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From the Desk of the Archives Advisor
Michael Gourlie, Archives Society of Alberta
SUCCESSION PLANNING
As Alberta's archivists go about their usual daily work (if there is such a thing), the majority of us do not think about succession planning for our institutions. In addition to processing records, the daily challenges of working with diminishing storage space, preventing the deterioration of holdings, balancing this year's budget and dealing with donors, administrators and researchers provide more than enough distraction for any given working day. In spite of the archival community's everyday concerns, the issue of succession planning will become a more pressing issue in the coming years.
Many members of the archival community across Canada and throughout Alberta will retire in the next ten to fifteen years. While new archivists will take up these positions, replacing these individuals will be impossible, as they take away years worth of knowledge about the holdings they processed and cared for. Even considering this aspect of the problem, some institutions will still face unique challenges to replace the staff or volunteers they once had.
For larger archival institutions, the issue of succession will likely be easier to address. Their profile, infrastructure, resources and possibility for advancement will attract candidates as new job postings appear. The expanding job markets in freedom of information, records management, and information technology might provide stiff competition, but there will always be archivists willing to work in medium to large archival institutions.
Those archives with the greatest challenge will likely be the small and less central archival institutions. With their limited resources and locations outside Calgary or Edmonton, some archives may find it difficult to attract someone trained in archival practice. Most likely, the ASA will be providing post-appointment training for a number of years to come. Depending on their profile within their sponsoring organization, the loss of the incumbent archivist may be catastrophic.
If the sponsoring agency does not understand the role and importance of the archival program, the retirement of the archivist and the lack of a strong voice to lobby for its continuation may call into question why the archives exists at all. The work of a career can be undone in a matter of months if the sponsoring organization doesn't buy into the importance of its archival program.
While it is not something we like to think about, succession is a question that all archival institutions must address in the coming years. Given our focus on preserving records for future generations, ensuring that our archival programs survive and thrive beyond our tenure may be the greatest gift we can give the documentary heritage we fight to preserve.
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