Workshop: Toward Community-Centered Reference

Workshop: Toward Community-Centered Reference

Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Time: 9:30am – 12:00pm PST

Location: online via Zoom

Registration Deadline: January 27 @5:00pm

Cost: 

AABC members: $60.00 CAD

Non-members: $115.00 CAD

Workshop Description:

This workshop considers the challenges Black researchers face when consulting with reference services in archives. Participants will learn to think critically about their positionality and their current approaches to providing access. Practical suggestions will be offered to reference archivists to help them provide services that are community-centered.

This workshop includes a small group activity and discussion with time for reflection. In this workshop participants will:

• Learn how to unpack how white supremacy shows up in archives
• Learn how to identify and address oppressive practices in access and reference
• Learn how to minimize harm when providing reference services

The workshop is 2.5 hours (including a 10-minute break) and is limited to a maximum of 30 participants.

Workshop Instructor: Melissa J. Nelson

I am a Toronto-based archivist and educator working in the field of Black archival practice. In 2023, I was honoured with the New Professional Award and Ancestry Award from the Association of Canadian Archivists. My work and research interests are grounded in an ethics of care for the preservation of Black cultural heritage and anti-Black archival materials. My work centers Black being and belonging in the archives to support collective healing and liberation movements. 

I am the author of “Archiving Hate: Racist Materials in Archives.” This post has been referenced by collecting institutions in their commitment to equity practices, including the University of Waterloo Special Collections & Archives in “Language in Archival Descriptions Changes,” The United Church of Canada Archives in “United Church of Canada Archives Equity Statement,” and Baker Library of Harvard Business School in “Guiding Principles for Conscious and Inclusive Description.”

I am currently an Archivist at the Archives of Ontario, leading outreach activities with Black communities in the province. In my practice, I reimagine the archives as sites of Black joy, rather than Black pain. I am the Founder and Creative Director of the Black Memory Collective. I also produce and host the podcast, Archives & Things. I hold a Master of Information Studies from McGill University. I received a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History, with a minor in Sociology, from Carleton University.