The Good, the Bad and the Ugly:
Wrestling with Access and Preservation

Thursday April 22 - Saturday April 24, 2004

Location:

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management
6016 University Ave.
Halifax NS

DAY ONE - Archives on the Web
Thursday, April 22

9:00-10:00
The “M”-word that Inspires almost as much Fear as “Mordor”: The Usefulness of Archival Metadata
Presenter: Kathryn Harvery, Dalhousie University Archives

For a majority of people, the word “metadata” inspires either mortal terror or puzzlement. This talk should moderate, if not eliminate, both reactions. Kathryn Harvey will examine the various ways metadata can (1) assist archivists in obtaining intellectual control of holdings through the use of administrative metadata—most archivists do this already without identifying it as use of metadata—and (2) in providing widespread Internet access to holdings through the use of descriptive metadata.

10:30-12:30
Nova Scotia Digital Collections Initiative Open Meeting
Find out about current digital projects in archives libraries and museums in Nova Scotia. Also get updated on NSDCI activities for the past year, and have a chance to provide input for upcoming plans. What are your needs in digital training and networking?

2:00-4:00
CNSA Annual General Meeting

4:00-5:00
Wine and cheese reception
We invite you to this relaxing (and delicious!) social event. Sponsored by Public Archives of Nova Scotia.

DAY TWO - Preservation of Audio Visual Materials
Friday, April 23

9:00 - 10:00
Preservation of Audio-Visual Materials
Presenter: JoAnn Watson

Ever wonder about that dusty pile of video cassettes you’ve been storing at the back of a closet in your archives—or even at home?? This session will provide an introduction to basic identification of the various film, video and sound recording formats you may expect to find in your archives, as well as appropriate care and handling, storage techniques, environmental controls and planning for copying and reformatting. After this session you will be better to care for your audio visual materials, no matter where you find them.

10:30 - 12:00
A/V Preservation Session continues.

2:00 - 4:00
Tours of NS Cold Vault for Storage of AV Materials

Be one of the first to see inside the new cold vault which provides cadillac storage for certain kinds of colour motion picture and still film. The space is available to CNSA members for free (following established procedures of course!) and marks a leap forward in A/V preservation in our region. Tours will begin at 2 and continue through the afternoon until 4:00 (map with vault location available in conference registration package).

7:00
Banquet and Award Presentations
Dalhousie Faculty Club
A delicious chicken or haddock dinner followed by the presentation of the Carman V.Carroll Award for Excellence in Archival Preservation, the Phyllis Blakeley Award for Archival Excellence, and the first ever presentation of the Anna Hamilton Award for Outstanding Voluntary Service to the Nova Scotia Archival Community.

DAY THREE - Genealogy and Archives
Saturday, April 24

9:00-10:30
Tourism, Genealogy and Archives
Presenter: Pam Wamback, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage

Pam Wamback will present an explanation of the results of the Department’s 2000 Visitor Exit Survey. That year for the first time the survey targeted genealogists as a visitor group and asked about their experiences in the province – where they went, what else they did while visiting, whether they were satisfied with the service they received, what was missing from their experience, etc. etc. Pam will interpret the results for us, so we will have a better idea of who our family history researchers are and what they expect. Pam will also suggest partnering initiatives that the archives sector could explore with other sectors to capitalize on our family history researcher’s visits for the benefit of all. This session is sure to be informative and give you lots of ideas to take back to your archives and your community.

11:00 - 12:00
Genealogy Services and Fees in Nova Scotia: Survey Results [PDF]
Presenter: Kim Avery, Guysborough Historical Society

Kim Avery will present the results of the recent Genealogical Services survey which asked Nova Scotia archives and museums to report on various kinds of fees and services they offer. A comparison of the results will lead to a discussion of standardized practices in this area as well as an exchange of ideas and a view of what is happening around the province.

1:30-2:30
National Genealogical Centre: An update

The Canadian Genealogy Centre, based at Library and Archives Canada and developed in cooperation with the Department of Canadian Heritage, is a new genealogy and family history website. The Centre is a single window that provides electronic access to genealogical resources in Canada. It offers genealogical content, services, advice, research tools and opportunities to work online on joint projects, all in both official languages. A staff member of the Centre will join us to present a session and answer questions about this new initiative.

3:00-4:30
Keeping Genealogical Information

After hearing what is being done at the national level to make genealogical resources more readily available through electronic access, the last session of the day will consist of a panel of representatives of Nova Scotia archives that have ‘gone electronic’. Our panelists will talk about the ways and means they’ve devised (whether via the Web, CD’s or in-house databases) to make the lives of genealogists and other researchers easier.