Affiliations: [a] Find and Connect web resource, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | [b] Records Management Unit, Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Nicola Laurent, Find and Connect web resource, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia. Tel.: +61 3 8344 2762; E-mail: nicola.laurent@unimelb.edu.au.
Abstract: This paper calls for a global community of practice to support people to enact trauma-informed practice in the archival profession. Building on the literature around archives and affect, decolonising spaces, and centring communities, it proposes trauma-informed practice is implemented in archives, and a community of practice be established to support those doing the work. It recognises the emotional labour of many in the archival field, and furthers conversations held at the Archival Education and Research Institute 2019 where the value of a community of practice was evidenced. The community of practice would bring together communities, academics, researchers, practitioners, volunteers, users, donors, and anyone with an interest in improving archival theory, education and practice to support trauma-informed approaches in archives, and support those undertaking the work. It ends with a call for co-creators of a trauma-informed community of practice.
Keywords: Trauma-informed practice, trauma-informed archival practice, archives, community of practice, emotional labour
