2025 Archivaria Awards
At the Association of Canadian Archivists 2025 Awards Ceremony, the following prizes were announced:
W. Kaye Lamb Prize
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.
This year’s winner of the Lamb Prize is Anna Robinson-Sweet for her article in Archivaria 97, "Caring for Archives of Incarceration: The Ethics of Carceral Collecting at University Archives." Anna is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is also pursuing a certificate in digital humanities. Her research examines how communities impacted by state violence in the United States use archives and records for accountability beyond the confines of the legal system. Robinson-Sweet’s research has been published in American Archivist and the International Journal of Information, Diversity, and Inclusion. She previously worked as an archivist at The New School Archives and Special Collections. Robinson-Sweet holds an MLIS from Simmons University.
The citation reads:
Robinson-Sweet’s research about how archivists are responding to the ethical challenges presented by the collection and stewardship of records related to incarceration is a clear, well-written and carefully considered article. This study highlights the connections between academic interests and initiatives with implications for archival practitioners and activities. Grounded with interviews where archivists share insights into their work, these responses are meaningfully contextualized by the author who provides concrete actions for how to move this work into the future in an ethical and liberatory manner.
Hugh A. Taylor Prize
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. 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’s winners of the Taylor prize are Elliott Kuecker, Callie Beattie, Penny Bee, Madeline Conley, Simone Gillespie, Sophie Hollis, Alona Norwood, Cassilyn Ostrander, Hannah Southern, Margaret Steitz, and Lingyu Wang for their article "Teaching Community Archiving" in Archivaria 97 (Spring 2025).
Elliott Kuecker is a teaching assistant professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). He publishes on pedagogy, qualitative research methods, childhood studies, and LGBTQIA+ issues in library and information science (LIS).
Callie Beattie is a dual-degree student at UNC-CH pursuing an MSLS in archives and records management and an MA in art history. She is active as a research assistant at Carolina performing Arts as part of the Southern Futures artist-in-residence program.
Penny Bee holds a MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in English and digital humanities from the University of Pennsylvania.
Maddie Conley is an MSLS student at the UNC–CH and has served as a student archivist at the Ohio State University and a library and archives intern at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Simone Gillespie is an MSLS student at the UNC–CH and served as an intern at the Giamatti Research Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Sophie Hollis holds an MSIS from the UNC–CH and is the Community Engagement Librarian at NC Live.
Alona M. Norwood is an archivist for Black in Appalachia and a current MSIS student at UNC–CH. She is also Carolina Academic Associate and a graduate assistant digitization technician in the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and a Kaleidoscope fellow through the Association of Research Libraries.
Cassilyn Ostrander is an MLIS student at the UNC–CH and holds a BA in women’s and gender studies from Iowa State University.
Hannah Southern has an MSLS from UNC–CH and is the Assistant Curator for Collections Research and Engagement for the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC–Greensboro.
Margaret Steitz has an MSLS from UNC–CH and a BFA in studio art from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently the E-Learning Librarian at Central Piedmont Community College.
Lingyu Wang received a BA in film studies and a BS in electronic engineering and computer science from University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in media, culture, and communication from New York University (NYU). He is a doctoral student at UNC–CH.
The citation reads:
Utilizing an innovative, playful, and critically engaged archival pedagogy this article positions archival education, and archival pedagogy, as theory-building. Drawing from a range of sources, both inside and outside the field of archival studies, this article pushes for a reflexive model of community engagement, embedding community archiving strategies in archival students’ practices. The iterative and collective sharing approach of the class is discussed and thoughtfully analyzed. This collaborative and vulnerable nature of the article is meaningful, and the reader cannot help but walk away feeling hopeful and excited about the future of archival education and the profession.
