An introduction to using archives for family historians, presented on May 4th, 2013, at a one-day conference organized by the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

1. Getting your hands
on archival gold
Amanda Hill
Archives Association of Ontario

2. WHY VISIT ARCHIVES?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/madison_guy/3386919046/

3. • Not everything is online
• Archives and library staff have in-depth
knowledge of sources and subject
• They are (usually!) happy to share their
expertise
• Archival materials can help you get around
road-blocks in your online research

4. Examples of offline resources
• Records of religious organizations, including baptisms, marriages and burials
• Records of land transfers
• Municipal records, including assessment rolls and voters’ lists
• School records
• Police and court records
• Hospital records
• Military records
• Wills
• Records of businesses and charities
• Maps, charts and plans
• Newspapers
• Manuscript collections
• Films and videos
• Photograph and postcard collections
• Directories and telephone books
• Manually-created indexes of names

5. HOW TO USE ARCHIVES
http://www.flickr.com/photos/incursion-voyages/5201189373/

6. Before you get there (1)
• Do your homework!
– Read up on the archives on their website to understand
their holdings and their rules and procedures
– Be aware that some smaller archives are not open every
day (or at weekends) and may close for lunch
• It’s usually wise to contact the archives in advance of a
visit
– Not everything you need to know is online
– If the archive has a small staff, they will appreciate
knowing when you will arrive

7. Before you get there (2)
• How easy is it to get to the archives?
– What’s the parking like?
– Is it accessible by public transit?
– Is there somewhere nearby where you can grab a
coffee/buy lunch or do you need to take your own
provisions?
• Do you need to make an appointment or order
materials in advance?
– Some archives store collections in off-site locations
and need warning to order them for you

8. Finding and ordering documents
• Most archives will have finding aids to their materials
– Some may be online, some are not
• You may have to fill out an order slip for archival materials
– Some archives have a lot of material on microfilm/fiche which may be
self-service
– Document delivery may be at set times
• The best finding aid is usually the brain of an experienced archivist
– Cultivate that relationship!
– “…be polite and deferential to the archivists. They are professionals,
they are mighty, and they can make or break your research project.”
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,81158.msg1948552.html#msg1948552

9. Handling archives
• By their nature, archives tend to be unique
– People who care for them tend to be quite protective of them
• Security procedures are usually more stringent than
general library regulations
– You may have to put your bag in a locker
– You will be expected to use a pencil, not a pen
– You will usually be under some sort of surveillance when you
use archives
– No food and drink are allowed near archival materials
• You can’t browse archives like you can browse library books
– You will usually order the materials you want from a catalogue

10. Keeping track of what you’ve seen
• It’s easy to get carried away
• Take copious notes on the materials you find
useful
– Digital notes are more searchable later than hand-
written ones
• Remember power/extension cord for laptop
• Record what you’ve looked at, even if it wasn’t
useful
– You don’t want to have to look at things twice
• Check out the archives’ digital camera policy

11. Using a camera for research
• Record useful documents with your camera (if
use of a camera is permitted)
– Don’t use the flash (light damages materials)
• Check the photo to make sure the document is legible
before you move on to the next item
– Do take a photo of the document’s title/reference
number/date to help identify it later
– Take a spare battery/charger
– Organize your photos into folders a way that is helpful
to you (e.g. by archive/collection/file)
• Do this as soon as possible after your visit
– Back up your images (very important)

12. Ordering copies
• If you can’t take photographs of items, you may be able to
order photocopies
• Policies and prices on photocopying vary from institution to
institution
• You may have to wait for copies to be sent to you after your
visit
• Copyright restrictions may be in place, but use for personal
research is covered in the definition of ‘fair dealing’ in
Canada

13. Physical perils of archival research
• Back, neck and wrist pain
– Archival boxes can be heavy – lift with care!
– Chairs can be less than ideal for long periods of desk work
– A small tripod for your digital camera might be a good investment
– A scarf/sweater can protect your neck from over-fierce air conditioning
• Microform-induced headaches
– If you’re reading a lot on microfilm or microfiche, it can be a strain on your
eyes: break up stretches of microform research with physical archival research
– Bring painkillers
• Cuts from paper/rusty paper clips/staples
– Be careful - bring band-aids, just in case
• Dust
– A terrible archival cliché, but some documents are dusty: if you’re prone to
allergies, be aware and bring Kleenex and maybe allergy medication

14. A SIDE NOTE ON RECENT POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENTS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jezpage/3412068580/

15. Cuts to archives
• April 2012 announcement of elimination of the National Archival
Development Program (NADP)
– Has had an impact on the work of many archives services
• Generally archives and libraries, including Library and Archives Canada, are
operating in straitened circumstances
• Letters of appreciation and/or monetary donations are always welcome!

16. www.canadaspastmatters.ca

17. HOW ARCHIVISTS DEAL WITH
ARCHIVES: DECODING THE JARGON
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkay/3410643928/

18. Important things to be aware of
• Archives are the records that have survived
– Just a ‘sliver’ of all the records ever created
• Keeping archives for the long term is expensive
– Not all records are kept
– Only about 5% of the records produced by
governments are transferred to their archives
• A lot of what archivists do is deciding what is to
be kept and what is to be destroyed
– Archivists have to be ruthless!

19. Collecting policies
• These determine what an archives will keep
– May be geographically-based, subject-based or
organizationally-focused
• Archives can be found in libraries, museums and
private organizations as well as in institutions
with the name of ‘Archives’
– Sometimes you need to think laterally about where
certain records might be kept
– Information professionals like archivists and librarians
can help track down possible sources and locations

20. What do archivists do?
• Keep records safe
• Make records available
– By arranging and describing them
– By providing places to access them
• In person
• Online

21. Keeping records safe
• Secure buildings
• Climate-controlled to minimise environmental
damage
• Packaged in inert materials
– Acid-free folders and boxes
– Polyester sleeves for photographs

22. Arrangement and description
• To know what is held and where it is
• To make materials accessible to potential
users
• To explain the context of the creation and use
of records

23. Archival arrangement
• Provenance
– Archives are usually arranged by creator, rather
than by subject
• Original order
– Archivists try to organize materials in the way they
would have been used by the creating
organization or individual

24. Provenance
• Chain of custody is important for demonstrating the
authenticity of archival material
• Need to maintain the coherence of a group of
materials in order for them to have archival integrity
• Materials from one source should not be mixed with
materials from another
• Respect des fonds (respect for the source)

25. Definition of a fonds
• All of the documents, regardless of form or
medium, naturally generated and/or
accumulated and used by a particular
person, family or corporate body in the
conduct of personal or corporate activity

26. Within a fonds
• Fonds can be large or small (even just one
item)
• Larger fonds are usually broken up into series
– Series are groups of records with similar
characteristics
• E.g. minutes, correspondence, photographs
• Series can be divided into files
• Files contain items

27. Sample arrangement
Imperial Order of
the Daughters of
Empire, Waterloo
Chapter records
Minutes
Minute
Book, 1966-1969
Minute
Book, 1969-1975
Correspondence
Administrative
correspondence
Thank-you letters
Other materials
Items Files
Series
Fonds

28. Very complex arrangement
Anti-Apartheid Movement papers, being sorted in Oxford, ca.1997

29. Mike Terry (1947-
2008), executive
secretary of the
Anti-Apartheid
Movement, 1975-
1994
A case of ‘original
disorder’!

30. • (A) Boycott Movement papers, 1959-1961
• (B) AAM Governing Bodies, 1960-1995
• (C) AAM Committees, 1960-1995
• (D) Local Anti-Apartheid Groups, [ca. 1960]-1995
• (E) Professional and Special Interest Groups Against Apartheid, 1970-1994
• (F) Local Authorities Against Apartheid, [ca. 1960]-1995
• (G) Britain, 1959-1995
• (H) South Africa, 1959-1995
• (I) South Africa in Transition, 1986-1995
• (J) Other African Countries, 1961-1995
• (K) Europe, 1972-1995
• (L) Commonwealth, 1960-1994
• (M) Overseas anti-apartheid organisations, 1963-1995
• (N) International Organisations, 1960-1995
• (O) Campaigns, 1956-1995
• (P) AAM Head Office, 1960-1995
• (Q) Correspondence, 1960-1995
• (R) Anti-Apartheid Enterprises (AAE), 1986-1990
• (S) Clapham Common Productions Limited, 1987-1995
• (T) Freedom Productions Limited, 1987-1995
• (U) Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), 1991-1998
• (V) Photographs and Audio-Visual Material, 1900-[ca. 1999]
• (W) Posters, 1963-[ca. 1999]
• (X) Exhibition Material, Artwork and Objects, [ca. 1960]-[ca. 1999]
• (Y) Printed Material, 1960-1994
• (Z) Miscellaneous Material, [ca. 1960]-[ca. 1999]
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/rhl/aam/aam.html
1,400 boxes of
material, once
catalogued!

31. Limited arrangement

32. Boxes in the Basement
• 89 boxes – materials had already been used by
researchers: box numbers were known and
records could not be re-arranged across boxes
• Had to sort items within each box
– Original boxes were replaced
with archival packaging
– Each box filled around 3 archive boxes

33. Not part of the original order

34. Collections
• Materials that were not generated as part of the
activity of a person or organisation
• For example:
– A group of postcards of a local town
– Records relating to a particular subject, assembled by
an individual
• These are not fonds, but collections
• Their provenance and original order may have
been lost, but they are often arranged and
described as a discrete group of records

35. Description
• A means of establishing intellectual control
over materials held in archives
• A way of sharing information with potential
users about
– what our records contain
– who created them
– why they were created

36. Description
• No standard way to describe archives until late
20th century
• Then: a flurry of descriptive standards
– In Canada: Rules for Archival Description (RAD) –
1990 (revised 2008)
– Internationally: International Standard for Archival
Description (General) (ISAD(G)) - 1994

37. Descriptive standards
• RAD and other archival description standards
break down descriptions into a set of key
elements
• This helps archivists describe materials in a
consistent way
• …and helps users know what to expect from
an archival description

38. Key elements of an archival description described according to RAD
Name of the repository holding the material
Title of the fonds or collection
Name of the creator of the archive
Covering dates of the material
Size of the collection
Information about the creator: biographical details, history of an organization
Description of the archival materials: what they contain, the context of their
creation
Any restrictions on access
Reference number: you might need this to order materials
Custodial history of the material: how it got to the archives

39. Key principles of archival description
• Description goes from the general to the
specific
• Arrangement defines description: once the
material is arranged in a logical fashion, the
description reflects the arrangement
– Finding aids will usually give an overview of the
fonds or collection, then describe each
series, with its associated files or items

40. Sample arrangement
Imperial Order of
the Daughters of
Empire, Waterloo
Chapter records
Minutes
Minute
Book, 1966-1969
Minute
Book, 1969-1975
Correspondence
Administrative
correspondence
Thank-you letters
Other materials
Items Files
Series
Fonds

41. Level of description Contents Possible number
Fonds-level description Overview of entire fonds 2008.33
Series 1 Description of minute books 2008.33/1
Item 1 Description of minute book 1 2008.33/1/1
Item 2 Description of minute book 2 2008.33/1/2
Series 2 Description of correspondence 2008.33/2
File 1 Description of admin. corresp. 2008.33/2/1
File 2 Description of thank-you letters 2008.33/2/2
Series 3 Overall description of ‘other
materials’
2008.33/3
Textual layout of detailed finding aid
In this example, the
numbering reflects
the hierarchy of the
description.

42. Level of description Contents Possible number
Fonds-level description Overview of entire fonds 2008.33
Series 1 Description of minute books 2008.33/1
Series 2 Description of correspondence 2008.33/2
Series 3 Overall description of ‘other
materials’
2008.33/3
Alternative finding aid
A more summary
description.

43. Level of description Contents Reference number
Fonds-level description Overview of entire fonds 2008.33
Alternative finding aid
A much more
summary
description!

44. Access restrictions
• There may be charges for accessing archives
• Some records may be closed for reasons of
privacy or sensitivity
– Or simply because they are too fragile to be
handled

45. STARTING YOUR SEARCH:
FINDING ARCHIVES ONLINE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hinkelstone/2435823037/

46. ARCHIVES ASSOCIATION OF
ONTARIO RESOURCES

47. Finding Archives in Ontario
http://aao-archivists.ca/directory/DAIO.html

48. Archeion

49. Ontario’s Archive Network
• 96 archive-holding institutions across Ontario
• Over 9,000 archival fonds/collections
described
– Most at a summary level
• Some with more detailed descriptions at series or file
levels
• Nearly 13,000 individuals and organizations
identified
• http://archeion.ca

51. Repository information

54. Beyond Ontario
www.archivescanada.ca

55. In summary
• Archives have amazing, unique, rich materials
• The majority are not online
– At current rates, it will take 300-700 years to
digitize LAC’s holdings
• Online resources are a great place to start
• Archivists love to have people use their
collections
– Use them or lose them

56. http://www.flickr.com/photos/squashvalleyproduce/6029647128/