Advisor: Sarah Story
Contact: advisor@mbarchives.ca
Hours: Thursday's or by appointment
Sarah Story, 2024. Photo taken in Sarah's rural hometown of Grandview, Manitoba (Treaty 2 Territory).
Background
The AMA's Advisory Services is one of the programs offered to support and encourage the development of sustainable archives throughout Manitoba. The Advisory Services Program was established in 1990. Diane Haglund, Conference Archivist for the the United Church of Canada, was the Association's first Advisor and Coordinator until 2011.
With the elimination of the National Archives Development Program (NADP), Advisory Services became a voluntary-run service. For about 14 years, volunteer archivists filled advisory requests. Most notably, Ala Rekrut, Conservator for the Archives of Manitoba, who voluntarily served members in this capacity for many years.
In September 2024, Sarah Story was hired as Archives Advisor and Office Manager, officially stepping into these roles in January 2025. Under the direction of the Board, Story manages the AMA office and provides guidance and resources to archivists and volunteers around Manitoba. Presently, she is working with the board to forge a new path forward for the Advisory Services Program and to rebuild the AMA's capacity to serve a wide membership in much need of advisory and training services, particularly Manitoba's rural, remote, and community archives.
The Advisory Service Program offers:
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Advice to archives or heritage organizations working to improve procedures and practice.
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Guidance to community organizations, groups, and individuals caring for archives in Manitoba.
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Practical support to Manitoba-based organizations and communities looking to start an archives.
If you are in need of guidance, information, or other support to care for the archives of your community, group, or organization, please reach out to Sarah. She will set up a time to meet with you in person or online. At times, a site assessment or advisory consultation is necessary, and at other times, a phone conversation can be most helpful.
Who is eligible for Advisory Services?
AMA members, not-for-profit organizations, businesses (that have existed for 5+ years and do not have an agreement with an existing archives), community groups, and individuals with significant historical records in Manitoba.
*New in 2026* - Bi-Monthly Virtual Meetups for Community Archivists and Volunteer Heritage Workers
A bi-monthly virtual meetup for "lone arrangers", rural and northern heritage workers, and community volunteers caring for collections, and working archivists in need of a support network. In this virtual space we gather to share experiences, encourage each other, learn, and discuss relevant issues. The first part of the meetup is an unstructured conversation for members to share experiences and info, and the rest of the meetup is a dialogue that focuses on a specific archival topic of relevance. This topic is based on need and determined by the participants. Please note: The virtual meetup is for members only. If you wish to become a member, or if paying the annual membership fee is a barrier to access, please contact Sarah at amaoffice@mbarchives.ca
Digital Preservation for Small Archives and Community Groups
Sarah is experienced in digital preservation (born digital archives and digitization). She has used open-source tools and budget-friendly solutions for keeping digital materials in a diversity of settings. If your group is looking to get started with preserving digital archives or unmanaged files accumulating in storage with no plan for preservation in place, please do not hesitate to reach out to Sarah for a conversation!
Looking to hire an archivist or archival consultant?
If you would like to hire an archivist to support you with your collections, the AMA is willing to share job postings with its membership via email. Please note that there is no referral service for those looking to hire archivists. Please send the job description (with the wage and benefits disclosed) to the AMA office at amaoffice@mbarchives.ca
In-House Archivist vs. Archival Consultant: What’s the Difference? Backlog, Emma Prince, 2026, https://www.backlog-archivists.com/blog/in-house-archivist-vs-archival-consultant
Resources:
The AMA has compiled useful resources that can be found on website under the Resources tab.