Advanced Search - Groups of Archival Records
Use this search option to search descriptions of the groups of archival
records in the Archives' collection.
Archival records are not organized by subject but rather into groups based on
the person, organization, or government of Ontario office that created them.
These groups are called fonds, series and sub-series.
Descriptions of these groups of records answer such questions as:
- How much and what type of material is this?
- When was it created?
- What personal or governmental activities generated these records?
- How can I view these records?
- Are there restrictions on access to these records?
A description of a group of archival records may also include links to other
related descriptions including:
- a list of all of the files and items that make up the group of records
- a description of the person, group, or office of the Ontario government
that created the records
- links to other related groups of records
For more information on how archival records are organized,
please see How Archival Records Are Organized.
Search Tips
Keyword:
All or any of these keywords and
exact phrase searching:
- Use All of these keywords to get hits that contain all
of the keywords that you have chosen.
Example: entering the keywords “milk” and
“cheese” will return descriptions that include both of these words.
- Use Any of these keywords to get hits that contain any of
the keywords chosen.
Example: entering the keywords milk and
cheese will return descriptions that include either or both of
these words.
- Use Exact Phrase to get hits that contain your keywords
in the order you have entered them.
Example: entering the keywords “water
quality” will return descriptions including that exact phrase.
General Keyword Search Tips:
- You can truncate your search using * . This will locate words that have a
common beginning.
Example: Entering farm* will match farm, farming, farmer,
farmers etc.
- Common words will be ignored. These include: the, a, an, in, of, and,
these .
- Keyword in Title:
- Use this field to limit your keyword search to the title of a group of
archival records.
- Choose a format:
- You may limit your search to a particular format or formats (e.g.
photographs, architectural drawings or maps) by using the check boxes. For
example checking “Maps” and “Sound Recordings” will limit your search to
material in those formats.
- Level of Description:
- Groups of archival records are organized into
different “levels” of description. Select a level of description from the drop
down menu. For more information on levels of description, please see
How Archival Records Are Organized.
- Start and End Date:
- You may limit your search to records that were created during a
particular time period. You may limit your search to a year (e.g. 1920) or
a range of years, separated by a dash (e.g. 1939-1945).
- Archival Reference Code:
- Each group of records is assigned a unique reference code (e.g. F 245-1,
RG 2-45, C 5). If you know the reference code for a particular group of
records, you can search for it using this field.
- Former Code:
- In some cases, archival records have been re-organized and a new
reference code has been assigned. If you know an old reference code, you may
search for the old code by entering the information here.
