[BCMA] AABC workshop registration now open! "Toward Community-Centered Reference" (Jan 28, 2025)

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

please excuse cross-postings

Colleagues,

The AABC is pleased to host Melissa Nelson to deliver the workshop "Toward
Community-Centered Reference" on January 28, 2025 (9:30am - 12:00pm PST).
Please share this workshop widely with colleagues and those who may be
interested in participating. The workshop description, reviews from past
participants, and Melissa's biography can be found below.

Registration for this event closes on January 24, 2025.

*Note: This workshop will held online and not be recorded. *


*Workshop Description:*

This workshop, "Toward Community-Centered Reference" considers the
challenges Black researchers face when consulting with reference services
in archives. Participants will learn to think critically about their
positionality and their current approaches to providing access. Practical
suggestions will be offered to reference archivists to help them provide
services that are community-centered.

This workshop includes a small group activity and discussion with time for
reflection. In this workshop participants will:

- Learn how to unpack how white supremacy shows up in archives
- Learn how to identify and address oppressive practices in access and
reference
- Learn how to minimize harm when providing reference services

The online workshop is 2.5 hours (including a 10-minute break).
Participants will receive a takeaway package of relevant resources.


*Registration Cost:*

We are pleased to offer a reduced workshop registration rate for members
and non-members thanks to a generous AABC donor in support of this
workshop. AABC Institutional members can register up to 3
staff/students/volunteers at the reduced member rate (per person).

AABC member: $60.00 CAD
Non-member: $115.00 CAD

*Register at: https://aaobc.wildapricot.org/event-5841692
<https://aaobc.wildapricot.org/event-5841692>*


*Your Workshop Instructor: Melissa J. Nelson*

Melissa is a Toronto-based archivist and educator working in the field of
Black archival practice. In 2023, she was honoured with the New
Professional Award and Ancestry Award from the Association of Canadian
Archivists. Her work and research interests are grounded in an ethics of
care for the preservation of Black cultural heritage and anti-Black
archival materials. Her work centers Black being and belonging in the
archives to support collective healing and liberation movements.

Melissa is the author of “Archiving Hate: Racist Materials in Archives.”
This post has been referenced by collecting institutions in their
commitment to equity practices, including the University of Waterloo
Special Collections & Archives in “Language in Archival Descriptions
Changes,” The United Church of Canada Archives in “United Church of Canada
Archives Equity Statement,” and Baker Library of Harvard Business School in
“Guiding Principles for Conscious and Inclusive Description.”

Melissa is currently an Archivist at the Archives of Ontario, leading
outreach activities with Black communities in the province. In her
practice, she reimagines the archives as sites of Black joy, rather than
Black pain. She is the Founder and Creative Director of the Black Memory
Collective. Melissa also produces and hosts the podcast, Archives & Things.
She holds a Master of Information Studies from McGill University and
received a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History, with a minor in Sociology,
from Carleton University.


*Workshop Reviews:*

“Thank you so much for making today’s workshop available…It’s exactly the
type of programming I want to see for our professional associations and I’m
grateful that I was able to attend.”

“I like the approach, it was both very engaging & very informative.”

“I appreciated the time and care that when into setting up a shared
understanding of language, intention and expectations during the first half
of the session. It is also nice to have time to reflect individually before
joining a group to discuss things further. The meditation and music were
also a welcomed addition to things.”

“It was really helpful to have reflections grounded in real-life archival
scenarios and the lived experiences of Black Canadian researchers to push
me to rethink how I work as an archivist.”


If you have any questions about this event, please contact the AABC at
info at aabc.ca.


Regards,

Lisa

Lisa Glandt, MAS
Education and Advisory Services (EAS) Coordinator
Archives Association of British Columbia
email: aabc.advisor at aabc.ca
website: aabc.ca

I respectfully acknowledge that I work on the unceded, traditional and
ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh
(Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.
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