Krista McCracken is a Canadian public historian, educator, curator and archivist known for their work raising awareness about the history of the

Canadian Indian residential school system The Canadian Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by various Christian churches. The sch ...

Career

McCracken holds an MA in public history from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

. They work Researcher/Curator at Arthur A. Wishart Library and

Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) is an archival repository and cross-cultural education centre within Algoma University with a special mandate to collect and preserve material relating to the legacy residential schools in Canada, he ...

, an archival repository and cross-cultural education centre within

Algoma University Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U, is a Canadian public university in the province of Ontario, with campuses in Brampton, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, and Timmins. Algoma U offers bachelor's degrees, master's degre ...

where they have worked since 2010. McCracken's research focuses on community archives, residential schools, research and access. In their role they have supported former attendees of the

Shingwauk Indian Residential School Shingwauk Indian Residential School was a Canadian residential school system, Canadian residential school for First Nations in Canada, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children that operated in Canada between 1873 and 1970 in Sault Ste. Marie, Onta ...

in developing survivor-driven art exhibits like ''Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall'' which opened in 2018. A book about archival practice and the work being done by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association and staff at Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre co-authored by McCracken and former Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre student employee Skylee-Storm Hogan was announced in January 2021 and published in August 2023. In July 2023, McCracken's co-edited publication ''Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries'' with Kalani Adolpho and Stephen G. Kruger was published

Library Juice Press Litwin Books, LLC is an academic publisher founded in 2006 under the name Library Juice Press. Library Juice Press became an imprint of the new parent company, Litwin Books, LLC in 2008. The Litwin Books imprint publishes books on archival studies ...

. Beyond their work at Algoma University, Krista is an editor of ActiveHistory.ca and has served on the board of directors of the

National Council on Public History The National Council on Public History (NCPH) is an American professional membership association established in 1979 to support a diverse group of people, institutions, agencies, businesses, and academic programs associated with the field of publ ...

. They also served as president of the

Archives Association of Ontario The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a professional network of archives and archivists based in Toronto, Ontario. History Focused on advocacy, education and professional development programs, the AAO was formed in 1993 following the amalga ...

from 2021 to 2022.

Awards

In 2021, McCracken was the first winner of

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie may refer to: People * Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a Native American tribe in Michigan Places * Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada ** Sault Ste. Marie (federal electoral district), a Canadian federal electora ...

's Community Builders Award (Education) in recognition of their achievement in education related the outputs of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The same year they won the best article prize for the article "Challenging Colonial Spaces: Reconciliation and Decolonizing Work in Canadian Archives"

Canadian Historical Association The Canadian Historical Association (CHA; , SHC) is a Canadian organization founded in 1922 for the purposes of promoting historical research and scholarship. It is a bilingual, not-for-profit, charitable organization, the largest of its kind in ...

's Indigenous History Group. ''Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries'' won a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award for 2024. Additionally, McCracken was named the 2024 Algoma University Thunderbird Award recipient.

Select publications

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Krista Living people Canadian archivists University of Western Ontario alumni Year of birth missing (living people)