Archivaria Awards

The Association of Canadian Archivists has established the following three awards to recognize excellent writing in Archivaria: the W. Kaye Lamb Prize, the Hugh A. Taylor Prize, and the Gordon Dodds Prize.

Winners receive a certificate, a cash prize, formal notification in Archivaria, and ongoing listing on the ACA website (www.archivists.ca). A description of the adjudication procedures for these awards may also be found there.

In this issue, the general editor is pleased to announce the winners of the awards for 2016.

W. Kaye Lamb Prize (established 1983)

Named for Dr. William Kaye Lamb, Dominion Archivist of Canada (1948–1969) and founding National Librarian of Canada (1953–1967), the prize 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. The senior award of the journal, it is for the best article overall.

The winner of the W. Kaye Lamb Prize for 2016 is Raymond Frogner, for his article "'Lord, Save Us from the Et Cetera of the Notary': Archival Appraisal, Local Custom, and Colonial Law," in Archivaria 79 (Spring 2015). The citation reads: "Engaging with diverse scholarship on jurisprudence, legal history, postmodern theories, and diplomatics, Raymond Frogner questions modernist ideas of records as evidence, challenging archivists to re-imagine archival appraisal to make room for unwritten local custom. His detailed analysis of the conflict between oral traditions and custom and European-based legal frameworks serves as a linchpin for both archival and legal discussions. With an historical overview of the nature of evidence in colonial and modern Canadian jurisprudence placed alongside the battles waged in the courtroom, Frogner weaves a sprawling narrative with real-world applications."

Hugh A. Taylor Prize (established 2006)

The Hugh A. Taylor Prize was established in 2006 to honour the doyen of Canadian archival thinkers, whose wide range of scholarly publications sparked the Canadian archival imagination. The prize is awarded annually to the author of the Archivaria article that presents new ideas or refreshing syntheses in the most imaginative way, especially by exploring the implications of concepts or trends from other disciplines for archival thinking and activity, and by extending the boundaries of archival theory in new directions.

The winner of the Hugh A. Taylor Prize for 2016 is Tom Nesmith for his article, "Toward the Archival Stage in the History of Knowledge," which appeared in Archivaria 80 (Fall 2015). The citation reads: "Drawing on a wealth of evidence and an inclusive definition of record, Tom Nesmith offers the original and compelling argument that we are entering "the archival stage in the history of knowledge," where archival evidence increasingly plays a key role in scientific and other research projects. Throughout the article, the reader finds a treasure trove of inspiring reflections and multidisciplinary references for further exploration; in this way, Nesmith expands the boundaries of the archival discipline and the profession, and re-imagines the relationship between records and knowledge, and between recordkeeping and historical research."

Gordon Dodds Prize (established 2011)

The Gordon Dodds Prize recognizes superior research and writing on an archival topic by a student enrolled in a master's level archival studies program at a Canadian university. The award honours Gordon Dodds, the first president of the ACA, Archivaria's longest-serving general editor, and a staunch advocate for graduate archival education. Winners of the Dodds Prize will have their articles published in Archivaria in the year following the announcement of the award. The managing editor wishes to thank Amy Marshall Furness, Michael Gourlie, Kathryn Harvey, and Rodney Carter for their work on the adjudication committee for this year's prize.

The winner of the Gordon Dodds Prize for 2016 is Allison Mills for her paper "Learning to Listen: Archival Sound Recordings and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property." Allison will be graduating this December with MAS and MLIS degrees from UBC, and her paper was submitted by Jessica Bushey. The paper will be published in the Spring 2017 issue of Archivaria, and the award will be formally presented at the ACA conference in Ottawa next June. The citation on the award certificate will read: "This paper deftly explores...