The Vice President and Secretary are important leadership roles within the CNSA Executive Committee, and we encourage expressions of interest from members who want to help support the archival community in Nova Scotia, especially in this challenging time.

The CNSA Executive Committee consists of seven officers: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Members-at-Large. Together, the Executive provides leadership to the organization, supports staff, and oversees CNSA activities, including advocacy, education, preservation services, member engagement, and collaboration across the archival sector.

About the Vice-President role

The Vice-President serves a two-year term and then succeeds to the role of President. This position is well suited to someone interested in helping guide the organization’s strategic direction and preparing for a future leadership role.

Key responsibilities include:

• attending all Executive Committee meetings and the AGM, and acting in place of the President when required;
• participating in major decisions about CNSA activities, programs, policies, procedures, and funding;
• assisting the President with advocacy priorities, sector positioning, and official communications as needed;
• leading Executive recruitment, onboarding, and succession planning in 2027 and 2028;
• preparing the slate of candidates and chairing the election of Executive Committee members at the 2027 and 2028 AGMs; and
• assisting with oversight of permanent staff as a secondary supervisor.

About the Secretary role

The Secretary serves a two-year term, renewable for one additional two-year term. This role is ideal for someone who is organized, attentive to detail, and interested in governance, documentation, and records management.

Key responsibilities include:

• attending all Executive Committee meetings and the AGM;
• assisting with meeting agendas and circulating meeting notices and materials;
• recording and circulating minutes for Executive meetings and the AGM;
• supporting transparency and accountability through accurate governance documentation;
• overseeing governance documents such as bylaws, policies, and the governance manual, including coordinating periodic review; and
• overseeing records management practices, deposits at the Nova Scotia Archives, and approval of records for destruction.

About serving on the Executive Committee

The Executive Committee meets monthly on Zoom, typically on the third Friday morning of the month. The team breaks for the summer in July and August.

All Executive Committee members contribute to the governance and strategic leadership of the CNSA. This includes participating in planning, supporting accountability to members, contributing to recruitment and succession planning, and helping advance the organization’s mandate to promote archives and archival work across Nova Scotia.

Serving on the Executive is an opportunity to:

• contribute to the strength and sustainability of the archival sector in Nova Scotia;
• support professional development, preservation, and access initiatives;
• help shape advocacy and collaboration across the province; and
• work closely with a committed group of colleagues supporting the CNSA’s mission.

Want to learning more or put your name forward?

If you are interested in either the Vice-President or Secretary position, please contact Sharon or Hansel Cook by or before May 8.

We also welcome informal conversations with members who would like to learn more about the roles before putting their names forward. Please don’t hesitate to reach!

The post Call for Nominations: Vice-President and Secretary appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

The NEW Award

We are excited to introduce an award that recognizes archival projects that have creatively worked with community members and/or community organizations. This may include initiatives that have ventured off-site, actively bringing the archives alive in the community. 

Now more than ever, it is important to recognize the positive impact that archives have on the well-being of the people who visit and support you. We can’t wait to hear about your projects that have connected and educated your local communities, while preserving archival holdings and making them accessible!

Help us name the Outreach Award!

We would love your suggestions for a name for the Outreach Award! Is there a person your archive would like to honour for their community service? Someone who has dedicated years to developing archival outreach initiatives in your community? Please, let us know!

Nominations for all four Awards

Please find the links below for all four Award nomination forms, which can be filled and submitted online. The nomination deadline is Monday, May 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

The Awards Ceremony will be held virtually following our 2026 AGM on Tuesday morning, May 26, 2026 – details and registration HERE. We are very much looking forward to celebrating your resourcefulness, volunteers, and creative, community-centred projects!

Information about all the CNSA Awards can be found here, but in brief, the four CNSA Member Awards are:

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What’s Next?

A hands-on, introductory workshop on disaster recovery for archival materials

Part of the 2024 CNSA Conference

Registration for the workshop is now closed

The post 2024 Conference Workshop appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

Advisory Board of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia

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Job Posting: CNSA Member Services Assistant

Download this job posting (PDF)

LOCATION: 6016 University Avenue, 5th floor, Halifax, Nova Scotia (a fully accessible building) plus the possibility of some remote work

COMPENSATION: $26.50/hr plus possible benefits package

HOURS: approximately 21 hours per week (3 days) from January 2 to March 31, 2024, with the possibility of renewal

The Council of Nova Scotia Archives (CNSA) is a membership-based, non-profit organization that serves and supports archives and archivists in the province of Nova Scotia. The CNSA provides educational and advisory services and encourages its members to strive for archival excellence in the care and use of documentary heritage.

The CNSA is seeking a Members Services Assistant to join our small (but mighty!) team of staff and dedicated volunteers. Under supervision of the Archives Advisor, the Member Services Assistant will assist the Archives Advisor in the delivery of the CNSA’s member services. The Member Services Assistant will also perform general administrative and communications tasks for the Council. The ideal candidate will be reliable, efficient, well-organized, and tech-savvy, and have experience working in archives.

JOB DUTIES:

• Support the Archives Advisor in administering the CNSA’s courses, workshops, annual conference, and Committee meetings; 
• Oversee membership renewals and maintain/update the CNSA membership list and listserv;
• Oversee the CNSA lending library and preservation-equipment loans program for members;
• Maintain the CNSA website, adding news, announcements, and registration/event pages for upcoming CNSA courses, workshops, and events;
• In collaboration with the CNSA Member-at-large for Communications and Awards, create and circulate CNSA e-newsletters and publish member profiles on the CNSA website;
• Maintain the CNSA’s social media channels, actively promoting upcoming courses, workshops, events, member news, members services, and MemoryNS, as well as sharing members’ posts;
• Assist with managing active and semi-active Council records; 
• Assist with special projects as determined by the Archives Advisor and/or CNSA Executive. 

QUALIFICATIONS – Required:

• Completed or enrolled in a post-secondary program, preferably Archival Studies/Records Management, Administration, or Communications, or a combination of comparable skills and experience; 
• Experience working in an archive and/or education/training in archival best practices;
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and apps (Drive, Sheets, Docs, Gmail, Groups, etc.);
• Proficiency with WordPress websites;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, principally Excel and Word;
• Experience managing social media and communications platforms for a business or organization;
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal;
• Efficient, reliable, and comfortable with multi-tasking;
• Able to take direction, work independently, and see projects through to completion in a timely fashion.

QUALIFICATIONS – Ideal:

• Familiarity with the CNSA and/or the archival community in Nova Scotia
• Experience with records management for small organizations and/or non-profits
• Proficiency with MailChimp

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send a cover letter and resume to CNSA Archives Advisor, Sharon Murray (advisor[at]councilofnsarchives.ca), no later than midnight, December 8, 2023.

The CNSA is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage applications from Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, and racialized persons, plus persons with disabilities and/or who identify as LGBTQ2S+.

The post We’re hiring (again) – CNSA Member Services Assistant ! appeared first on Council of Nova Scotia Archives.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

(All times are approximate)

Event Sponsors

Advisory Board of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia

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The 2022 CNSA Conference, “Community-Driven Archives,” will explore archives, archival projects, and archival initiatives that respond to the needs of communities and help build community connections. The hybrid conference* will take place in-person and online from October 24-25, 2022. Registration is open to all!

Read Presenter Bios and Abstracts here

Advisory Board of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia

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