Originally published on the Arts Co-op Program website
Each year, the Arts Co-op Program recognizes an iSchool (SLAIS) Master of Archival Studies (MAS) co-op student for outstanding achievement in all aspects of student performance including academics, the workplace, contribution to co-operative education, and extra-curricular activities. Emily Chicorli has received an honourable mention for her work term with the Yukon Archives, where her supervisor noted that Emily is the best student she has ever worked with.
Excellence in the Workplace
As the Archival Descriptions Assistant with the Yukon Archives, Emily’s responsibilities were “physically processing fonds, preparing and giving presentations, research, and making decisions after careful and critical consideration.” In her position, Emily used Canadian archival theory and followed Canadian and Yukon legislation and privacy acts. Emily utilized many skills during her time at the Yukon Archives that will be very useful to her after graduation. She had the opportunity to be involved in “core archival functions within the institution, [and] was given the freedom to manage each project from start to finish.”
Emily’s main project throughout her term was “appraising, arranging, describing and physically processing” two groupings of archival records: Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry (SYANA) and the Jim and Dorothy Smith Photographs. Emily was also responsible for reviewing and appraising 4,000 colour photos slides, boxing records of the national Canadian Satellite Company, conducting research on the Access to Memory (AtoM) database, and presenting on the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the database. Due to Emily’s hard work, her supervisor stated that the Yukon Archives’ first UBC Arts Co-op hire was a tremendous success.
Emily noted that her position with the Yukon Archives solidified her understanding of the core principles of archival theory, taught her how her education can be used after graduation, and convinced her to pursue archival positions where she can “make a difference in the archival world.” Due to Yukon’s isolated location, Emily wanted to ensure all archival documents were available online and easily accessible to “Canadians and individuals globally on a daily basis.” Emily’s passion for making archives accessible across the world can be seen in her experiential report video and the weekly blog she kept while living in the Yukon.
Emily has now finished both her MAS degree and co-op work terms, and is looking forward to her “emerging career as an archivist.”
