This year the archives will begin a long-term project of decolonizing its finding aids. These keys to the collection can contain dated language. Combing through them to update them is a way for the diocese to make good on its intentions to practice reconciliation in all aspects of our work.
The project is an initiative of the diocesean archivist, Chance Dixon, and emerges from archival best practices around decolonization, access and inclusivity for multiple cultural groups. As Chance put it, “One of the reasons I enjoy working here is because a lot of work was done early on. The diocese has a longer history of reconciliation, and understands the importance of continuing that work in our programs and projects.”
The project will start with the public-facing resources, such as our entries on the MemoryBC website. While doing this work, we will, in true archival spirit, track all changes made, the better to preserve the historical record while updating any problematic language that we find.
The diocesan archives are open by appointment for researchers every Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please reach out to Chance at 250-386-7781, Ext. 241 or [email protected] for more information.
