Core Curriculum Workshop

Acquisition, Appraisal and Accessioning

Date: October 17 & 18, 2011
Location: Kings County Museum , Kentville, NS
Cost: $125 for CNSA members
Registration: Limited to 20 participants.
Instructor: Patti Bannister, Congregational Archivist, Sisters of Charity Halifax
Registration deadline: October 7, 2011

General description:

Participants will be guided through the three archival functions of acquisition, appraisal and accessioning. The acquisition process involves choosing appropriate materials to be housed at the archives and accepting them into custody. Accessioning is the official legal acceptance of those records. Once they have been accepted, they can be processed in the institution and only the most valuable records need to be kept-- this is appraisal. This workshop will teach participants how to evaluate material for inclusion in archival collections and the practical steps required for acceptance of material. Topics covered will include requirements of policy and practice as well as options for a variety of archival scenarios.

This workshop is part of the CNSA Archival Certificate Program.

Speaker's Bio:

Patti Bannister is a native Newfoundlander who spent the first decade of her archival career working with the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador. During that time Patti held a number of different positions, including Manuscript Archivist, Education and Outreach Archivist, and Archives Manager. Patti was also the Chair of the Provincial Archives Acquisition and Appraisal Committee, and she wrote the institution’s first policies and procedures manual for acquisition and appraisal of non-Government records. In 2003 Patti and her family moved to Halifax, where she took up the duties of her current position as Congregational Archivist for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax. Over the past fifteen years, Patti has maintained close connections to the professional archival associations in both Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, serving as President of the Association of Newfoundland & Labrador Archives, and member of the Council of Nova Scotia Archives NADP Funding Adjudication Committee and Member Needs Assessment Steering Committee.

Learning Method:

Learning is done through a combination of lecture, personal reading, small group discussion, and practical exercises over a 2-day period in an informal, friendly atmosphere.

Prior knowledge required:

Introduction to Archives workshop or experience working with archival records is recommended. Please contact the Archives Advisor for more information.

Registration:

Registration is open to CNSA members in good standing. To register for this workshop, fill out a Registration Form [MS Word] or [PDF] and send it complete with your payment to the CNSA Office.

Pre-workshop Reading: (provided to registered participants)

• Small Archives Committee, Archives Association of British Columbia. “Chapter 3: Bringing Material Into Your Archives”, A Manual for Small Archives Vancouver, BC: the Association, 1988, rev. 1994.

Travel subsidy is available to CNSA members.