Outline of the 2006 ACA Institute

 

ARCHIVES IN THE WAKE OF HUGH TAYLOR:

SHAPING ARCHIVAL PROGRAMMES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

 

St. John's, Newfoundland, June 26-27, 2006

 

 

"We [archivists] are builders of bridges, not castles, as we cross from
the assurance of 'now' to the uncertainty of 'new.'  We are coming to
realize that all we can do is stand by the principles of 'now' until we
cross yet another bridge where new principles will greet us, which may
be closely related to the old ones or radically different ..."

-        Hugh A. Taylor 

 

Inspired by Canada's premier archival thinker, Hugh Taylor, this
Institute offers participants a thorough introduction to new thinking in
four areas that are key to building "bridges" to the future of archival
programmes mentioned in the quotation above.  Drawing on Taylor's
imaginative insights, which launched much of this new thinking, and on
the work of many others, the Institute will provide an overview of how
archiving could be conceived and done in new ways.

 

The 2006 ACA Institute will focus on four "bridges" or "probes," as
Taylor might have also called them, as pathways to this envisioned
future:

 

1) After much recent and intense debate about fundamental archival
concepts, where do we go from here?  On what new understandings of
archival work can we drawn to shape our programmes more effectively for
the varied challenges we face?

 

2) What's next for the pivotal function of appraisal?  How does the new
thinking extend recent developments in appraisal around macroappraisal
into new areas and approaches to both institutional and private records?

 

3) Description is being revolutionized in a wired world.  Where might we
go with both the new thinking about and new opportunities for
description that have recently emerged?

 

4) Archival holdings in future will have to be increasingly electronic,
but archival progress in this area has been painfully slow.  How can we
kick-start practical electronic archives programmes to break the pattern
and bring archives more fully into the computer age?

 

Stepping back from the daily fray to consider these key questions, with
experienced colleagues from across Canada and internationally, offers a
unique opportunity for archivists.  This is a chance to consider the
profession's future directions, prompted by Taylor, who thought long and
deeply about almost every aspect of archival work, and to explore
practical possibilities for moving forward in exciting ways.

 

Break-out groups will examine practical issues and workplace problems
related to the Institute themes that each participant will have prepared
and submitted in advance.  Several weeks before the Institute each
participant will receive a copy of Imagining Archives: Essays and
Reflections by Hugh A. Taylor (2003, edited by Terry Cook and Gordon
Dodds), as well as other background material.  The 2006 ACA Institute
will be led by Terry Cook and Tom Nesmith, both teachers in Archival
Studies at the University of Manitoba.

 

For registration forms and more information about fees and
accommodations please visit the Association of Canadian Archivists'
website at http://www.archivists.ca/prodev/aca_institute.aspx.  If you
have questions, please feel free to contact Denise Jones at the email
address listed below.

 

See you at the Institute!

 

Denise Jones ([log in to unmask])

Chair, ACA Education Committee

www.archivists.ca


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