Archives Association of Ontario

Home
Canada
Toronto, ON
Archives Association of Ontario

The Archives Association of Ontario is a network of archives and archivists providing programs, education, advocacy and shared knowledge.

To support its mandate, the AAO has both individual and institutional membership. The AAO offers a number of different services to its members, including guidelines for starting and managing an archives, continued training in management and preservation of archives, quarterly newsletters, advisory services, and access to the AAO Archeion archives database, to upload descriptions and digitized archival materials. The AAO has Chapters across Ontario, see website and Facebook for details about upcoming events:

Archives Association of Ontario est/ East (AAOeE): https://www.facebook.com/AAO-EastEst-209300655827038/

Durham Region Area Archives Group: (DRAAG): https://www.facebook.com/pg/DurhamRegionAreaArchivesGroup/about/

Northwestern Ontario Archivists' Association (NOAA)

Southwestern Ontario Chapter (SWOC)

Toronto Area Archives Group (TAAG): https://www.facebook.com/torontoarchivists/

10/07/2026

Call for 2027 Conference Committee Technical Lead Volunteer! 📢

It is not too late to volunteer with the Archives Association of Ontario's (AAO) Conference Committee! We are looking for a Technical Lead to join our team. The AAO Annual Conference will be held virtually in late spring of 2027.

This year's Conference Committee has the flexibility to be formed by archivists across Ontario. If you've wanted to work on the AAO Conference in the past but were unable due to travel requirements, this could be an excellent opportunity for you!

The conference Technical Lead responsibilities include:
- Add conference program, attendee lists, speakers, slides, and posters to Whova
- Set up zoom rooms prior to conference and add information to Whova
- Lead technical walkthrough, presenters, moderators, and technical support aides
- Work with Program Lead(s) to schedule technical support aides for each session
- Send out reminder and post-conference emails through Whova
- Solicit session recordings from technical support aides and add session recordings to Whova
- Liaise with captioners about technical needs
- Liaise with Web Administrator about adding any Whova elements to website
- Ensuring that conference materials are presented with accessibility in mind
- Accessibility coordination from a technical perspective:
- Live captioning (not auto generated)
- ASL interpretation (if used)
- Distribute post-conference survey through Whova

Estimated time involved: 4-10 hours a month.

If you are interested in joining the 2027 Conference Committee as the Technical Lead or have any questions about the work involved, please get in touch with the Conference Committee Co-chairs Jodi and Christine at [email protected]

10/05/2026

Join us for the Student and New Professional Outreach Committee (SNPOC) Fall Pub Night, taking place on Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Green Room in Toronto (414 College St, M5T 1T3). 🍁

Students, new professionals, seasoned professionals, and anyone curious about the archival profession are welcome! No AAO membership required!

This will be a very informal, networking-focused gathering in a relaxed setting. No presentations, no icebreakers, no mandatory fun. Just good conversation, new connections, and a chance to meet fellow archivists and records management folks.

Please RSVP by email at [email protected].

We hope to see you there! 🍂

10/02/2026

Just a friendly reminder that there is one week left to fill out the AAO membership survey! 📢 Your participation is crucial in assisting us in determining the association’s strategic direction, as well as identifying any gaps in our programs and services.

If you have already completed the survey, we thank you!

Institutional members are encouraged to answer the survey individually, rather than filling out one survey per institution.

The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete and will close on Friday, October 9, 2026. Please check your email for the link to the survey. 📩

We thank you for your time and continued support of the AAO!

09/29/2026

📣 Join the Toronto Area Archivists' Group (TAAG) for a special tour of the Archives of Ontario.

📅 October 23rd (Friday) | 🕖 3pm
📍 134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, North York, ON M3J 2S5 (York University Campus)

This unique tour will introduce participants to the work of the Archives through visits to public and behind-the-scenes spaces. Highlights include:
- tour of their latest exhibition Illuminate Black: Shining Light on the Black Presence in Ontario
- visit to the Archives' reading room and research spaces
- insights into their conservation work and curation of the Government of Ontario Art Collection

Space is limited. Register now via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/taag-archives-of-ontario-tour-tickets-2001630678241

09/21/2026

Just a friendly reminder that the AAO Board of Directors invites you to participate in a membership survey aimed at seeking your opinion regarding AAO programs and services. 📢 If you have already completed the survey, we thank you!

Your participation is crucial in assisting us in determining the association’s strategic direction, as well as identifying any gaps in our programs and services. Do you have an institutional membership? You are encouraged to answer the survey individually, rather than filling out one survey per institution.

The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete and will run from September 8 to October 9, 2026. Please check your email for the link to the survey. 📩

We thank you for your time and continued support of the AAO!

09/17/2026

The 2026 Municipal Archives Interest Group (MAIG) Open House will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at the Region of Peel Archives in Brampton (9 Wellington Street East, Brampton, ON, L6W 1Y1).

The Region of Peel Archives has invited us to join them for a tour of their facility, as well as an offsite visit to the Lorne Scots Regimental Museum. As always, lunch will be provided by a local caterer.

Please RSVP by Monday, September 28, 2026 to Gina Elias, MAIG Secretary-Treasurer via email: [email protected] or by phone at 519-631-1460 ext. 154, and please indicate any dietary restrictions or allergies when you RSVP.

When: Wednesday October 21st 2026, 10am-4pm

Where: Region of Peel Archives (9 Wellington Street East, Brampton, ON, L6W 1Y1)

Schedule:
10:00-10:30 AM: Arrival and Social (light refreshments)
10:30-12:00 PM: Tour of the Region of Peel Archives & Campus
12:00-1:00 PM: Lunch (catered)
1:00-2:30 PM: MAIG Meeting
2:30-2:45 PM: Walk to the Lorne Scots Regimental Museum
2:45-3:45 PM: Visit the Lorne Scots Regimental Museum
3:45-4:00 PM: Return to Archives & Wrap-Up

We hope to see you there!

09/08/2026

Dear members, we want to hear from you! The AAO Board of Directors invites you to participate in a membership survey aimed at seeking your opinion of AAO programs and services.

The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete and will run from September 8 to October 9, 2026. Please check your email for the link to the survey. 💻📩

Do you have an institutional membership? You are encouraged to answer the survey individually, rather than filling out one survey per institution.

Your participation is crucial in assisting us in determining the association’s strategic direction, as well as identifying any gaps in our programs and services.

We thank you for your time and continued support of the AAO!

07/21/2026

The Summer issue of Off the Record is here!

Issue 42.3 is full of firsts: meet the new co-editor, Jocelyn; hear from AAO’s new President, Holly Barclay; and get an update from the new Archeion Coordinator, Connor White.

In this issue, Marisa Kelly at TMU walks us through a fascinating and useful case study on unsticking gelatin silver prints. Marina Bokovay shares her experience with the Canadian Archive of Women in STEM portal, and reflects on the challenges of maintaining archival aggregators. This summer, OTR spotlights Jae Kim, recent graduate, curator of Of Kin and Other Impossible Homes at The ArQuives, and the Archives Assistant at the AGO's Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives. From the AAO community, we have an update from the Communications and Advocacy Committee and the Toronto Area Archivists' Group.

If your committee or group is interested in submitting an update, please reach out to [email protected]! The issue is available to AAO members here: https://www.aao-archivists.ca/otr-current-issues.

(Cover image: Bolton Camp, Caledon, 1960, Digital Archive Ontario, TS-2-124-GO-152.)

06/26/2026

Call for Conference Committee Volunteers! 📣 The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) Annual Conference will be held virtually in late spring of 2027.

This year's Conference Committee has the flexibility to be formed by archivists across Ontario. If you've wanted to work on the AAO Conference in the past but were unable due to travel requirements, this could be an excellent opportunity for you!

Duties of the Conference Committee:
✅ Select the theme of the 2027 AAO Virtual Conference. As the conference isn’t bound to a particular area or predetermined theme, Conference Committee members will play an active role in shaping the message and direction of the conference.
✅ Oversee planning for the programming of the conference: call for papers, building the agenda, selecting virtual tour hosts and social activities, etc.
✅ Select moderators and keynote speakers.
✅ Provide support for participants alongside AAO office staff and virtual event vendor contacts during the conference.
✅ Write the Post-Conference final report.

Who we are looking for:
⭐ Archivists from across Ontario are welcome to volunteer - perfect for people who might live/work in remote areas and would otherwise be unlikely to be able to coordinate an in-person conference.
⭐ Experience with planning events and conferences is not required. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to gain experience in conference planning.

If you are interested in joining the 2027 Conference Committee or have any questions about the work involved in organizing the AAO Virtual Conference, please contact Natalie Mitchell, AAO Vice President, at [email protected] by Friday, July 2, 2026.

06/19/2026

Are you a student, an emerging or seasoned information professional looking to connect with fellow archivists and help shape the future of Ontario's archival community? 📢

The AAO is looking for volunteers to help support our mission of furthering the education of Ontario’s records and information professionals and advocating for the interests of the province’s community of archives, heritage organizations, and records institutions.

We're currently recruiting for the following committees:

💻 Members for the 2027 Virtual Conference Committee
🎓 Chair of the Student and New Professional Outreach Committee (SNPOC)
📝 Chair of the Advancement Committee
🏛 Chair of the Institutional Development Committee (IDC)

Detailed committee descriptions and current membership are available on the AAO website. https://aao-archivists.ca/Committees.

Interested in getting involved or learning? Please reach out to AAO President, Holly Barclay at [email protected] by June 26, 2026.

We'd love to hear from you and hope you'll consider volunteering with us! 👋💫

Address

200-40 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, ON
M4P3A2

Telephone

+16473433334

Website

http://aao-archivists.ca/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Archives Association of Ontario posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Archives Association of Ontario:

Featured

Escuela de idiomas Hispano Americano
Toronto Academy of Acting for Film and Televi
866 The Queensway