About Time
Your History, Accessible
Trusted Guidance for Archives in Transition
Welcome to About Time Archival Consulting
We provide expert archival consulting, records organization, historical research, and strategic solutions for organizations seeking to preserve their history, improve access, and bring order to complex collections.
Our Vision
About Time Archival Consulting helps communities, organizations and institutions preserve the records that tell their stories, protect their responsibilities, and support future access.
Our work is rooted in the belief that archives are not simply collections of old documents; they are evidence, memory, identity, accountability, and connection. We specialize in making archival records more accessible, better organized, and more meaningful to the people and communities they serve.
We are especially committed to archival work that supports reconciliation, community history, institutional memory, and responsible stewardship of sensitive records.
Our Team
About Time Archival Consulting is led by Carey Pallister, an archival consultant with 40 years of experience working with military, municipal, religious, and school archives.
Carey brings a rare combination of practical archival expertise, historical research skills, project management, and a deep understanding of complex institutional records.
Depending on the scope of a project, About Time works with trusted associates who bring additional skills in archival processing, database work, research, administration, digitization, and technical support.
This flexible team model allows us to respond to projects of different sizes while maintaining a high standard of professionalism, confidentiality, and care.
Archival & Research Services
We offer a full spectrum of senior archival expertise tailored to your organizational needs. Explore our core areas of service below.
Assessments & Strategic Planning
Comprehensive evaluations of existing records, workflows, and infrastructure to build long-term sustainability plans.
Archives Start-Up & Program Development
Establish modern archival systems, collection mandates, and operational guidelines from the ground up.
Policy & Governance Development
Creating clear policies covering access, privacy, retention schedules, and institutional governance structures.
Workflow Reviews & Operational Improvement
Assessing current operations and processes to streamline cataloging, reference, and intake protocols.
Digitization Planning & Digital Access
Designing digital preservation schemas, prioritizing collections, and specifying hardware/vendor specifications.
Database Design & Data Cleanup
Structuring custom collections management databases and executing critical metadata cleanup projects.
Legacy & Institutional Memory Planning
Capturing institutional milestones and establishing legacy files to ensure organizational knowledge is protected.
Complex Project Management
End-to-end guidance for high-impact archival initiatives, including resource allocation and milestones.
Specialized Sector Advisory
Dedicated support for religious, educational, municipal, and non-profit archives facing distinct regulatory settings.
Confidential & Sensitive Consultations
Highly secure and discreet advisory services for records involving legal risks, restrictions, or high sensitivity.
Reconciliation & Community Strategies
Reconciliation-informed access policies, repatriation consulting, and respectful community engagement initiatives.
Relocation Planning & Move Management
Strategic logistics, packing instructions, sequence control, and repository layout planning for safe physical transit.
Arrangement & Description
Physically organizing files and authoring finding aids in compliance with current archival standards (e.g., RAD).
Inventory & Backlog Reduction
Aggressively tackling unprocessed boxes to establish rapid physical and intellectual control over backlog.
Preservation Reviews & Storage
Assessing environmental parameters, shelving systems, and acid-free boxing to slow structural decay of holdings.
Historical & Genealogical Research
Professional research services targeting complex historical questions, lineage tracking, and land title files.
Sacramental, Cemetery & Legacy Records
Cataloging, indexing, and organizing sensitive church registers, cemetery lists, and legacy heritage books.
Custom Searchable Finding Aids
Building lightweight, easy-to-use search portals and databases that allow rapid public or private record retrieval.
Public History & Interpretive Writing
Curation and textual copy for exhibitions, anniversary brochures, heritage plaques, and digital timelines.
Workshops & Staff Training
Delivering on-site training sessions, reference guidelines, and basic preservation workshops for institutional staff.
Discreet Special Projects
Execution of sensitive, proprietary, or high-diplomacy tasks requiring mature professional judgment and privacy.
Our Approach
Our approach is practical, collaborative, and grounded in best archival practice.
Listen Carefully
We begin by listening carefully to the needs of the organization, the conditions of the records, the communities connected to them, and the long-term goals of the project.
Realistic Planning
From our initial findings, we develop realistic plans that respect available resources while moving your archives towards better organization, access, and sustainability.
Targeted Interventions
Our work is implemented carefully and may include assessments, arrangement and description, database development, policy advice, records relocation, or custom search engines.
Respectful Stewardship
Every project is undertaken with respect for the records, the people and communities they document, and the stewardship responsibilities of the institutions entrusted with their preservation.
"Archives are not simply collections of old documents; they are evidence, memory, identity, accountability, and connection."
Archivists in Mission (AIM)
Stabilizing Catholic and Religious Archives Across Canada
Archivists in Mission (AIM) is a rapid response archival support initiative created to assist Catholic dioceses, religious communities, and related institutions facing urgent archival challenges.
AIM emerged from work undertaken with the Diocese of Saint Paul, Alberta, where a comprehensive archival assessment revealed the need for immediate professional intervention. Following that assessment, ongoing efforts to recruit a permanent archivist highlighted a broader issue common across Canada: many Catholic archives lack the resources and staffing required to manage and preserve their records efficiently.
In response, AIM was formed to provide practical, team-based solutions by bringing together experienced archivists for focused, on-site deployments. AIM delivers immediate stabilization while laying the groundwork for long-term maintenance.
The initiative is designed as a scalable model that can be adapted and deployed in parishes, missions, dioceses, and religious communities across Canada.
AIM Services
AIM provides short-term, high-impact archival interventions tailored to institutions experiencing backlog, risk, or lack of professional oversight. Our services include:
- Stabilization and organization of archival holdings
- Consolidation of dispersed records
- Establishment of physical and intellectual control
- Creation of master inventories and location guides
- Rehousing of records using archival quality materials
- Development of foundational policies, procedures, and workflows
- Guidance on records management and governance
- Strategic recommendations for long-term archival maintenance
Our work focuses on achieving immediate improvements in access, accountability, and preservation, particularly for records relating to sacramental, legal, genealogical, and reconciliation-related needs.
AIM Approach
AIM operates through focused, team-based deployments, typically over a defined period to deliver measurable results in a short timeframe.
Each project begins with an assessment and clear scope, followed by the coordinated work of a small team of professional Archivists and others who bring a broad range of skills to the project.
Our approach is grounded in practical action and long-term thinking. We prioritize stabilization and control first, ensuring that the records are protected and accessible while also creating the structure needed for future growth.
Where possible, we work alongside local staff and leadership to build capacity and ensure continuation after the deployment is complete.
As a pilot initiative, AIM is committed to documenting all methodologies, workflows, and outcomes. This ensures that each project contributes to a growing body of knowledge that can support training, mentorship, and future archival work across the Catholic community in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
We work with religious organizations, schools, municipalities, non-profits, community groups, families, and private organizations that need professional help managing records, archives, and historical collections.
No. Many clients come to us with no formal archives program in place. We can help assess your situation, create practical systems, and build an archives program from the ground up.
Yes. One of our most common requests is helping organizations bring order to records that have accumulated over many years. We assess the material, create realistic plans, and establish systems for organization and access.
Yes. We provide archives relocation planning, move management, packing guidance, sequencing plans, and repository transition support to ensure records are moved safely and efficiently.
Yes. We assist with anniversary projects, heritage displays, interpretive exhibits, commemorative events, and public history presentations using archival materials and institutional history.
We provide digitization planning, prioritization strategies, and digital access planning. Depending on the project, we can also advise on vendors, workflows, and in-house scanning programs.
Yes. We have extensive experience working with confidential, restricted, and sensitive records. We approach these projects with professionalism, discretion, and awareness of legal and ethical responsibilities.
No, we can work in several languages including Latin and French.
Yes. Many consulting services can be provided remotely, while on-site visits can be arranged when needed for assessments, moves, training, or hands-on archival work.
We are based in British Columbia but work on projects across Western Canada and beyond depending on client needs.
Projects may be billed hourly, by retainer, or by fixed project fee depending on the scope of work. We are happy to discuss options after an initial consultation.
Simply reach out through the website contact form or by email. We begin with a conversation about your needs, challenges, and goals, then recommend practical next steps.
A consultant can provide senior expertise immediately, lead specialized projects, solve backlog problems, guide transitions, or help determine long-term staffing needs without requiring a permanent hire. We are also happy to assist you to find an archivist for your institution and work alongside them as they acquaint themselves with your organization.
Testimonials
We take pride in our careful stewardship, collaborative approach, and professional discretion. Here is what our partners say about us.
"Carey brought order to our religious community records that had accumulated over 60 years. Her work was highly professional, collaborative, and treated our sensitive documentation with absolute care and confidentiality."
"The archival assessment provided by About Time was a turning point for our municipal registry. The recommendations were realistic, structured, and allowed us to secure budget for digital database migration."
"As we struggled to find a permanent archivist, the Archivists in Mission (AIM) team stepped in and stabilized our parish registers in Alberta. They delivered immediate control and physical organization. Essential support!"
Contact Us
Let's discuss how we can help you organize, preserve, and protect your archives. Reach out to arrange an initial consultation.
Connect With Us
We begin every project with a careful discussion about your institutional requirements, budget, and long-term goals. Contact us via email or use the web form to get started.
British Columbia, Canada
Western Canada & beyond (remote or on-site)
Note on Discretion: We have extensive experience working with restricted, legal, and highly confidential records. All initial queries and project reviews are treated with absolute professional diplomacy and privacy.