Visiting the Archives
The Archives of Ontario has moved to a new purpose built facility located on the
grounds of York University. For hours of
operations and directions to our facility, click here. There is parking
on site and access to York campus is served by TTC and GO –Transit.
Ahead of a visit to our facility, it is important to know what your research
aims are, if the Archives has, or is likely to have the records you seeking, and
if you are going to need copies, particularly certified copies (for legal
purposes) of the records you have identified.
Most of the records managed by the Archives of Ontario are located in off-site
storage and only the most frequently requested records are located in our
facility. As a result, you must notify us of the off-site records (at least to the
carton number) you wish to see, a minimum of one day ahead of your planned visit
to our facility. This will ensure that the records you want are on-site when you
visit. Records that are located within our facility can be provided with a couple
of hours notice.
Ahead of your visit, we strongly recommend you consult this web site and check
our research guides, finding aids and databases (see sections 2-7) to determine
if you can directly identify the record you are seeking, or determine if we are
likely we have them. This web site has access to the same research tools we
have in our facility.
In the event you have a question about our records or customer services please
contact our Reference Desk at
reference@ontario.ca.
FAQs About Visiting Archives
How much time will it take to research at the Archives?
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This depends on the scope and
nature of your research. Archival research can be exciting and challenging. It
can also be time consuming.
-
Archival records are more complex and difficult to
research than in a library, particularly as there is no
single subject index for the collection. As a result, if
your inquiry is complex or you are doing detailed
research you may well need more than one visit. Planning
ahead of your visit will significantly increase the
efficiency of your visit to us.
Registration
Anyone may visit the Archives of Ontario. To use our reading
room, you must have a Research Registration Card which will be
issued to you on your first visit. Our Customer Service Lead on
duty at the entrance to the Reading Room will issue your card
when you fill out a short form and present acceptable
identification. Acceptable identification includes, but is not
limited to: driver's licence, passport, student card, birth
certificate, Senior Citizen's card, or Government of Ontario
employee ID card. Credit and business cards are not acceptable.
Please note:
- You must show your Research Registration
Card each time
you visit the Archives and scan it each time you enter
and leave our reading room. It is used to connect you to
your orders.
- The Archives has a lounge. In order to protect the
collection, food and drink are not permitted in the
reading room and restricted to the lounge.
- For security purposes personal belongings including
briefcases, purses, backpacks, folders,
umbrellas, and outerwear such as overcoats and raincoats
must be stored in the lockers located in the lounge. For
a key to a locker, please contact the reception desk
upon your arrival.
- Wallets, research notes, laptop
computers, digital cameras and personal dictation
machines may be taken into the reading room.
- Archival records are unique and irreplaceable. We
have established guidelines to protect our province's
documentary heritage for future generations. Please take
a moment to read
Customer Service Guide 101: Reading Room Rules.
- There are no charges for access to any of the
collection held by the Archives
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What if I have special needs?
At the Archives of Ontario, ensuring that our
building, services and holdings are accessible for all
our visitors is important to us. We aim to create an
environment that makes you feel welcome.
We
provide full access to all our public areas; there is an
elevator to upper floors and the building is
wheelchair-friendly. We also have a range of facilities
in our reading room to help you with your research.
Please
contact us
before your visit if you have any questions about
accessibility
Use of the Reading Room
On-site retrievals
Many government and private records as well as all
library material are stored at our facility in climate
controlled vaults. To view these records please contact
our Circulation Desk at the back of the Reading Room.
Records that are held on site are retrieved from the
vaults on an hourly basis.
Records and Papers Request Slips must be presented to the Circulation
Desk. Records will be retrieved and brought to
the circulation desk for pick-up, usually by twenty
minutes past the hour. Please see Ordering Original
Records and Library Material to the Reading Room.
| Circulation Desk Retrieval Times:
|
9:30 am |
10:30 am |
11:30 am |
12:30 pm |
| |
1:30 pm |
2:30 pm |
3:30 pm |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Please return all
archival material by 4:30
pm |
|
|
|
Off-site retrievals
These will take one day to be delivered from their storage
vault to the Reading Room. They can be ordered ahead of your
visit by contacting
reference@ontario.ca or from the Circulation Desk in our
Reading Room.
Any record held by the Archives can be ordered in this way with
the exception of microfilm.
|
Service Response Times: |
|
| |
Standard Off-site Retrievals |
– 1 business day |
| |
Cool Storage (Off-site) |
– 1 to 2 business days |
| |
Cold Storage (Off-site) |
– 3 to 5 business days |
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Microfilm in the Reading Room
Using Microfilm Readers and Making Copies
The Archives of Ontario has microfilmed important and
heavily-used records in order to preserve them and to provide
better access. Approximately 48,000 reels of microfilm are
available in the Rotunda (adjacent to the Reading Room) for
self-service use. You have direct self-serve access to
microfilmed records in the storage cabinets adjacent to the Rotunda. To
determine which microfilm reels you wish to use, please contact
Reference Archivist for directions.
Within the Rotunda are a range of microfilm and microfiche
readers. Some machines are also set up to make paper copies of
your records for you (for a nominal fee). Contact the
Circulation Desk for directions on both use of the reader
printers and direction on which machines are set up to print.
Major Archives of Ontario Collections on Microfilm include:
- Vital Statistics:
- Births: 1869 to 1912
- Deaths: 1869 to 1937
- Marriages: ca. 1780 to 1927 (pre-1869 records are very incomplete)
- Wills and Estate Files: c. 1790 to 1930 (dates will vary depending on the county).
- Newspapers: The Archives has microfilmed most of its newspaper holdings, including a large selection of older Ontario newspapers.
- Eaton's Mail-order Catalogues: 1884-1976
The Archives also provides access to some Library and Archives Canada microfilm including:
- Ontario Census Returns: 1842, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901
- Upper Canada Land Petitions: 1792-1867
- Ships Passenger Lists: 1865-1919
See our Register of Microfilm Collections from Other Institutions for a complete listing of the Archives' microfilm holdings from other institutions.
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Using Original Archival Records
In many cases, the records that you will be consulting at the
Archives of Ontario are original historical records. These
include paper files, bound volumes, photographic prints, maps
and plans, architectural drawings or audio tape. Many of these
records are fragile and almost all are unique and irreplaceable.
The preservation and security of these records is one of our
chief concerns.
The greatest threat to archival records is improper and
careless handling. To protect the province's documentary
heritage for future generations, we have established
reading room rules and guidelines for the handling of
archival records. Please
take a moment to read these guidelines before using the
Archives records.
Under no circumstances will original archival records be removed from the Archives of Ontario.
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Obtaining Copies of Archival Material
You can purchase hard copies of most archival material and
many can be provided to you in PDF format.
The Archives of Ontario can provide one copy of material in our holdings for research and private study when no restrictions apply. Any further copying or use of the material (for example publication) is subject to the restrictions imposed by the Copyright Act.
Researchers can make their own copies of documents by using a personal
digital camera in the Reading Room. Any other type of copying must be done
by a member of Staff. For details, please see
Customer Service Guide 105: Reproduction Services and
Fees.
In some cases copies cannot be made:
- The agreement with the donor of some private sector records may not allow copying.
- The records are too fragile or damaged to be copied.
- Access to the records is otherwise restricted because of legislation such as the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Mental Health Act, the Young Offenders Act etc.
Please note that for conservation reasons, photographs cannot be photocopied.
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What if I plan to publish copies of
archival material?
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How do I cite archival records in my publication?
- The correct citation of archival records is important both when
requesting them from the Archives and when referring to them in written or
published works. Correct citations will not only help us to locate the
records you are seeking, but will also help other researchers to find the
material you have used if they wish to examine it for themselves. Please
see Customer Service Guide 107: Guide to Citing Archival Records.
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Access to Some Material May be Restricted
Before making a visit to the Archives of Ontario, be aware that some records may not be immediately available for your use. Access to records may be restricted for the following reasons:
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Some government records contain sensitive personal information or other confidential data. While everyone has a right to information held by the Ontario government, including your own personal information, the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act places some limits on this right. Please see our Customer Service Guide 109: Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy for more information on the Act and how it may affect your research.
Donor Agreements
Some private records have been donated to the Archives with certain conditions on access as part of the donation agreement. For example, some records may not be available until a number of years have passed or until a donor has died. However, most private records are open to the public. Any restrictions on them are explained in the description of the records.
Fragility of Records
In some cases, documents may be so fragile that they cannot be made available for research use. Generally, a copy of the document is available, sometimes in another format such as microfilm.