2023 Archivaria Awards

At the Association of Canadian Archivists 2023 Awards Ceremony in Charlottetown, the following prizes were announced:

Kim Christen with Josiah Blackeagle Pinkham (Nez Perce/Nimíipuu), Cordelia Hooee (Zuni), and Amelia Wilson (Tlingit), are awarded the W. Kaye Lamb Prize for their article “Always Coming Home: Territories of Relation and Reparative Archives,” which appears in Archivaria 94 (Fall/Winter 2022).

Named for Dr. William Kaye Lamb, Dominion Archivist of Canada (1948-1969) and founding National Librarian of Canada (1953-1967), this prize, established in 1983, is awarded annually to honour the author of the Archivaria article that, by its exceptional combination of research, reflection, and writing, most advances archival thinking in Canada. It is the senior award of the journal for the best article overall. The winner of the Lamb Prize is selected by the General Editor, with the assistance of the members of the Archivaria Editorial Board.

The citation reads:

This article significantly advances a decolonial approach to archival scholarship and practice; research participants become co-authors, the author is nothing more than a commentator, and direct citations are extensive. By challenging Western writing/research conventions the reader is brought into a respectful conversation with Indigenous archivists and practitioners who tell stories about kinship, territorial relations, and cultural and linguistic heritage materials. The authors provide another dimension to the notions of dynamic relationships, relationality, and stewardship, which are prevalent in the contemporary archival realm.

Claire Malek is awarded the Hugh A. Taylor Prize for her article “Bowline on a Bight: Doing Right by the Records of Lilian Bland,” which appeared in Archivaria 94 (Fall/Winter 2022).

The winner of the Taylor prize is chosen by the General Editor and a professor of Archival Studies (selected by the General Editor), who decide the winner by consensus. This year that role was filled by James Lowry from Queens College, City University of New York.

The citation reads:

In a refreshing, contemplative and almost meditative manner, Malek’s article offers a “radical somatics of critical archival love” to demonstrate how archivists can engage in a reflexive and embodied practice, integrating queer theory, feminist theory, and anti-colonial methodologies. Malek’s article is a beautiful invitation to contemplate what it means to “do right” as an archivist. The article is awarded the Hugh A. Taylor Prize for “extending the boundaries of archival theory” imaginatively, in subject and style.

Congratulations to all the winners!