Advocacy and Public Relations

The AMA serves as an advocate for archival concerns and works to increase the awareness about archives in the wider community.

Both the Association of Canadian Archivists and the Canadian Council of Archives have been strong advocates for the archival community at a national level.  Examples of advocacy work and tools to assist archives in advocacy and public relations are available on their respective websites:

Association of Canadian Archivists - The Advocacy section of the ACA website features a chronological listing of official submissions to governments and government agencies as well as letters to legislators and policymakers in support of specific initiatives. (http://archivists.ca/content/advocacy)

Canadian Council of Archives - The Awareness Kit available on the CCA website (http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/awareness_kit.html) provides tools available to archival institutions to assist with their advocacy efforts.  These tools include:

• Awareness 101 - a set of steps designed to provide you with the tools to effectively communicate your message to the government, the media and the general public
• My Archives/My Government - By participating in the My Archives, My Government awareness programme, archives across the country will provide politicians with a local portal into Canada's archival community. Participants are guided through several points of contact with their federal and provincial political representatives, culminating in the politicians' tour of their archives.
• Toolbox - a list of available advocacy/public relations resources, with some tools specifically designed for relations with government and media

For more information on advocacy and public relations, please contact the AMA Coordinator.