Services

Melissa provides consulting services to archives, libraries, universities, archival associations, cultural institutions, and more. She offers an analysis of policies and practices with a focus on ethical archival practices; Cultural Humility; Positionality & Power; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging; and Confronting Anti-Black Racism. Melissa works with leaders who are committed to addressing practices for organizational change.

FEATURED CLIENTS

  • Schlesinger Library, Harvard University

  • Library and Archives Canada

  • ARMA International

  • Association of Canadian Archivists

  • Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

TRAINING

Challenging traditional thinking is vital to building an inclusive future. Melissa offers training that employs anti-oppressive frameworks and an ethics of care. She provides expertise on the ethical stewardship of Black cultural heritage and anti-Black archival materials. These trainings can be tailored to your institution’s unique needs and culture. Melissa addresses practices that have often excluded, invisibilized, and objectified Black users and subjects. These trainings connect your institution to real-world scenarios that can be incorporated into your own practices.

TOWARD COMMUNITY-CENTERED REFERENCE

  • This workshop considers the challenges Black researchers face when consulting with reference services in archives. Participants will learn to think critically about their positionality, perspectives, and their current approaches to providing access. Practical suggestions will be offered to reference archivists to help them provide community-centered services. This workshop includes small group activities and discussions with time for reflection. 

    In this workshop, participants will:

    • Learn how to unpack how white supremacy shows up in archives

    • Learn how to identify and address oppressive practices in access and reference 

    • Learn how to minimize harm when providing reference services 

    Reviews:

    • “Thank you so much for making today’s workshop available…It’s exactly the type of programming I want to see for our professional associations and I’m grateful that I was able to attend.”

    • “The workshop was thought-provoking and informative. It was extremely relevant to our work, and encouraged us to recognize and address our positionality and to carry that through our work. I think the workshop is an excellent experience that all reference staff should participate in.”

    • “I appreciated the time and care that went into setting up a shared understanding of language, intention and expectations during the first half of the session. It is also nice to have time to reflect individually before joining a group to discuss things further. The meditation and music were also a welcomed addition to things.”

    • “It was really helpful to have reflections grounded in real-life archival scenarios and the lived experiences of Black Canadian researchers to push me to rethink how I work as an archivist.”

    The workshop was developed for the Archives Association of Ontario.

ARCHIVAL FACTS & FICTIONS

  • This workshop explores the importance of archival narratives for power, transformation, and remembrance. Participants are guided through a series of reflections to challenge dominant colonial narratives that underline limited beliefs, misconceptions, and harmful stereotypes against Black life. These narratives are still carried on in spaces of knowledge, remembrance, and power. Participants are asked to think critically about their perceptions to (re)remember the past and change the ways they relate to Black people today.

    In this workshop, participants will:

    • Understand how dominant misconceptions about Black life are rooted in colonial narratives

    • Learn how to identify and challenge limited beliefs and how to apply that to their work as well as how they relate to others

    • Learn how to lean into curiosity, imagination, and creativity to expand their empathy for Black life

DESCRIPTION AND ACCESS FOR ANTI-BLACK ARCHIVAL MATERIALS

  • This workshop addresses anti-Black racism in archival records by providing participants with strategies to create reparative descriptions and provide access to these materials while minimizing harm. Participants are asked to think critically about the impact of descriptive and access practices for racist archival records. The workshop includes an interactive activity with space for discussion and reflection.

    In this workshop, participants will:

    • Learn how to apply anti-racist frameworks to descriptive practices

    • Understand how to minimize harm while facilitating access to racist archival records

    • Learn how to think critically about the impact of archival practices on the discoverability of racist archival records

    Reviews:

    • “Just wanted to send a note to gush about the Description and Access for Anti-Black Archival Material workshop. It was a terrific workshop, one of the best I’ve participated in a while!”

    • “Thank you for offering this workshop! It can get so tiresome talking about how we need to change when nobody suggests exactly how we should be changing. This workshop gave some excellent practical suggestions which I very much appreciate.”

    • “The breakout activity was exceptional. Even though there were some technical difficulties at the outset, it was well worth the wait.”

    • “The workshop was so informative and valuable and I can’t thank Melissa enough for her work and sharing her expertise. I’ve already told many colleagues about it and it’s given me lots to think about in my daily work and I appreciate all the further readings, which I will be reading! Thanks!”

    The workshop was developed for the Association of Canadian Archivists.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Cultural institutions are shifting and evolving to become more community-centred. Melissa helps institutions explore this potential by developing tailored hands-on workshops for Black communities. Her approach is to cultivate caring and safer spaces for joy and healing. She works to repair the ways we think about the past, each other, and ultimately ourselves. As we reconnect with our past, we can reaffirm our identities, and the presence of those who came before us.

FREEDOM DREAMERS

  • FREEDOM DREAMERS explores the dreams and aspirations of Black writers before us and among us. Led by archivist Melissa J. Nelson, this workshop will bring participants in to think alongside rare text published between 1790-1902. Discover the personal narratives of Black authors who wrote in resistance to the colonial imagination. Participants will be guided through writing exercises to reflect on, remember, and document Black dreams. We are holding space for the possibilities of Black life.

    Reviews:

    • “This workshop offered an inspiring, and truly liberatory, point of entry into historic Black Canadian texts. The focus on the future helped connected attendees (including students) to the past and the materials we were working with. The atmosphere was energetic and accessible for all who attended!”

    • “I loved the combination of information and time to write and discuss. The topic and presenter felt special. It was truly inspiring!”

    • “I appreciated the discussions, perspectives on how to approach the topic, the passages as well as holding the real texts. I love that it made me get out of my comfort zone!”

    The workshop was developed for the University of Ottawa Archives & Special Collections.

ECONOMY OF POSSIBILITIES

  • What if we believed change is possible? ECONOMY OF POSSIBILITIES is a space for studying black archives to imagine just futures. History shows us that Black people have always resisted systems of oppression through creative intervention. We have developed various solidarity economies over time to sustain our communities. Led by Archivist Melissa J. Nelson, she will guide participants in deep readings of archival materials to surface tools for facing impossibilities in the “now” and find pathways for existing otherwise.

    The workshop was developed for Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library.

HOLDING OUR MEMORIES

  • Through conversations, journaling, and touching our history, HOLDING OUR MEMORIES enables us to re-read and reshape narratives of our past. We are cultivating a caring and intentional space for intergenerational dialogue and communal healing. Participants are encouraged to bring an item that holds memories you want to reflect on, remember, and rewitness. When we share our memories we begin to heal ourselves, each other, and generations yet to come. This work enables us to take a step forward on our journey to Joy and Wellness.

    The workshop was developed for Black Loyalist Heritage Centre & Society.

TO MOM, WITH LOVE

  • TO MOM, WITH LOVE is a celebration of Black family traditions of remembering. These practices are expressions of love to our parents, grandparents, and community. Led by Archivist Melissa J. Nelson, participants will reflect on the stewards of their family records who they wish to hold dear. Reflecting on an item or memory, you will create a love letter by exploring words, drawings, poems, and song lyrics to show your appreciation. Supplies will be provided. You can give your love letter to this special person, read it to them, or put it away in your personal collection.

    The workshop was developed for BAND Gallery.

VISUAL JOURNALING WITH BLACK ARCHIVES

  • How can we reimagine the Archive? Join archivist Melissa J. Nelson, as she explores ways of deepening your imagination practice between the spaces of what has been saved and what else could have been. Come view original archival materials and develop your own artistic interpretations through visual journaling. You will be guided to read archives and surface otherwise possibilities. Design a visual journal page with words, sketches, paint, or collage. Art supplies are provided to help you bring your creative ideas to life.

DREAMING WITH ARCHIVES

  • Black Dreams. What does it mean to dream while Black? How can we understand the dreams of those who came before us? How can we carry these dreams with us? Black people have always dreamed in refusal of the colonial imagination. The past, present, and future are intertwined. Drawing from archival materials, archivist Melissa J. Nelson will guide participants in a creative writing workshop to connect with those who came before us and imagine a future for those yet to be born. Come view original archival materials, access ancestral memories, and dream of Black futurity. No writing experience is necessary – only your imagination. This workshop will include a short presentation with time for discussion.