When: Every Tuesday & Thursday evening between October 13 and 29, from 6:00–8:00 pm (Atlantic)

Where: Online via Zoom & Google Classroom

Instructors: Kim Maguire, a trained conservator and the former Archives Advisor for the Council of Archives New Brunswick, and Sharon Murray, the CNSA’s Archives Advisor

Course Description

The principles of preservation management dictate that an archivist must first assess, then plan, and only then act. This course will instruct participants in the basics of archival preservation including appropriate care and handling of archival material, agents of deterioration, appropriate storage environments and enclosures, and preservation of digital records (new!).

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

Learning Method

This course is taught synchronously online across six 2-hour evening sessions. Learning is done through a combination of in-class lectures, personal reading, and exercises both in-class and as homework.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Archives or experience working in an archive.

Instructors

Kim Maguire (she/her) has been working in the GLAM sector since 2013 with most of that time at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick and the Council of Archives New Brunswick. Her focus has been on archival preservation and conservation including educating small archives and museums on what they can do to protect their collections. Kim lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and is an avid reading and cat lover.

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

Registration is now closed.

The post Introduction to Preservation for Archives, Oct. 2026, EVENINGS appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Dates: Every Monday afternoon from October 19 to November 23, 1:00–3:00 pm (Atlantic)

Where: Online via Zoom & Google Classroom

Instructor: Sharon Murray, CNSA’s Archives Advisor

Course Description

Providing effective access and reference services are essential to any archives. This course offers practical knowledge and examples of providing access in archives, covering topics such as access policies, reference interviews, digitization best practices, copyright and other reproduction restrictions, social media, professional ethics, dealing with sensitive material in your holdings, security concerns, and collecting statistics on use. Considering outreach as an extension of access, this course also offers strategies for building public awareness of your archives and how best to serve your community.

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

Prerequisites

Introduction to Archives or experience working in an archive.

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here to get the member rates!)

Registration

Sorry. This form is no longer available.

The post Access, Reference, and Outreach, Oct–Nov 2026 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Dates: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon from June 15 to June 26, from 1:00–3:00 PM (Atlantic)

Where: Online via Zoom & Google Classroom

Instructor: Sharon Murray, CNSA’s Archives Advisor

Course Description

Introduction to Archives 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 common 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. Anyone wishing to enrol in the program will need to complete an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.

Learning Method

This course is taught online across four half-day sessions. Learning is done through a combination of lectures, personal reading, and practical exercises.

Prerequisites

An interest in archives!

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here to get the member rate!)

Registration

The post Introduction to Archives, June 2026 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Description

Introduction to Archives 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 common 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. Anyone wishing to enrol in the program will need to complete an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.

Learning Method

This course is taught online across four half-day sessions. Learning is done through a combination of lectures, personal reading, and practical exercises.

Prerequisites

An interest archives!

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration has Closed

The post Introduction to Archives, January 2026 – evening course appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Description

Arrangement and description of archival material is the nuts and bolts of archival work. The first half of this course focuses on the principles of arrangement and includes case studies, providing the participant with a “hands on” opportunity to arrange typical fonds. The second half addresses description, different types of finding aids, and the principles of description.

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

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

The post Arrangement & Description, Feb-Mar 2026 – evening course appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Description

Introduction to Archives 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 common 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. Anyone wishing to enrol in the program will need to complete an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.

Learning Method

This course is taught online across four half-day sessions. Learning is done through a combination of lectures, personal reading, and practical exercises.

Prerequisites

An interest archives!

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

This course has a maximum enrolment of 20.

The post Introduction to Archives, October 2025 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

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. Those wanting to complete the Certificate will need to submit an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.

Learning Method

This course is taught online across six two-hour sessions. Learning is done through a combination of lectures, personal reading, and practical exercises. If you have your own descriptions and/or finding aids, bring them to class to use as examples.

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

The post Learning RAD with MemoryNS, November 2025 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course 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 course 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 course is part of the CNSA Archival Certificate Program.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Archives or experience working in an archive.

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

The post Acquisition, Appraisal, & Accessioning, May 2025 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Dates: Every Wednesday evening in February (Feb. 5, 12, 19, and 26) from 5:30 to 8:30 PM (Atlantic)

Where: Online via Zoom & Google Classroom

Instructor: Sharon Murray, the CNSA’s Archives Advisor

Course Description

Introduction to Archives 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. Anyone wishing to enrol in the program will need to complete an assignment at the end of the course to demonstrate their comprehension of the course content.

Learning Method

This course is taught online across four half-day sessions. Learning is done through a combination of lectures, personal reading, and practical exercises.

Prerequisites

An interest archives!

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

The post Introduction to Archives, February 2025 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Course Dates: March 24-27, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Atlantic) each day

Where: Online via Zoom & Google Classroom

Instructor: Sharon Murray, the CNSA’s Archives Advisor

Course Description

Providing effective access and reference services are essential to any archives. This course offers practical knowledge and examples of providing access in archives, covering topics such as access policies, reference interviews, digitization best practices, copyright and other reproduction restrictions, social media, professional ethics, dealing with sensitive material in your holdings, security concerns, and collecting statistics on use. Considering outreach as an extension of access, this course also offers strategies for building public awareness of your archives and how best to serve your community.

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

Prerequisites

Introduction to Archives or experience working in an archive.

Cost

CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member rates:

• $120 for an employee/volunteer from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization, or an Individual or Student member
• $100 per person for 2-4 employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization
• $75 per person for 5+ employees/volunteers from a CNSA/CANB/ACPEI member-organization

Non-member rate: $170 per person (or join the CNSA here and unlock the member rates!)

Registration

The post Access, Reference, & Outreach, March 2025 appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.