Congratulations to all the well deserving 2021 AAO award winners. *Iona McCraith* Archives Advisor *|* *Archives Association of Ontario* e: [log in to unmask] t: 705-277-1309 c: 705-772-1309 www.aao-archivists.ca *[image: cid:image002.png@01D1A6F0.336390A0]* *Follow the AAO!*Twitter <https://twitter.com/AAO_tweet> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/ArchivesAssociationOfOntario> On Mon, 17 May 2021 at 08:50, Rodney Carter <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > 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 found below. Please join me in > congratulating them all. > > > > Rodney Carter > > Chair, AAO Awards Committee > > > > AAO EMERGING LEADER AWARD > > The Emerging Leader Award was created in 2018 to mark the 25th anniversary > of the Association. The award recognizes 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. > > > AAO EMERGING LEADER AWARD – AMANDA OLIVER > > The first AAO Emerging Leader Award for 2021 was presented to Amanda > Oliver. > > > Amanda earned her Masters of Library and Information Science (Archives > Concentration) from McGill University in 2012 and in 2013 was hired by the > Western University Archives as a General Archivist for a one-year term. She > then moved to Alberta, where she served as Lead Archivist for the Archives > Society of Alberta's Flood Advisory Programme from 2014-2016, before > returning to Western as an Assistant Archivist, being promoted to Associate > Archivist in 2018. > > > Despite being a relatively new professional, when Amanda returned to > Western in 2016 she was entrusted with processing and providing access to > the Labatt Brewing Company fonds, Western’s largest and arguably most > significant fonds, and also managing the day to day relationship with the > donor. Amanda readily embraced the challenge of dealing with the fonds, and > taking a user-focused approach to provide access to its most important > contents. > > > The highlight of this work was the launch of a very successful virtual > exhibit which saw Amanda expertly undertaking all the archival work > associated with its design, development, and launch while deftly managing > the political relationships among the three major contributors and the > external partners involved in the project. She did so with a high level of > skill, confidence, and patience. > > > In her short career, Amanda has undertaken a significant amount of > scholarly activity. She has authored or co-authored articles that have been > published in *Archives and Manuscripts*, *Archival Issues*, the *Journal > of Contemporary Archival Studies*, and the *Records Management Journal* > and has presented over a dozen times at conferences including the annual > conferences of the AAO, the Association of Canadian Archivists, the Society > of American Archivists, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic > and Artistic Works, and at the Archives Society of Alberta Biennial > Conference. While working at Western, Amanda completed a Master of Arts > (with distinction) of Preventive Conservation from Northumbria University > in 2020. > > > Additionally, Amanda has been an active member of the archival community, > serving on the AAO’s Preservation Committee and as a member of the > Association of Canadian Archivists’ Professional Development Committee, the > Conference Program Team, volunteers as a mentor in the ACA’s Mentorship > Program, and she is a member of CARL’s Canadian Web Archiving Coalition. > > > In the words of her nominator, “As her career has progressed Amanda has > developed into a very effective leader in formal and informal settings, > internally at Western and in the professional community. She has a quiet, > calm, positive and practical outlook and carries out her responsibilities > in a very professional yet very personable fashion, drawing on both her > formal education and her various experiences to achieve success.” > > > The AAO is pleased to present Amanda Oliver 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. > > > > AAO EMERGING LEADER AWARD – JOSHUA KLAR > > The second AAO Emerging Leader Award for 2021 was presented to Joshua Klar. > > > Joshua graduated in 2015 from Western University’s Master of Library and > Information Science with a concentration in Archives and Records Management > and began working at the City of Thunder Bay Archives as an Archives > Assistant before becoming Associate Archivist. In June 2018, he joined the > Corporation of Norfolk County as the County’s first archivist. In this > role, he facilitated the establishment of a municipal archives facility and > is responsible for the management of its operations. > > > In his first year as the Archivist for Norfolk County, Joshua planned and > oversaw the renovation of a historic building which previously served as a > museum into an archival facility, developed policies and procedures, > identified and facilitated the transfer of several archival collections > stored throughout the municipality, and created finding aids for these. > More recently, he has secured major private archival donations including > that of the local newspaper, the Simcoe Reformer. > > > Joshua works collaboratively with the Norfolk County Records Management > team and the County Clerk’s office. In addition to managing the archives, > he is also responsible for managing the staff of the Eva Brook Donly Museum > and he has developed and manages a volunteer programme at the Archives. In > November 2020, Norfolk County’s Council approved an Archives Establishment > by-law officially creating the municipal archives and approving its > mandate. This milestone was achieved primarily through Josh’s efforts. > > > Joshua has engaged in a great deal of outreach in his short time in > Norfolk County, being an invited guest speaker to a variety of local > organizations speaking about the Norfolk County Archives and archival work > in general and he also developed and hosted a new annual event, the Norfolk > County Genealogical Symposium. Additionally, he has presented at a number > of AAO and other professional conferences. Joshua has also been > instrumental in the revival of the AAO’s Southwestern Ontario Chapter, > which had been inactive for a number of years, serving as the president > since November 2020. > > > According to his nominator, “Josh has quickly become a well-respected > member of the Norfolk County Heritage & Culture team and has earned the > trust of the community at large. He is generous in sharing his knowledge > and expertise with others. He is very much a team player … [His] > professionalism, positive attitude, sense of humour and thoughtful > intelligence makes him an extraordinary emerging leader in the field of > archives.” > > > The AAO is pleased to present the Emerging Leader Award 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. > > > > AAO EMERGING LEADER AWARD – KATRINA COHEN-PALACIOS > > The AAO is pleased to announce that the third Emerging Leader Award for > the year was presented to Katrina Cohen-Palacios. > > > Katrina, a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, > joined York University’s Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collection in > 2017 as an Adjunct Archivist, becoming the Media Archivist in 2019, and > promoted to Archivist in 2020. Her work and contributions as an archivist > at York University is described as exemplary not only in its collaborative > nature but also for its outreach impact. Katrina has made important > contributions in the discourse and workflows related to Canadian archives > and linked data, an emerging area of archival outreach and collaboration. > She also has played a key role in the Home Made Visible project, a > collaboration of the Regent Park Film Festival, Charles Street Videos, and > York University Libraries, which preserves and celebrates the important > memories captured in home movies created by members of Indigenous, Black, > and people of colour communities in Canada. This project was awarded the > Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation > in 2020 and was also shortlisted for the Governor General’s History Award > for Excellence in Community Programming. > > > Katrina has presented at library and archival conferences across Canada > and has been involved in various national and local professional > organizations since 2013, serving on numerous committees and leadership > positions within the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) and the Toronto > Area Archivists Group (TAAG), including as Chair of AAO’s Professional > Development Committee (PDC) since June 2019 and on the 2021 AAO Conference > Programme Committee. Since 2013, Katrina has served as a mentor in the > Association of Canadian Archivists’ Mentorship Programme. Additionally, > she has served, formally and informally, as a mentor for new professionals > and for archival students, particularly at UofT’s iSchool. Her nominators > highlighted the important to the role her mentorship has had. One wrote, > “Katrina can always be depended on to share her expertise, knowledge, and > advice as an established archival professional. Above and beyond all this, > Katrina extends a great deal of care to those new in the profession. It is > integral that racialized young professionals and students have other > racialized leaders that can champion them through the early stages of their > career. Katrina is an ideal example of this vital role model.” > > > 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 is pleased to present the Emerging Leader Award to > Katrina Cohen-Palacios. > > > > ALEXANDER FRASER AWARD – GRANT HURLEY > > 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 2021 Alexander Fraser Award was presented to Grant Hurley. > > > Grant completed a Master’s degree in English from the University of > British Columbia in 2012 and then went on to earn a dual Master’s of > Archival Studies and Library and Information Science from UBC in 2015. > After completing his studies, Grant moved to Toronto where he worked for a > year as a Records Analyst/Archivist for The College of Physicians and > Surgeons of Ontario before assuming his current role of Digital > Preservation Librarian for Scholars Portal at the Ontario Council of > University Libraries/University of Toronto in August of 2016. > > > Since 2015, Grant has, in the words of his nominator, “set an impossibly > high bar for service to the professional community.” He quickly became an > integral member of the archival community in Ontario, serving in many roles > in professional organizations, often concurrently. > > > Grant joined the Board of the Archives Association of Ontario in 2015, > serving as Director Without Portfolio, while also taking on the role of > editor of the association’s newsletter *Off the Record*. He served as > Board Liaison to the Communications and Advocacy Committee and the > Professional Development Committee and as member of the Student Outreach > Committee, the Fundraising Committee, and, most recently, the Digital > Preservation and Access Committee. > > > In addition to his work with the AAO, Grant has been a member of the > Association of Canadian Archivists Conference Program team in 2019-2020 and > is chairing the committee for the 2021 conference. He also serves as the > ACA’s representative to the Canadian General Standards Board Committee on > Electronic Records and Image Management. Since 2017, Grant has also worked > on several committees of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. > > > Beyond his extraordinary professional service, Grant’s nominator calls > special attention to his “multifaceted involvement in increasing > professional capacity in the field of digital preservation.” > > > Grant has shared his knowledge of digital preservation in multiple forms: > he has lead numerous workshops; organized and participated in panel > discussions and webinars; taught courses and guest lectured at the > University of Toronto as well as lecturing at Lakehead, McGill, and Ryerson > Universities; and delivered more than a dozen presentations and posters at > conferences across Canada as well as in the US, Norway, New Zealand, > Scotland, Mexico, and the Netherlands. Since 2011, Grant has published > exceptional scholarly work, authoring four articles, one of which won > Archivaria’s Gordon Dodds Prize for 2016; three book chapters, and he has > co-authored five reports on digital preservation. As his nominator writes, > “It may be near impossible to count the number of individuals whose > knowledge of digital preservation has directly or indirectly benefited > thanks to [Grant’s] engagement with the community.” > > > For his dedicated service to the archival community in Ontario and his > tireless efforts in sharing his knowledge and passion for digital > preservation, the Archives Association of Ontario is pleased to present > Grant Hurley with the Alexander Fraser Award. > > > > JAMES J. TALMAN AWARD – MARY GRACE KOSTA > > The James J. Talman Award was named after the second Archivist of Ontario, > who served from 1935 to 1939. He 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 Mary Grace Kosta for her work > developing the student practicum program at the Archives of the > Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and with which she has > demonstrated an outstanding level of imagination and innovation in > supporting new members of the archival profession. > > > Mary started the student practicum program in 2012, shortly after she was > hired as the first professionally trained lay Congregational Archivist. > Initially, it was a standard volunteer program but, over time, Mary sensed > there was the potential to help address an unmet need in the London > community, particularly from Western University, for opportunities for > students interested in working in archives to gain practical experience. > > > With the Sisters’ approval, Mary expanded and formalized the volunteer > program. Through her perseverance, vision, leadership, and creative use of > limited resources she transformed it into a structured student practicum > program, with a standard syllabus presented each term. Today the > Congregation’s student practicum program provides archival studies students > - mostly from Western’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies but others > have come from Western’s Public History Program and Mohawk College’s > Library Technician Program - with basic training and practical experience > with core archival functions including preservation, arrangement and > description, as well as digitization and digital preservation. Students may > also have an opportunity to assist with reference questions or exhibit > preparation and, additionally, Mary established a medical artefacts > cataloguing option within the practicum where students learn basic museum > registration skills. > > > The practicum program now has a formal application, interview and hiring > process, followed by structured orientation and training supported by an > orientation manual and a detailed processing manual which she has made > publically available on the archives’ website so other institutions can > benefit from them. The student practicum program runs for a full four-month > academic term with students normally committing three hours per week for a > total of approximately 40 hours per term. While many students only > participate for one term, others return for a second term to gain more > experience. > > > Since its inception, over 100 students have benefitted from participating > in the practicum program and from working with Mary to obtain the kind of > experience that can often make the difference when applying for jobs after > graduation. Many program “graduates” have gone on to work in the field in > Ontario and beyond. > > In the words of her nominator, “from its rudimentary beginnings […] the > Congregational Archives student practicum has evolved to become today’s > formal, well-structured, and very successful program that provides students > with the opportunity to obtain that all-important first practical work > experience. It has helped many students gain professional employment and it > serves as a model for other institutions. The development and success of > the program are the direct result of Mary Kosta’s sense of an unmet need, > vision of what could be accomplished, and determination to make it a > reality.” > > > In recognition of her work and the outstanding level of imagination and > innovation involved in supporting new members of the archival profession > through the student practicum program at the Archives of the Congregation > of the Sisters of St. Joseph the AAO is pleased to present Mary Grace Kosta > with the James J. Talman Award. > > > > > AAO INSTITUTIONAL AWARD – ARNPRIOR & MCNAB/BRAESIDE ARCHIVES > > 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 is pleased announce the 2021 Institutional Award was presented to > the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives. > > > The history of Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives (AMBA) goes back to > 1986, when a joint coordinating committee between the Arnprior and District > Museum and the Arnprior and District Historical Society was formed with the > purpose of establishing a community archives. It was formally incorporated > as an independent, non-profit corporation in 1991 as the Arnprior and > District Archives with a Board of Management consisting of representation > from the three municipalities, the local museum, the Women’s Institute, and > members of the community. In 1993, the archives - an independent, volunteer > organization dedicated to preserving and making accessible historically > significant records of the community - opened within the local library. The > name changed to Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives in 2007. > > > The advice of the Archives of Ontario's Archives Advisor and Preservation > Consultant were sought in the early stages of its operation, enshrining > proper archival practices into the organization from its inception. The > level of professionalism in AMBA’s operations is particularly noteworthy as > it has always operated with a single, part-time archivist who is > responsible for all volunteer training and supervision, research and > reproduction services, processing, description, preservation, social media > engagement and promotional activities. > > > The Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives receives operation funding from the > two municipal councils each year and the support of the respective councils > of McNab/Braeside and Arnprior has grown dramatically over the years. > However, AMBA has also been reliant on, and very successful in being > awarded, grants to achieve its goals. > > > By strategically applying for available funds from provincial and federal > sources, the Archives has been able to expand its archival storage; develop > its website and upgrade it in stages, increasing its functionality and > usability over time; create an electronic database of its archival holdings > and then, later, host this database online and, again later, integrate > digitized archival objects; digitize historic local newspapers; develop > virtual exhibitions; and hire students to process archival collections. > > > Through the efforts of AMBA’s dedicated volunteers – who provide around > 3000 hours of service to the Archives annually – AMBA has been able to > describe and make accessible its nearly 400 fonds, including thousands of > photographs and over 500 maps; index birth, marriage, and death records; > digitize local newspapers and Women’s Institute records; and index over a > century’s worth of Renfrew County Land Records. > > > As one of the nominator wrote, AMBA is “an excellent example of what can > be achieved by a small archives with limited funding” and, as another > nominator stated, “the accomplishments of this volunteer organization over > its 28 year history are truly outstanding.” > > > In recognition of the extraordinary work of its archivists and volunteers > and its continuous improvement over the years, the Archives Association of > Ontario is pleased to present the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives with > the Institutional Award. > ==================================== ====================================