May 21-23, 2026
Coast Canmore Hotel, Canmore, Alberta
June Chow
Archivist, Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Archives Special Collections, University of Toronto Libraries
As archival users sift through records held at our worksites, they may discover that the information they need is missing. In these situations of providing reference, we may feel like we have failed our users. We try to refer the users to other archives hoping another archival institution may have the information. These moments may make us remember the appraisal theories of Helen Samuels or Hans Booms and question whether or not the holdings at our institutions appropriately represent the society our archives are mandated to serve. Then, we may feel overwhelmed by not having the time to address the fact that information which should be in the holdings is not there.
For our 2026 conference, we will address the topic of missing information in the archives. We wish to explore the reasons why records are missing – poor appraisal decisions, the demographics of our profession, lackluster budgets, colonial policies, and genocide impact the records we hold, or do not hold. We will also share how we tackle these obstacles to better serve and represent our archival stakeholders.
ASA acknowledges that our office is located in Treaty 6 territory, the traditional land of the Dene, Métis, Salteaux, Nakoda Sioux, Cree and Blackfoot peoples. As we are a provincial organization, our work is spread throughout all of Alberta, and as such, we recognize Treaty 7 & 8 and all Indigenous, Métis and Inuit people and their lands that our work touches.