"Access and Accessibility" BC Archives Awareness Week: November 15 - 21, 2026

Just like every archival collection and organization is unique, our theme of access and accessibility can be defined by a broad scope of perspectives, needs, opportunities, and challenges. We invite you to join us for 2026 Archives Awareness Week presentations and learn more about the strategies and approaches that your colleagues are undertaking in this space!

All events during Archives Awareness Week are free and presentations will take place online via Zoom. Please register (RSVP) in advance to receive the Zoom link for each session.

Monday, November 16, 2026 

Roundtea: "Enhancing Accessibility: AI and Describing Archival Materials"

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm PST

RSVP Here

Join us for this presentation where we will explore some tips on how to use artificial intelligence (AI) when describing your archival material and how it can be a powerful tool for your archives. While AI can be problematic, we can use it to be more efficient in our work and aid in making our materials more accessible for people with disabilities.

Speaker: Lisa Snider

Lisa Snider has worked with the AABC since 2016 as the MemoryBC Coordinator. She also has worked with the Archives Association of Ontario as Archeion Coordinator (2016-2021), and worked with the Council of Nova Scotia Archives as Interim Archives Advisor, MemoryNS Coordinator and is now the MemoryNS Support Specialist from 2018 to 2026. Lisa became a digital archivist in 2010, and has worked with analog, digital and hybrid collections all over North America, including at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas at Austin. Lisa’s passion in life is working with website, document, audio, video, social media, email, e-book, and app accessibility. She shares her knowledge to help others lower barriers in these digital materials, making them more accessible for people with different disabilities. She has worked on accessibility legislation in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and in the Federal realm. Lisa is a well-known advocate for archival accessibility, and specializes in born-digital access and preservation accessibility.

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

Roundtea: "Demystifying Copyright...Just a Little Bit"

Time: 10:00 - 11:30am PST

RSVP Here

Join us for this discussion on how copyright and fair dealing work, including what the Copyright Act says about museums and archives. Topics will include: the definition of public domain (i.e. the difference between what is available publicly vs. “public domain” as a legal concept); litigation risks in the absence of donor paperwork; the use of materials found online; the scope of materials that can be shared from the archives; the intersection of privacy and copyright; Crown copyright; digitizing materials that are out of operation in print; the treatment of AI in copyright law; enforcement of copyright law; sources to consult regarding specific copyright questions; and the interaction of Anglo-American IP laws with Indigenous Ownership.

Speaker: David Spratley, DLA Piper (Canada) LLP

David Spratley advises clients on a wide range of intellectual property (IP), information technology (IT), privacy, e-commerce issues and related issues. David helps with creating, protecting, enforcing and commercializing trademarks, domain names and copyright, drafting and negotiating IT outsourcing and services agreements and cloud computing agreements, implementing e-commerce solutions, drafting web site terms of use, developing, distributing, licensing and supporting software, video games and other technology, and establishing and protecting franchise systems and other distribution systems. As well, he assists clients in complying with federal and provincial privacy legislation (including through privacy audits and drafting privacy consents and policies), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), promotional contest laws and gift card laws. He also advises on IP, IT, privacy and related aspects of commercial transactions.

Roundtea: "Accessibility and The ArQuives"

Time: 1:00 - 2:00pm PST

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Making archives accessible is more than just databases and metadata - it's also about inviting people into our space and making information about physical access easier to find. This presentation focuses on The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' work to make accessibility information transparent and our current work in creating an Accessibility Policy.

Speaker: Raegan Swanson

Raegan Swanson has been the Executive Director at The ArQuives since 2016. She holds a PhD in Archives and Records Management from the University of Dundee. She has worked as an archivist at Library and Archives Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute and as the Archival Advisor for the Council of Archives New Brunswick. Her research focuses on the community's role in archival practice.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 

Roundtea: "Empathic Archiving: Bringing Archives to Life Through Stories"

Time: 9:30 - 10:30am PST

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Archives are often perceived as static repositories of the past: collections of documents, images and records preserved for future reference. Yet archives are also spaces of human experience, carrying traces of lives, emotions, relationships and memories. Through an empathical approach to archiving, archival materials can be reanimated as sources of connection, understanding and storytelling. By viewing archives not as fixed containers of truth but as living resources for narrative-making, attendees will discover ways to bring historical materials into dialogue with contemporary audiences. This general presentation introduces the concept of storytelling as an archival practice.

Speakers: Sonia Nicholson and Patrick Van Den Nieuwenhof

Sonia Nicholson is an archives professional of over 17 years, focusing on public outreach. As a published author, she thrives at the intersection of GLAM and storytelling. She is currently the archivist for the Log Cabin Museum and Archives in Saanichton, as well as a private archivist for individual clients; and previously spent nearly 12 years at Saanich Archives. She has served on the Saanich Heritage Foundation (Vice-President); District of Saanich Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee; Special Interest Section for Archives of Religious Organizations of the Association of Canadian Archivists (Chair); and the Canadian Public Relations Society, Vancouver Island (Director/Archivist). 

Patrick Van Den Nieuwenhof serves as the archivist of the city of Zaventem (Belgium), bringing more than 25 years of expertise in archives and cultural heritage. His professional passion lies in community archives and the active engagement of citizens in preserving collective memory through for example storytelling. A strong advocate for participatory archival practices, he works to ensure that local voices play a central role in documenting societal evolution. Guided by the principle “think global, act local,” he views local archives as powerful instruments for fostering mutual understanding and resilience in an increasingly uncertain world. Patrick’s work is further enriched by his experience in city twinning, where he promotes intercultural dialogue and shared heritage across borders. He also contributes to the international archival profession through his participation in the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights and his role as a mentor in the ICA New Professionals Programme.

Thursday, November 19, 2026 

Roundtea: "Testing AI in the Transcription Process"

Time: 9:30 - 10:30am PST

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This presentation discusses an experiment carried out by the Mission Community Archives comparing a hybrid AI-human transcription process to human-only transcription. Learn about how they weighed the pros and cons of including AI in the transcription workflow while taking into consideration concerns surrounding privacy, budget, and tech limitations.

Speaker: Kieran Poirier

Kieran Poirier is a recent graduate of the MAS program at UBC and the soon to be archivist at the Mission Community Archives after completing a summer internship as an assistant at the same archives.

Friday, November 20, 2026 

Roundtea: "Access to Archives: The Friends of British Columbia's Archives' New Role"

Time: 9:30 - 10:30am PST

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The FBCA is taking a fresh approach to advocacy towards the use and protection of archives in the province. Presenter Trevor Marc Hughes is a new member of the FBCA’s board, and as a researcher/writer who joined when FBCA’s mandate was changing, he is looking forward to pointing out the diversity and value of the many archival resources and locations across the province. But the question is: in these early days how does the FBCA go about making connections between researchers and archivists in the vast number of archival institutions of many descriptions that there are in BC?

Speaker: Trevor Marc Hughes

Trevor Marc Hughes is a FBCA Member-at-Large and participates on the Communications and the Speakers and Events committees. His latest book is The Final Spire: ‘Mystery Mountain’ Mania in the 1930s. He wrote about the first ascent of Canada’s tallest peak in Capturing the Summit: Hamilton Mack Laing and the Mount Logan Expedition of 1925. Both books were researched at BC Archives and MONOVA Archives. He is currently also the nonfiction editor and video segment producer for The British Columbia Review (thebcreview.ca).