring students who have ended up working in institutions
across the province and across the globe.

In the words of her nominators “anyone who had the opportunity to interact
with Margaret quickly discovered how generous she was with her time, how
patient she was with the barrage of questions that inevitably came her way,
and how knowledgeable she was about conservation and preservation in
archives.”

*The James J. Talman Award*

The James J. Talman Award was named after the second Archivist of Ontario,
serving from 1935 to 1939. Talman subsequently served as Chief Librarian
for the University of Western Ontario until 1969. The Award is given to
individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding level of imagination and
innovation in contributing to the profession, their institution, or the
archival community, or who have challenged conventional thinking about
archival work.

This year, the Talman Award was presented to *Robin Keirstead *for his
imagination, innovation, and progressive, unconventional thinking which he
has demonstrated throughout his career.

In 1989 he pioneered the archives and records program for the Region of
Waterloo when he became the Region’s first Records Manager (soon re-titled
Manager of Corporate Records and Archives). The amount of imagination and
innovation required by the challenges that come with starting a new program
is considerable. Robin then did it all again when he became Western
University’s first University Archivist in 2001. There he developed a
program and helped design a building that provides the University with a
unique range of services: archives and research collections, rare books and
special collections, library book depository, and a records centre.

Robin has served the profession throughout his career by participating in
the work of the CCA, the AAO, and ACA. He has been an instructor at the
Faculty of Information and Media Studies - Western University, as well as
teaching at Simon Fraser University and George Brown and Mohawk Colleges,
mentored students and early-career professionals. Anyone who has attended
one of Robin’s many workshops and conference presentations will appreciate
the imagination, not to mention humour, that he includes.

Additionally, he is always willing to provide guidance to other
institutions and is a deeply respected source of advice.

According to his nominators, Robin “emulates many of the qualities that
were held by James J. Talman. They both served as leaders for Western
Libraries and in their communities and they are both recognized for their
intellectual approach and kind manner.” And, as one of his nominators
wrote, “Robin does not adhere to any archival ‘party line’. Rather he seeks
out creative solutions to problems, even if those solutions do not fit a
traditional archival mould.”

*The AAO Institutional Award*

The AAO Institutional Award is given to an archival institution that has
contributed significantly to the advancement of the archival field or
community, or has demonstrated a significant level of innovation and
imagination in the establishment of outstanding or model programs or
services. Recognition may be granted for an individual project of
particular merit or for a program that integrates many facets of archival
enterprise.

The AAO presented the 2019 Institutional Award to *Elgin County Archives *for
its innovative Green Screen Program, which combines technology with
archival photographs to bring these photos to life in a very personal way.

Time Travel with Elgin County Archives is an outreach program that uses
green screen technology to photograph participants and superimpose them
into historic photographs, to make it appear as if they are traveling back
into their local history. Archivists *Gina Dewaele* and *Amber Mandich*
conceived, developed, organized, and delivered a series of innovative Green
Screen events at local libraries, community events, schools and long-term
care homes. The program has captured the interest of community members by
offering a stimulating and creative activity that allows staff to start
conversations to raise awareness of the archives' collections and
resources, and of archives in general.

This program appeals to all ages: younger participants enjoy the technology
and the idea that they are "time traveling," which offers a unique
opportunity to engage with a group that rarely visits an archival
institution in person while older participants reminisce about former
streetscapes, buildings, and the people who used to live and work in their
community. This is a creative and imaginative way of making archival
resources available and relevant to all age groups.

The program was initially launched in partnership with the Elgin County
Library, consisting of 10 branches throughout the County, but expanded to
local cultural institutions and events, as well as being included in an
intergenerational program involving a local nursing home and an elementary
school. In its first year, there were nearly 700 participants in the
program.

The AAO was pleased to recognize the Elgin County Archives’ for their Green
Screen Program, which combines technology and archival photographs in an
innovative way to bring these images to life for community members of all
ages.



Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners.

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