Thanks to funding through the Nova Scotia Student Summer Skills Incentive Program, the Shubenacadie Canal Commission (SCC) welcomed Justin as a summer student, to undertake an organizational history project focused on preserving and improving access to the Commission’s historical records.
Working with organizational records held at the Fairbanks Centre dating from the 1980s through the 2010s, Justin carefully reviewed and inventoried correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records, reports, and other materials. This work created a comprehensive inventory to the Commission’s historical organizational records.
Priority materials were then digitized and organized into a structured digital filing system, with backups maintained in multiple locations. This will make the records easier to access and search while helping ensure they are preserved important information about the organization’s history.
The project also provided an opportunity to explore aspects of the Commission’s history in greater depth. Research at the Dartmouth Heritage Museum and Municipal Archives uncovered additional materials that provided valuable context and new perspectives.
For a small non-profit organization, projects like this can be difficult to undertake alongside the day-to-day work of caring for the Canal System. NS Skills funding made it possible to dedicate the time and resources needed to preserve this important part of the SCC’s organizational history.
We are grateful to NS Skills for supporting this opportunity and to Justin for the care, curiosity, and dedication he brought to the project. The work completed this summer will be an enduring resource for the SCC and will help us better understand and share the history of the Commission and its work to preserve the Shubenacadie Canal System.