2023 Spring Course Line-Up!

When: June 12 – 15, 2023, 1-4pm each day

Via: Zoom and Google Classroom

Cost: $120 CNSA Members (plus group-rates available)

Enrollment: 10 minimum, 20 maximum

This course provides an overview of archives and archival practice. By the end of the course, participants should be able to distinguish archival records from other types of records, recognize risks to preserving archival materials, know what a fonds is an how it’s organized, plus have a basic understanding of the seven core archival functions: acquisition, accessioning, appraisal, arrangement, description, and access & reference.

This course is part of the CNSA Archival Certificate Program. Those wanting to enroll in the Program will need to complete an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.


When: June 19-22, 2023, 1-4pm each day

Via: Zoom and Google Classrooms

Cost: $120 CNSA Members (group-rates available)

Enrollment: 10 minimum, 18 maximum

Prerequisite: Arrangement and Description OR or working knowledge of archival fonds arrangement.

We describe our archival records and create finding aids so that researchers can more easily access our archival holdings. Many Canadian archivists use the Canadian standard, Rules for Archival Description – known as RAD – for creating descriptions. This course introduces and explains the rules of RAD. It also explains how the internet and online portals like MemoryNS and AtoM (which is the basis of MemoryNS) changed how we use RAD today: it has become what some call ‘RAD-ish’. Through lectures, in-class activities including adding content to MemoryNS, students will learn the practical uses of RAD in descriptions and finding aids.

RAD (2008 version) is available online as a PDF. It can be downloaded for free from the Canadian Council of Archives website.

This course is part of the CNSA Archival Certificate Program.