A Bulletin for the
Association of Newfoundland
& Labrador Archives
ANLA
FALL • 2006
Inside
Greg Walsh named
Provincial Archivist.
PAGE 4
A roundup of
workshops coming
up this fall
PAGE 11
Beverly Oda, Federal
Minister of Heritage
visits province.
PAGE 4
Local authors hit
the archives
PAGE 14
Plus: What’s new in print • Mary Ellen dancing with Andy Jones • Photos from ACA 2006•
A Tribute to Doris • Professional development news • Archive’s publications • And much more!
A tribute to Doris
Saunders of Them
Days Archives
PAGE 12
Historic sketches
from the archives
PAGE 15
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 1
Larry Dohey
Editor
Larry Dohey
President
Jessie Chisholm
Vice-President
Lucy Drown
Secretary
James Miller
Treasurer
Joan Mowbray
Director
Heather Wareham
Director
Stephanie Harlick
Director
Editor
Executive
Contact
ANLA Offi ce
Colonial Building
Military Road
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5C4
T: (709) 726 2867
F: (709) 729 7989
anla@nf.aibn.com
Design
Terry Sutton
ANLA
726-3660
saltcod@gmail.com
About
Th e Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
Archives (ANLA) is a provincial organization which
represents archives, archivists and individuals
committed to the preservation of archival records.
ANLA promotes professional standards in procedures
and practices through workshops, on-site advisory
services and the deveoplent of curriculum materials.
Th e ANLA Bulletin is the offi cial publication of ANLA. All submissions should be accompanied by the sender’s name, address, phone number and
e-mail address. Th e editor reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity or length. Please send articles, notices and other submissions to:
Larry Dohey, Editor(709) - 726-3660 - ldohey@nf.aibn.com
Inside
Message From The ANLA President ........................................................................... 3
New Provincial Archivist ................................................................................................... 4
Minister of Heritage Visits The Province .................................................................. 4
Historian Represents Province in Ottawa .............................................................. 5
Archivists Participate in Avalon Heritage Fair ....................................................... 5
Them Days Hold Fundraiser in St. John’s ................................................................ 5
Our Living Heritage: Beyond the 2006 Forum ..................................................... 6
Government Invests in Culture ..................................................................................... 7
Archivists Partner with Newfoundland Historical Society .......................... 9
The Story of the Mercy Congregation ...................................................................12
Notes From Your PDO .......................................................................................................13
Upcoming Workshops ....................................................................................................13
Policies and Procedures ...................................................................................................14
Intangible Evidence ............................................................................................................20
ANLA
Fall • 2006
A Bulletin for the
Association of Newfoundland
& Labrador Archives
2 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
On June 28 the Association of Newfoundland and Lab-rador
Archives (ANLA) welcomed 256 participants to
the Annual Conference of the Association of Canadian
Archivists (ACA). Th is was a huge undertaking for our
relatively small community of archivists to host but we
met the challenge and from all reports it was a very
successful conference.
Exit surveys indicate that the participants at the Con-ference,
archivists from 15 diff erent countries, enjoyed
the Conference Program described by participants as
“challenging and stimulating”. Participants also em-braced
the life and culture of St. John’s and this prov-ince
through a social and cultural program prepared
by the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC).
Th e fi nal numbers for the Conference were 256
participants including 227 delegates, 58 workshop &
9 institute participants, 13 exhibitors/representatives
and 12 sponsors.
Th ere are many that we must thank for the suc-cess
of this conference starting with each member of
ANLA who stepped forward in one of many volunteer
capacities that was available to them. Th e LAC have
many to thank - too many to thank here – but we hope
to make contact with all who partnered with us to say
thanks in some small way.
Th e ACA Conference preoccupied the attention of the ANLA Executive for much of the past year but
as you will fi nd in the pages of this Bulletin - it was not all about ACA. Individual archives and archivists during
the past year did some great work. I invite you to read all about what was happening.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the ANLA AGM on Friday, October 13, 2006. Please make every eff ort to
join us as we review the past year and begin to make plans for the future.
Larry Dohey
ANLA President
Bulletin Editor
ANLA
FALL • 2006
Bulletin for the Association of
Newfoundland & Labrador Archives
From the Editor
Message From Th e ANLA President
Larry Dohey
Editor
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 3
4 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
News
Newfoundland and Labrador Welcomes
New Provincial Archivist
(St. John’s) Mr. Greg Walsh has been appointed as the new
Director/Provincial Archivist with the Provincial Archives
(Rooms Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador), ef-fective
July 25th, 2006.
Mr. Walsh’s career has encompassed a wide range
of experience in provincial government, university and aca-demic
settings. Before serving for a year as Acting Director/
Provincial Ar-chivist,
his most
recent positions
included Archi-vist
(Manuscripts
and Cartograph-ic)
and Archives
Technician with
the Provincial Ar-chives.
Mr. Walsh
also worked in
various archives
at Memorial Uni-versity
of Newfoundland, including the Centre for Newfound-land
Studies Archives and the Faculty of Medicine Founders’
Archive, prior to joining the Department of Tourism, Culture
and Recreation (Rooms Corporation).
Mr. Walsh completed his undergraduate training in
History and Newfoundland Studies at Memorial University, as
well as graduate training in archival studies at the University
of Windsor and Wayne State University. He is a past President
of the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives
and is a current member of the Newfoundland Historical
Society, Association of Canadian Archivists and numerous
other professional organizations. As Provincial Archivist, Mr.
Walsh is a member of the Public Records Committee, has
responsibilities under the Rooms Act and the Management
of Information Act and is a senior spokesperson on archival
issues and archives within the province and on behalf of the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2005, the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland
and Labrador opened in a new facility (Th e Rooms) which
united the Province’s Art Gallery, Museum and Archives
under one roof. For more information visit www.therooms.
ca or telephone 709-757-8000.
Minister of Heritage Visits Th e Province
(St. John’s) Larry Dohey from the Archives of the R.C. Arch-diocese
of St. John’s welcomed Norm Doyle, Member of Par-liament
for St. John’s East and Bev Oda, Minister of Heritage
and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women to the
Archdiocesan Archives on July 18.
Minister Oda took time to visit the Basilica Cathe-dral
a National Historic Site and talk with the Basilica Parish
Restoration Committee about future projects.
While at the Basilica Museum Minister Oda took
time to look at fi rst editions of Don Quixote published in
1605 and Machiavelli, Th e Prince published in 1599 - books
held in the Archives of the Archdiocese.
Bev Oda was fi rst elected to Parliament in 2004 and
was re-elected in 2006. She has served as the Critic for Ca-nadian
Heritage and also been a member ofthe Standing
Committee on Canadian Heritage.Prior to her election, Ms.
Oda spent more than two decades in the fi elds of public
and private broadcasting. In 1999, Ms. Oda was appointed
senior
Vice-President, Industry Aff airs, at CTV. From 1987 to 1993
she served as a commissioner with the Canadian Radio-tele-vision
and Telecommunications Commission.
Ms. Oda
began her broad-casting
career at
TV Ontario in
1973. In 1976 she
moved to the fi eld
of commercial
broadcasting. She
has also worked as
a consultant in the
areas of multicul-turalism,
diversity
and broadcasting.
Ms. Oda was born in Th under Bay, Ontario, in 1944.
She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor
of Arts. She served as chair of the Lakeridge Health Hospital
Network and is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee
medal.
Greg Walsh at the 2006 ACA Conference.
Norm Doyle, Larry Dohey, and Bev Oda.
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 5
News
Historian Represents Province in Ottawa
(St. John’s) Historian John FitzGerald who has done exten-sive
research in archives in the province and in the Library
and Archives of Canada is now serving as the Newfoundland
and Labrador government’s representative in Ottawa.
Premier Danny Williams created the post in 2004 to rep-resent
the provincial
government’s interests in
the nation’s capital, and to
serve eff ectively as an un-offi
cial ambassador.
FitzGerald is best
known as a commentator
and writer on Newfound-land
and Labrador’s politi-cal
history, and has been
critical of how Confed-eration
with Canada was
negotiated in the 1940s.
He is also a scholar on
the history of the Ro-man
Catholic Church in
Newfoundland. He was
Chair of the Basilica Museum and Historical Committee
and supported the work of the archival community in the
province.
Mizzen Heritage Society
Th e grand Opening of the Mizzen Heritage Society took
place on the weekend of July 14 -16 for the season with a
fund raiser “Weekend Around the Bay.” Th e weekend in-cluded
an adult dance on Friday night , and the whole of
Saturday focused on games for children. Sunday featured
talent form the local area in a folk festival
Th e Society, located in Hearts Content, received
support and archival training from ANLA. Th ey have been
collecting archival material related to the history of their
community over the past twelve years and are now in a
position to have their uown Community Archives thanks
to ANLA and support from the Canadian Council of Ar-chives.
For more information contact: Mizzen Heritage Society,
General Delivery, Heart’s Content, N A0B 1Z0 582-2237,
596-8955(offi ce)
—Jim Rowe, Mizzen Heritage, Archivist
New Position at City of St. John’s
Jennifer Squires graduated from Memorial University of
Newfoundland in 2004. She holds a BA (with a double Ma-jor
in Folklore and Physical Anthropology), and a Diploma
in Heritage Resources. She is from the Goulds. Her offi cial
title is Records Management/Archives Clerk. She started
her new position on June 19, 2006.
Archivists Participate in Avalon Heritage Fair
Th e Avalon Heritage Fair held on Saturday, May 6th, 2006 at
St. Bonaventure’s School on Bonaventure Avenue, St. John’s
saw the participation
of archivists in the
province at a number
of diff erent levels.
Many of the students
who participated in
the fair did some ex-tensive
research in
archives . A number
of archivists served
a judges at the event.
Th is was the 10th an-nual
Heritage Fair.
Th em Days Hold Fundraiser in St. John’s
Th em Days Archives & Publications of Labrador hosted a
fundraiser evening on June 29 at the Inco Innovation Centre
Lecture Th eatre at MUN in St. John’s. Th e event was held
to raise awareness of Th em Days magazine as well as raise
funds for a much-needed archive room in which to store the
vast amount of rare and valuable photos, negatives, taped
interviews, books, offi cial records, genealogies and numer-ous
fi les of anything and everything to do with Labrador.
Th em Days Editor and Curator, Lorne Hollett, host-ed
this informative evening, which showcased early photos
of Northern Labrador.
“Th irty-one years ago, the late Doris Saunders was
hired to prepare a book of stories as told by the elders of
Labrador,” said Mr. Hollett “Doris saw the potential of some-thing
great and established an on-going quarterly publica-tion,
which we still have today.”
Th em Days Archives & Publications has been called,
“…the greatest source of Labrador archival material in the
world” and “the most signifi cant regional archive in the
province”.
For more information on Th em Days at (709) 896-8531 or email them.
days@nf.aibn.com.
Dr. John FitzGerald
Sister Marie Whittle and novice
at Avalon Heritage Fair 2006.
6 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
News
Our Living Heritage: Beyond the 2006 Forum
(St. John’s) Newfoundland and Labrador has been shaped
by its strong ties to both land and sea, and defi ned by its
distinctive beliefs, customs, languages, stories, music, cel-ebrations,
foods, knowledge and skills. When any aspect
of this thriving heritage is lost in any cultural community,
our distinctive identities are diminished — and impor-tant
social and economic resources are gone forever.
Living heritage is known, on the global scene, as “in-tangible
cultural heritage”. Th is term refers to all
knowledge, stories, customs and skills that are rel-evant
to a culture, and that must be passed from one
person — or from one generation — to another. Un-like
tangible things such as buildings, once any facet
of intangible cultural heritage is neglected and lost
(that is, not passed on) it cannot be restored.
In June, 2006,
a Living Heri-tage
Forum was
held to bring
together the
provincial heri-tage
community
with experts
from around
the globe.
Pre-sented
by the
Association of
Heritage In-dustries
and
held at Memo-rial
University and Th e Rooms, this ambitious forum
celebrated living heritage, and fostered discussion on
ways of safeguarding it. Over 135 participants had the
opportunity to hear speakers, to share their concerns
and ideas, and to enjoy an array of performances.
Catholic Women’s League Archives
(St. John’s ) Th e Catholic Women’s League, the largest
organization of Catholic women in the country have
approached ANLA to look at the possibility of establish-ing
an archives for the province to take responsibility
for archives of the provincial branch of the group in
the province. Peggy Roache, Provincial Past President
the Provincial CWL is heading the project on behalf of
the local group. “I would certainly like to see this proj-ect
undertaken with the support of ANLA” she said.
League members have begun the process of collecting
the institutional history of their organization, which will
be housed in the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese.
ANLA Welcomes New Staff
(St. John’s) Th e ANLA Executive welcomed two new
staff in September to work on two exciting projects.
Terry Sutton has been hired to work
on a major review process which is designed to
streamline the delivery of services both to ANLA
member institutions and to members of the gen-eral
public. Th is review process will involve:
the restructuring of our ANLA news-letter
and other outreach tools
the redesign of ANLA website
the development of more on-line resource material
So far ANLA has com-pleted
a review of our
IT capacity and re-quirements,
and in the
coming year our asso-ciation
plans to expand
on these initiatives to
more fully develop our
outreach resources.
Colleen Quigley is
excited about her re-newed
relationship with
ANLA as the Descrip-tive
Database Archi-val
Assistant. Colleen
graduated from York
University in 2003, earn-ing
a Bachelor of Fine
Arts Degree (Honours),
majoring in Dance. Her
previous employment in
heritage has included a
position at the Basilica
of St. John the Baptist
Museum as well as
several short-term place-ments
with ANLA as a participant of the Young Canada
Works program and Summer Career Placement. Col-leen
hopes to combine her interest in archives and
dance; she recently represented ANLA as the only
•
••
Mary Ellen Wright and Andy Jones
participate in the Kissing Dance
Colleen Quigley
and Terry Sutton
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 7
member from an archival association/institution at the
September 28-29 Grassroots Archiving Dance work-shop
in Toronto hosted by Dance Collection Danse.
Colleen will be involved in ANLA’s proj-ect
to revitalise the provincial archival descriptions
database, as well as the uploads of RAD-compli-ant
descriptions to Archives Canada. Her priority is
the visibility of an online template for the submis-sion
of descriptions by member institutions.
Archivists Partner with
Newfoundland Historical Society
(Trinity) Th e Newfoundland Historical Society held
their annual symposium in Trinity, June 2-3 at the Ris-ing
Tide Th eatre in Trinity, At Home and Abroad:
Newfoundland and World War I brought to light new
elements of social history pertaining to the Great
War. Some presentations included POW letters, cor-respondence
from medical personnel overseas, and
accounts from young soldiers longing to be home.
Jessie Chisholm (Th e Rooms, Provincial
Archives) and Claude Quigley presented Th e Narra-tives
of Newfoundland POWs, sharing accounts of the
men from Newfoundland who were captured and in-terred
in POW camps. Ms. Chisholm took the bulk
of her research and presentation content from fi les at
the provincial archives, and sewed together rich sto-ries
through the personal papers of young POWs.
Stephanie Harlick (Memorial University)
presented Dr. Cluny Macpherson (1879 - 1966): A
Newfoundland Doctor in World War One. Her pre-sentation
was largely based on the virtual exhibit, Dr.
Cluny Macpherson (1879-1966): Refl ections of a New-foundlander,
launched online 17 May 2005. Th e exhibit,
created by the Faculty of Medicine Founders’ Archive
(FMFA), contains the notebooks of Dr. Cluny Macpher-son,
who practiced medicine in Newfoundland begin-ning
in 1902 when he joined Dr. Wilfred Grenfell’s
Labrador Mission in Battle Harbour, Labrador.
Allan Byrne from the Archives of the R.C. Arch-diocese
also participated in the symposium. Allan has al-ways
been fascinated with the relationship between folks
and their folk music and shared some of his favorite tunes
with the symposium delegates at the closing banquet.
James Miller, the Treasurer of ANLA, was the
local host for the Symposium.
ANLA STAFF TO ALASKA
(St. John’s )Terry Sutton , ANLA’s newest staff
person will be attending the AMIA (Associa-tion
of Moving Image Archivists) Conference in
Anchorage, Alaska, October 10-14, 2006.
Th e Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)
is a non-profi t professional association established
to advance the fi eld of moving image archiving by
fostering cooperation among individuals and orga-nizations
concerned with the acquisition, preserva-tion,
exhibition and use of moving image materials.
AMIA’s members range from those who work
solely with moving images to organizations where mov-ing
images are only a small part of their collection to
individuals who want to protect their personal collection
- home movies or small gauge or video - to fi lm buff s
concerned with losing our visual heritage. Mr. Sutton’s
trip is being sponsored in part by the Audio Visual Trust.
Th e StonePics Database
Th e StonePics database is accessible at Th e Rooms Pro-vincial
Archives reference room on Level 3, Th e Rooms.
Th e database contains 221,000 records of names and dates
from the headstones and monuments of Newfoundland
and Labrador and was compiled from 2000-2004. Refer-ence
room staff will provide additional assistance with use
of the database.
For more information, please visit www.therooms.ca
or contact (709) 757-8000.
News
8 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
(St. John’s) Th e promotion and preservation of Newfoundland
and Labrador’s rich culture and heritage is an important part
of the future prosperity of the province. In order to strategi-cally
plan for the future of our cultural sector, Premier Danny
Williams announced on March 28th an investment of $17.6
million over the next three years to implement the province’s
fi rst cultural plan. Premier Williams was joined at the an-nouncement
at the LSPU Hall by Tom Hedderson, Minister
of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, and about 200 individuals
from the arts and heritage community. Larry Dohey, President
of the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives
represented the archival community. Mr. Dohey was part of
the process that saw the development of the cultural plan in
his capacity as Vice President of the Association of Heritage
Industries (AHI).
Th e Blueprint for Developing and Investing in Culture,
the plan outlines major policies and directions to preserve,
support and develop our culture and heritage.
Government will commit $760,000 this year to help
fund heritage organizations, community museums and ar-chives,
as well for research and development in the heritage
sector. Th is includes $300,000, doubling last year’s budget, in
core funding for heritage sites and community museums and
archives. It also includes the development of a heritage frame-work,
a cultural tourism strategy and expanded archaeology
programs.
Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: Th e Blueprint
for Developing and Investing in Culture, can be found at http://
www.gov.nl.ca/tcr. Th oughts, feedback and suggestions on the
plan can be sent to creativenl@gov.nl.ca or call toll free 1-888-
520-2244.
Government Invests in Promotion and
Preservation of Privince’s Culture
News
The Blueprint for Development
and Investment in Culture
The Hon. Tom Hedderson, Minister of
Tourism, Culture and Recreation
Deep within each of us is the pride that unites us and today we have
a newsense of pride. There is something precious about New-foundland
and Labrador that you cannot fully appreciate
until you have lived here; until you come to care for this place
so deeply that the thought of losing it is more than you can bear.
—Premier Danny Williams, Q.C.
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 9
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives (ANLA)
P.O. Box 23155, RPO Churchill Sq.,
St. John’s NL, A1B 4J9
Telephone/Fax: 709-726-2867
anla@nf.sympatico.ca
August 29, 2006
Dear Mr. Walsh:
On behalf of the executive of the Association of Newfoundland
and Labrador Archives I off er my congratulations on your ap-pointment
as the Provincial Archivist for Th e Rooms Provin-cial
Archives Division of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We look forward to working with you and are happy that you bring
your experience as a former President of ANLA to your new po-sition.
We see the Provincial Archives Division of Th e Rooms as
both partner and leader in this province’s archival community
and know that you will continue to hold to this philosophy.
We look forward to acknowledging and strengthening our relation-ship
with Th e Rooms facilitating outreach eff orts and increasing the
profi le of the Archives Division – and that of Th e Rooms as a whole
– in both the archival and general communities province-wide.
Best wishes in your new position. We all look forward to work-ing
with you building the archival community in this province.
Yours sincerely,
Larry Dohey
ANLA President
The ANLA Executive. L-R: Stephanie Harlick, Heather Wareham, James Miller,
Jessie Chisholm, Lucy Drown, Larry Dohey, Joan Mowbray.
Letters
A Revolution at The Rooms
Minister Hedderson congratulates
the new Provincial Archivist at the
ACA Opening Gala at The Rooms.
10 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
PDO Notes
It’s been a while since I last
spoke to you through the
pages of the Bulletin, and
as usual the offi ce has been
busy. Some of the activi-ties
I’ve been involved with lately:
• Association of Heritage Industries’ work-shop
for heritage training providers: Th is involved
learning and reviewing presentation techniques,
evaluation skills and other train-the -trainers in-formation.
It was very refreshing to be on the “in-structee”
side of the desk, and I’ve approached my
own presentation notes with a new perspective.
• Canadian Conservation Institute information ses-sion
(Newman Wine Vaults, April 26): A senior
staff person explained CCI’s new service philoso-phy
(which, of course, involves cost-return and self-help...).
Miki and I contributed to a discussion of what
services archival institutions can get from CCI.
• Archives advisors meeting during ACA: It’s al-ways
good to have the chance to exchange infor-mation
with colleagues. We have many issues in
common with our sister provincial and territorial
associations – and a variety of solutions to our com-mon
problems of distance and lack of money!
• ACA – What can I say? It was a roaring success.
Th anks to the many volunteers who off ered their
time and expertise. Th anks to the cooperation of the
ACA offi ce, ANLA was able to subsidize registra-tion
costs for four participants from small archives.
• Rooms consultation: We were invited to participate in
the consultation for the development of a strategic plan
for Th e Rooms. Th is gave us the opportunity to highlight
the partnerships that have existed between ANLA and
the Provincial Archives and to explore new ideas for
cooperation. We’ll keep you posted on what develops.
Some on-going projects:
• Workshop development proceeds apace – watch
your mailbox (virtual or actual) for details.
• You will be hearing from me about a sur-vey
of training needs in the near future.
• I have been asked to participate in the Labrador Cre-ative
Arts Festival in mid-November. One of the things
I’d like to highlight is the connection between families
and communities on the island and those in Labrador.
As part of the preparation for my presentation, I’d love
to hear from member institutions who have Labrador
material amongst their holdings. Drop me a line or
send me an e-mail – I’d love to know what you have.
I’ve visited quite a few member institutions since my
last report, and have kept a lookout for information on
our provincial archival community as it turns up on
television, radio and on the Web. A few months ago I
had the pleasure of seeing one of our ANLA member
institutions featured on CBC television’s “Here and
Now”. I was delighted to watch Graham Horwood as
he talked about what was involved in preserving the
records of Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John’s. He
sounded so professional – he hit all the right buttons
when it came to preserving and organizing archival
holdings. When I teach my session at ANLA’s Basic
Archives course I always tell the students that volun-teers
can aspire to professional standards with just as
much success as their peers who draw a salary. Bravo
to Graham, and keep up the good work, all of you.
—Mary Ellen
Upcoming workshops in 2006-2007 will include:
• Basic Archival Studies September 18-23, 2006
• Creating a Policies and Procedures Manual correspondence, Fall 2006
• Introduction to Cartographic Records, February 2007
• Exhibiting Paper-Based Archival Materials, October 12-13, 2006
• Freedom of Information Legislation information session, winter 2007
Notes From Your PDO
Mary Ellen Wright
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 11
Professional Development
Policies and Procedures
Fall 2006
Workshops
Can’t fi nd any donor agreements? Reference requests
getting unmanageable? Can’t keep the mice out? Don’t
know who’s in charge of what? If you answered “yes” to
any of these questions, then ANLA has a course for you.
Under the guidance of ANLA staff members you will
work through six sessions that allow you to write your
own policies and procedures manual.
Many small institutions get into trouble because
decisions about donations, loans, hiring and so on are
made on an ad hoc basis. Well-established policies and
procedures allow your institution to survive staff changes,
funding cuts, board disagreements, disasters and even
legal challenges.
Th is course is designed to help you evaluate your
institution’s policies and procedures, if you have them,
and to create policies and procedures for your institution
if you don’t have them. Th e target participants for this
course include small archives and other institutions with
archival holdings, as well as groups who are considering
the establishment of an archives
Th e initial round of sessions will be off ered via
e-mail or postal mail over the course of a three-month
period beginning this fall. Participants will submit their
exercises to ANLA staff , who will return them with com-ments.
At the end of the process, participants should
have a workable policy document suitable for submission
to a board for approval.
Development of the preservation component of
this course was funded through the Preservation Infor-mation
and Train-ing
program of the
Canadian Council
of Archives. Other
components were
developed via
the Professional
Development and
Outreach Of-fi
cer project, also
funded by CCA.
Cost of
registration for
this course is
$125 for ANLA
members and $150 for non-members. For further
information or to register, please contact the ANLA
offi ce.
Lesson titles include:
• Introduction to Policies and Procedures
• Opening the Door: Policies about Acquisition, Appraisal and Accessioning
• Finding Out What’s Inside: Policies about Arrangement, Description and Finding Aides
• Welcoming Visitors: Policies about Access, Reference and Services to the Public
• Good Housekeeping: Special Policies about Preservation Activities
• Job Descriptions and More: Policies about Staff , Volunteers and Board Members, Winter 2007
anla offi ce
Colonial Building
Military Road
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5C4
t: ()
f: ()
anla@nf.aibn.com
Contact us
early to reserve
your seat.
Correspondence Course on Policies and Pro-cedures
for Small Archives
12 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
When the Labrador Heritage Society hired Doris
Saunders to edit interviews for “one book” back in
1975, no one imagined that the project would grow
to more than thirty years of quarterly magazines
and the most signifi cant regional archives in the
province of Newfoundland and Labrador. With her
death the archival community of this province has
lost a pioneer in the collection, organization and
preservation of community records.
I am sure that, at the beginning, Doris knew
very little about archives. Her principal concern was
always the voices of the people - listening to them
and allowing them to speak in the pages of Th em
Days Magazine. She soon realized, however, that
the sounds of these voices, and the pictures that il-lustrated
their stories, demanded a more thorough
protection than the magazine’s pages aff orded. Th e
precious audiotapes and photographs would need
some expert care.
Knowing that she did not have the knowl-edge
that she needed to care for her growing collec-tion,
Doris sought the advice and assistance of the
provincial archival community. She was a founding
member of the Association of Newfoundland and
Labrador Archives in 1984 and was for many years
the only source of archival advice and information
in Labrador. She was generous with assistance, but
she never stepped beyond the boundaries of her
own archival abilities. She was always ready to ask
for help or to recommend another resource person
– a model of behaviour that many archivists could
emulate.
For most of her archival career Doris was
a one-person operation. Her principal focus was
the operation of Th em Days Magazine – she managed subscriptions, sold advertising, ran promotional activities,
fi lled out grant applications, took and developed most of the photographs, conducted and edited the interviews and
maintained the profi le of the magazine in the community. Th at she spared time to think of archival activities at all
is a wonder in itself: that she managed to devote any of the magazine’s limited resources to inventories and storage
containers is a testament to the compulsion she felt to preserve the voices of “them days” for coming generations.
Continued on next page
Tribute to Doris Saunders
Mary Ellen Wright
Doris Saunders
1941 - 2006
Tribute
Archivist, artist, magazine editor and
Labradorean, Doris Saunders served Th em Days
Archives in Goose Bay for over 25 years.
She died in St. John’s in May, 2006 after
suff ering from Alzheimer’s disease.
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 13
Doris’s experience was typical of that of many
community-based archivists. She fell into the job but,
seeing its value, she did her best to get what she needed
to be a careful steward of her holdings, whether that
meant learning new skills or arranging to have someone
else brought in or trained to do what needed to be done.
Most of this was done in isolation – there are few archival
collections in Labrador and transportation costs present a
barrier to acquiring supplies, on-site assistance or col-legial
support. As with many of her colleagues across the
country, she was forced – with some success – to make do.
Th em Days Magazine has for some time been
recognized as an important cultural resource: Th em Days
Archives is now starting to get some of the attention it
deserves. A campaign is under way to raise funds to build
a secure archival space for Doris’s treasures; a database is
being developed for the thousands of images she collected
or captured; preservation re-formatting plans are being
made for her interviews. Doris Saunders loved Labrador
– its land, its people and its stories. Th em Days Magazine
and its archives are fi ne legacies to leave to Labradoreans.
Th e Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
Archives would like to convey our sincere sympathy – and
our gratitude for Doris’s life and contribution to the archi-val
community – to her children Gillian, Vivian, and How-ard,
and her grandchildren Jilly Dee, Heather and Heidi.
Tribute
Saunders
loved
Labrador –
its land, its
people and
,
its stories
p p
Th is article was written by Mary Ellen Wright - Professional Development
Offi cer with ANLA. It originally appeared in Th e Telegram, June 2006.
Saunders in her offi ce at Them
Days Archives in Goose Bay.
She fell into the job but, seeing
its value, she did her best to get
what she needed to be a careful
steward of her holdings
14 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
Th e Story of the Mercy Congregation in Newfoundland and Labrador
(St. John��s) Weavers of the Tapestry by Sister Kathrine E. Bel-lamy,
RSM, was launched on Saturday, May 13th, at the Basilica
of St. John the Baptist Museum. Th is new 963 page history
of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of tells the story
of the circumstances of the founding; the character, example,
and teachings of the foundress; the suff erings, hardships, joys,
and triumphs of the members; the accounts of new missions
undertaken; and the tales of saintly and not-so-saintly indi-viduals
are all elements in a congregational history that has
been passed down through the years and is still unfolding.
Th e book is the result of years of extensive re-search
in the Archives of the Congregation of the Sis-ters
of Mercy and other archives in the province. It is an attempt to capture the spirit that called young
women to give up home, with all that this implies, in an attempt to bring a little more equality and justice
to the world. Th ey did this by educating the young, caring for the poor and the sick, and empowering peo-ple
to take control of their own lives and destinies so that all people might live in dignity and peace.
In Print
Weavers of the Tapestry
by Kathrine E. Bellamy, RSM
Flanker Press, $29.95
My hope is that it will present in
truth and simplicity the story of
a group of ordinary women who
did ordinary things but who did
them extraordinarily well.
(St. John’s) Having achieved considerable success with his fi rst novel, River Th ieves,
Michael Crummey has written a book that is equally stunning and compelling. Th e
Wreckage is a truly epic, yet twisted, romance that unfolds over decades and con-tinents.
It engages readers on the austere shores of Newfoundland’s fi shing villages
and drags them across to Japanese POW camps during some of the worst events of
the Second World War. Haunting, lyrical, and deeply intimate, Crummey’s language
fully exposes his characters’ vulnerabilities as they struggle to come to terms with
their guilt and regret over decisions made during their impulsive youths.
Th e Wreckage
by Michael Crummey
Doubleday, Canada $34.95
Local Authors in the Archives
“Extraordinary. . . . [Crummey] explores human nature, charting the
moral choices of his characters without passing judgment. . . . [His] gift
is to write with compassion, imbuing relationships with complexity and
depth. He doesn’t make anything simple – or simplistic. Th e Wreck-age
shows with profound insight that nothing’s fair in love and war.”
—National Post
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 15
Th e Rooms opened its fi rst cross-divisional, interdisciplin-ary
exhibit titled Intangible Evidence, opening on July 14.
Drawing on the unique talents of Michael Crummey, Sara
Graham, Andy Jones, Alison Norlen, and Graeme Patterson,
Intangible Evidence features fi ve unique installations that
incorporate various historical artifacts and records from the
collections of Th e Rooms Provincial Archives and Museum,
and imaginatively uses these artifacts to explore creative
forms of cultural research.
Developed through the artist residencies with Th e
Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, Intangible Evidence uses
varying media to explore the documentation of the meanings
and stories that lie beyond the historical objects and archival
documents. Th is exhibit crosses the genres of drawing,
animation, installation, audio, and text, highlighting the
blurred lines of history and memory, fact and fi ction, offi cial
and vernacular cultures. Refl ecting the diversity of creative
practice as well as artistic forms of cultural research, the
unique experiences of each artist inevitably infuse and have
shaped both their selection of artifacts, as well as the work
they have developed in response those artifacts.
—http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca
Exhibits
(St. John’s) Th e Basilica Museum durng the past summer
featured an exhibit of rare drawings, sketches and maps. Th e
exhibit titled “THIS IS MY HOME, MY NATIVE LAND”
featured illustrations that appeared in pre 1892 publications
in Canada, Europe and the United States.
In the late 1800’s most international publications
would send illustrators with their writers to help tell a par-ticular
story. Th ese illustrations from the Archives of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s are married with
maps, drawings, photographs and text panels created to
convey the story.
Catherine Rice the curator for the exhibit said that
this exhibit was a wonderful example of a museum working
with an archives – marrying the two forms to create a great
exhibit – that tells the story of the province in image and
text.
—Larry Dohey
Alison Norlen, 2006, from Mirage series.
Series of illlustrations from This is
My Home, My Native Land.
Intangible Evidence
Th e Rooms - Level 4
July 14 to October 8, 2006
Th is is My Home, My Native Land
Th e Basilica Museum
July - November, 2006
16 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
Publications
Th e ANLA Resource Binder For
Small Archives (1998)
A manual of archival practice for the
small archival institution. It is a useful
introduction to the world of archives
that is directed towards volunteer and
part-time archivists, students and oth-ers
who need to manage their organi-zation’s
records. Th e Binder includes se
ctions on appraisal, arrangement, de-scription,
basic preservation measures,
emergency and disaster preparedness
and other special topics of inter-est
to the small archival institution.
Price: $40.00 (tax included) plus $3.00
postage (ANLA OFFICE)
Th e Binder has been reviewed
in Archivaria (no.49, Winter 2000). Re-viewer
Michael Gourlie of the Archives
Society of Alberta says that the Binder
“...fi lls a critical gap in current archival
literature as one of the few up-to-date,
inexpensive sources that explains the
full range of archival functions”. Th e
Binder has received favourable reviews
from a number of provincial archival
organizations across the country. Th e
Archival Association of British Colum-bia
(AABC) has recommended it as a
replacement for its Manual for Small
Archives.
ANLA Preservation Policies And
Procedures Manual For Small
Archives (2000)
A handbook for the small archival
institution. Its aim is to provide guid-ance
for small archives as they de-velop
an administrative framework
for the preservation of their hold-ings.
Th e manual includes sections
on preventive conservation, envi-ronment
and storage, staff training,
user policies, copying and reformat-ting
and other preservation issues.
Price: $10.00 (tax included) plus $3.00
postage (ANLA OFFICE)
Directory of ANLA
Member Institutions
Th e directory includes alphabetical and
thematic listings of ANLA member in-stitutions.
Individual entries include
information on location, holdings, ac-cess,
services and other information
of use to researchers and the general
public. Th e Directory is accessible on
the ANLA website. (ANLA OFFICE)
Ships and Seafarers of
Atlantic Canada
Ships and Seafarers of Atlantic Canada
is a fully searchable CD containing data
on the vessels, captains and crews of
Great Britain and Atlantic Canada,
1787-1936.It contains information
on the shipping industry of Atlantic
Canada, derived from two British re-cord
series, structured as three inter-active
databases that allow the user to
search, sort and query the data. Price:
$49.95 (Can) plus shipping and han-dling,
$5.00. Canadian residents add
6% GST for a total of $58.25. (Maritime
History Archive)
Births, Deaths & Marriages in New-foundland
Newspapers, 1810 – 1890
Births, Deaths & Marriages in New-foundland
Newspapers, 1810 - 1890 is
a fully searchable CD containing more
than 40,000 entries for births, deaths
and marriages transcribed from 43
Newfoundland newspapers, 1810-
1890. Price: $49.95 (Can) plus ship-ping
and handling, $5.00 (Maritime
History Archive )
Year of Joy
Th e Archives of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of St. John’s in an attempt
to preserve old fi lm in its collection
has begun transferring fi lm from the
original 16 mm to the more manage-able
DVD format. Th e fi lm ‘Year of Joy’
which features in full color 68 minutes
of fi lm taken in St. John’s in 1955 was
the fi rst in the archival collection to
be transferred to the new format. Th e
fi lm highlights the events around the
Centenary Celebrations of the Basilica
Cathedral in 1955.
Th e fi lm will is now available to the
general public. A limited number of
copies are available in the DVD for
only $25.00 per copy. Order your copy
now by contacting the Archives of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St.
John’s.
ANLA off ers congratulations to Jerry Dick
and Eleanor Dawson on their new appoin-ments
as the Directors of Heritage and Cul-ture
for the province. Jerry brings a wealth
of knowledge about the archival commu-nity
to his new position. He was formerly
the Director of the Association of Heritage
Industries.
Eleanor Dawson from the Deptarment of
Tourism, Culture and Recreation has been
very supportive of the archival community.
ANLA off ers both their congratulations on
their new appoinments.
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 17
Info
ANLA Offi ce
Colonial Building
Military Road
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5C4
T: (709) 726 2867
F: (709) 729 0578
anla@nf.sympatico.ca
All submissions should be accompanied by the sender’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Th e edi-tor
reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity or length. Please send articles, notices and other submissions to:
Larry Dohey, Editor
Archives of the RC Archdiocese
P.O. Box 1363
St. John’s, NL
(709) 726-3660
ldohey@nf.aibn.com
Larry Dohey, President
Archives of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese
P.O. Box
St. John’s, NL
() -
ldohey@nf.aibn.com
Jessie Chisholm, Vice-President
Provincial Archives of New-foundland
and Labrador
Th e Rooms Corporation
Colonial Building
St. John’s, NL
() -
JessieChisholm@mail.gov.nl.ca
Lucy Drown, Secretary
P.O. Box , Stn C
St. John’s, NL
() -
chrb@nfl d.net
James Miller, Treasurer
Trinity Historical Society
P.O. Box
Trinity, NL
Telephone/Fax: () -
james_jm@yahoo.ca
or ttci@nf.sympatico.ca
Joan Mowbray, Director
Provincial Archives of New-foundland
and Labrador
Colonial Building, Military Rd.
St. John’s, NL
AC C
() -
jmowbray@mail.gov.nl.ca
Heather Wareham, Director
Maritime History Archive
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s, NL
() -
mha@mun.ca
Stephanie Harlick
Faculty of Medicine Founders’ Archive
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s, NL
() -
sharlick@mun.ca
Executive
Contact
Submissions
Membership
ANLA presents training in archival skills and practices through
workshops, seminars, and lectures. We also off er professional
advice through consultations by mail, telephone or e-mail, and
by on-site visits. Th e ANLA Bulletin, a regular publication of
the Association, is provided free of charge to ANLA members.
Please see attached application for membership if you or
your institution wish become a member of ANLA.
Staff
Mary Ellen Wright
Professional Development Offi cer:
()
anla@nf.sympatico.ca
Miki Lee
Preservation Offi cer
()
anla@nf.sympatico.ca
Colleen Quigley
Descriptive Standards
colleenquigley@hotmail.com
Terry Sutton, IT
-
saltcod@gmail.com
18 ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006
About Us
ANLA Education and
Training Program
ANLA provides an education and training program consist-ing
of introductory workshops in professional principles
and practices, complemented by two-day workshops in
specialized topics.
Th e education and training program is directed
by the ANLA Education Committee and organized by the
Professional Development and Outreach Offi cer (PDO).
A fi ve-day workshop, Basic Archives, is off ered annually.
Other workshops refl ect the interests and requirements of
the membership. Limited fi nancial assistance is frequently
available to members.
ANLA has worked to develop an overall preserva-tion
strategy for the organization and its members. Past
preservation initiatives, funded by CCA, have included
the production of an Emergency and Disaster Planning
Template (1998), and a Preservation Policies and Proce-dures
Manual (1999). Our preservation activities in 2000
have focused on preservation activities as recommended to
member institutions by the ANLA Preservation Offi cer.
Th e ANLA Preservation Offi cer
• prepares global preservation assessments
and collection condition surveys for selected mem-ber
institutions, according to CCA guidelines
• implements ANLA’s emergency and disaster pre-paredness
program, including the preparation of institu-tional
plans and the establishment of regional teams
• provides preservation advisory services through on
site assistance and workshops
• performs related duties, as required
Preservation Contact List
Please contact the ANLA Offi ce to enquire about local
preservation professionals.
Preservation Policies and Procedures
Preservation policies and procedures provide comprehen-sive
guidelines for the preservation activities of an archive.
Th ey refl ect the institution’s commitment to the preser-vation
of its holdings and the integration of preservation
concerns into all aspects of archival activities. For assistance
in developing and implementing preservation policies and
procedures, consult the ANLA Preservation Policies and
Procedures for Small Archives Handbook.
Emergency and Disaster Planning
ANLA has stressed the importance of emergency and di-saster
preparedness through workshops and through its
newsletter. ANLA will assist member institutions to develop
their own plans using the Newfoundland and Labrador
Emergency Procedure Template For Archives and Librar-ies.
Th is template, based on the “Plan-Builder” Disaster
Preparedness Plan Template” produced by Maines & As-sociates,
N.Y. , has been customized by ANLA staff to fi t
local conditions. Member institutions may fi le copies of
their completed disaster plans at the ANLA offi ce for safe-keeping.
Member archives may contact the ANLA Offi ce for
further information about this template and other resource
materials in our library.
anla’s Preservation Offi cer, Miki
Lee and Catherine Rice of Th e
Rooms will be off ering a workshop
on exhibiting archival material from
October 12-13 during anla’s agm.
Greg Walsh, Miki Lee, and Mary Ellen
Wright at the Carees in Heritage Fair 2006
ANLA Bulletin, Fall 2006 19
About Us
ACA June 28 - July 1, 2006
A Pictoral Refl ection
TOP LEFT: Michael Crummy
TOP RIGHT: Larry Dohey, Greg
WALSH, HON. Tom Hedderson
ACROSS: ACA Softball Game
BOTTOM: ACA Kitchen Party
Name:
Institutional Affi liation:
(if applicable)
Address:
Postal Code:
(home)
(offi ce)
( fax)
Email:
Mail To:
ANLA
PO Box 23155
St. John’s, NF
A1C 4J9
anla@nf.aibn.com
Fax: (709) 729-7989
Membership Fee
Individual or Institutional $25
Religious
Municipal
Folklore/Oral History
Women’s Archives
Museum/Archives
Transportation
Francophone
Medical
Archival Interests
Application for ANLA Membership
TOP: Paul Hebbard, Miki
Lee, Helen Miller
MIDDLE: Penny Holden,
Loyola Hearn, Federal
Minister of Fisheries
BOTTOM: Jack Harris,
former NDP Leader,
Carmen Carrol
Photos from the annual
Old Christmas Day Party.
Call the ANLA offi ce
for this year’s date.