on Open Letter Re: The Closing of the Saskatoon Office of the Provincial Archives at the University of Saskatchewan

November 29, 2018

It has recently been brought to our attention that the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (PAS) has made the decision to consolidate its holdings and close its office in Saskatoon at the University of Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon office has existed as an important part of the University’s research network since the archive board was created in 1945.

The mandate of the provincial archives is to act as a repository of “both in-person and distance research into family history, government policy and accountability, educational history, past eras, business and social organizations, land settlement, local history, geographic places, cultural developments, human rights, community events and provincial celebrations.”

In performing this vital role, the archives allow both researchers, students, and everyday citizens to inquire into the province’s past, in order to examine the “documentary heritage of the province.” Archivists are expertly tasked with the important work of organizing these invaluable documents and making them accessible to the general public. Given the numerous restrictions that exist around existing catalogued material, the closure of the Saskatoon office will make it even more difficult for researchers to access necessary records.

The closure of the Saskatoon location comes on top of the dramatically scaled back hours that the archive has been offering for the past several years. In fact, the reductions in staffing and now the closure of the Saskatoon branch of the archives will have dire consequences for people attempting to access records, which could mean even longer delays in cataloguing new material while also extending the wait times for researchers to access existing records.

Even if this closure allows the Regina office to expand its collection or to hire new staff, students, faculty, and researchers coming to Saskatoon will run into a never-ending series of issues trying to access essential information. Moreover, with the closure of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company, it will be increasingly difficult for researchers to travel to Regina to access essential records.

We urge the PAS to reconsider this decision. The archives are essential for citizens to access necessary public information. Such a closure will be a loss for students, faculty and the general public at the University of Saskatchewan.

Respectfully,

Charles Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Erika Dyck, Professor, Canada Research Chair in the History of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Jim Clifford, Associate Professor, Environmental History, University of Saskatchewan

Priscilla Settee, Professor, Indigenous Studies, University of Saskatchewan

Paul Orlowski, Associate Professor, Educational Foundations, University of Saskatchewan

Allison Smith, Special Lecturer, Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Wes Cameron, Saskatoon

Claire Card, Professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan

Maurice Jr. Labelle, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Saskatchewan

Michael Laxer, Researcher, Toronto

Bohdan Kordan, Professor, Dept of Political Studies, Director, Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage, St Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Tom McIntosh, Professor, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina

Monica Hwang, Assistant Professor of Sociology, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Tracy Mitchell, B.A., University of Saskatchewan

Cindy Hanson, Associate Professor and Director, Adult Education & Human Resource Development, University of Regina

Ed Lehman, B. Ed., University of Regina

Cheryl Stadnichuk, Researcher, CUPE Saskatchewan, Regina

Sheelah McLean, PhD, University of Saskatchewan

Marc Spooner, Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Saskatchewan

Eric Strikwerda, Associate Professor, History, Athabasca University

JoAnne Jaffe, Professor Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina

Lori Hanson, Professor, Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan

Michael Gertler, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of Saskatchewan

Garry Ewart, University of Regina

Geoff Read, PhD, Dean, Arts and Social Science & Associate Professor, History, Huron College, Western University

Rachel Engler-Stringer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology in the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Peter Garden, Saskatoon

Robert Englebert, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Saskatchewan

Marc Spooner, University of Regina

Lorri Ewart, Regina

Tom Graham, Saskatoon

Sean Carleton, Mount Royal University

Sharleen Rayner, Saskatoon

Bryan Wiebe, Department of Philosophy, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Todd Webb, Associate Professor of History, Laurentian University

Andrew Stevens, PhD (Queen’s University), Associate Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Regina

Emily Eaton, Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Regina

Lesya Sabada, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Collen Bell, Assistant Professor of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan

Wilfrid Denis, Professor Emeritus, Sociology St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Martha Robbins, PhD Researcher, University of Saskatchewan Alumni

Pierre-Francois Noppen, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Saskatchewan

Jack Walton, Saskatoon

Jullee Sanderson, Treasurer, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour

Mary Ann Bevis, Professor of Religion and Culture, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

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