University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
120 St. George St. M5S 1A5 Toronto, ON, Canada

Wishing everyone happy holidays and all of our best for 2021! Remote UTARMS reference will be closed over the holidays from Dec. 21st to Jan 4th

Taking a moment to remember lest we forget. University of Toronto Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11, 1939.

We are very sad to learn about the recent passing of Professor Emeritus Betty Roots. Documentation of Dr. Roots' remarkable career as a highly celebrated zoologist, administrator, photographer, & teacher can be found in her papers here: https://uoft.me/Roots You can also learn more about her many accomplishments, interests and travels here: https://legcy.co/2I8KEJx

Today we meet Daniela, Private Records Archivist - Over these last months I have continued to work on the Oral History Collection on Student Activism, speak with individuals who donate their records to us, and strategize around the discoverability of our collections. I'm lucky in that my work invites me into the worlds and work of others, an aspect of archives that I prize all the more in this moment. It has also emphasized how critical individual and collective experiences... are in understanding a place like #UofT (did we mention the questionnaire?). For me, the pandemic has spurred a lot of reflection while loving (then fatally neglecting) my garden, achieving new baking triumphs, forcing myself to organize my own photographs, and dragging friends out on my favourite walks. Have you participated in our COVID-19 Collecting Community Experience Project? Click the link and share your story! https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/covid-19

Today we meet Tys, the University Archivist - Working from home has its benefits (meet my office mate, Winnie ), but I do really miss my daily interactions with my amazing colleagues, the wonderful researchers we get, and I miss the scenery ( pic #2) on and around the St. George campus. I haven’t seen my family (who live in the US) for a long time, and I think we are all very over the Zoom-thing, but I am fortunate to have friends and loved ones who share my enthusiasm f...or the outdoors, helping me escape the pressures of the pandemic a number of times over the summer. Have you participated in our COVID-19 Collecting Community Experience Project? Click the link and share your story! (https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/covid-19)

This week we meet Marnee, the Special Media Archivist - "I have been hunkered down working at home along with my husband Mark who also works for UofT. The first few months this spring were tough socially for me, and our great neighbours got me through. Many late afternoons we would meet on our front porches and lawns to discuss the latest numbers or share a drink, and we even organized an outdoor concert in late June as restrictions lifted. As summer came, we are very lucky ...to have family cottages so spent many weekends up north. We managed to work from a makeshift cottage desk for one week this summer and took mid-day swims with some Canada Geese (a rare occurrence!). There are many things I can do from home related to the description of photographs and A/V records, my area of focus. I rarely have time to do this type of work under normal circumstances, so I am cherishing it now. That said, other aspects of my work are piling up, so I will be glad to get back into the office even if only a few days a week." Click the link to participate in our COVID-19 Collecting Community Experience Project and share your story! https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/covid-19

Today we meet Emily, the Digital Records Archivist here at UTARMS! Over these past few months, I've been working at the dining table from my living room/kitchen, while my partner works away in our guest bedroom. I miss the routine of my daily commute and seeing colleagues, but am fortunate to work safely from the comfort of home. Part of my focus has been on our web-archiving initiatives, particularly to capture COVID-related information published on the University's websi...tes. The aim is to support future researchers' understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the campus and to capture UofT's administrative response to these challenging times. Living in a downtown condo with no balcony or backyard, I have to make an effort to get some fresh air every day - I've enjoyed cycling along the waterfront as a way to clear my head. And I've been playing a lot of Animal Crossing. Follow the link - https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/covid-19 to participate in our COVID-19 Collecting Community Experience Project and share your story! #archivistsoffacebook