Organization
Anglican Diocese of New Westminster
Address
1410 Nanton Ave
Vancouver, B.C.
V6H 2E2
Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Charlotte Leonard (in office Wednesday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm)
Email: cleonard@vancouver.anglican.ca
Purpose of the project:
The Archives of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster (DNW) and the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia & Yukon (PSA) contain all the records of Diocesan parishes, clergy, committees, councils, etc., as well as those related to Provincial Synod, and the Diocese of Cariboo. The Archives are comprised of multimedia records including large collections of photographs, architectural records, audiovisual, and published materials. Over the years, the archives have gone through many changes and periods wherein key archival activities such as processing and description were not possible, such as during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s interrogation of the holdings. As such, there are many areas that need to be addressed and brought up to date.
These extensive holdings and growing backlog present challenges for the intellectual and physical control and continued access to the records. This project aims to confront these challenges by addressing key areas that need attention. Depending on the interests of the student, areas of project focus could include: 1.) migration of DNW data from various disparate inventories and databases into comprehensive finding aids; 2.) cross referencing and updating of architectural records inventory; 3.) Researching areas of duplication and redundancy in the records and weeding; 4.) Processing backlog.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
Regardless of project of choice, key tasks will include:
- Surveying available DNW inventories, databases, and finding aids and collecting information into one centralized location. Identifying categories and working to create file lists for existing series and sous-fonds.
- Creating RAD compliant finding aids.
- Arrangement and description of multimedia records.
- Working with archivist to determine archival value and carrying out destruction of records where appropriate.
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
The student can expect to gain experience in key archival skills such as arrangement and description, processing, weeding, accessioning, and data migration. The deliverables will be new and/or updated finding aids and proper housing of archival materials, where necessary.
The Diocese would benefit greatly from the increased findability and intellectual and physical order that this project would facilitate.
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Summer Session, Term 1 (May – June)
- Summer Session, Term 2 (July – August)
- Winter Term 1 (September – December)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
No, the project will be ongoing.
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
ARST core courses.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.