| Archives
of Ontario
Customer Service Guide 103
Our Mandate and Holdings
The Special Collections Unit of the Archives
of Ontario is responsible for preserving and providing access
to approximately 1.7 million photographs, 190,000 architectural
drawings, 35,000 maps, and 4,000 items of documentary art.
These have been created and collected by private individuals,
organizations and the Government of Ontario. They document
the people, places and events in the province from as early
as the seventeenth century to the present. These records
complement the extensive textual holdings of the Archives.
Using the Special Collections Reading Room
Special Collections records are accessible only through
the Special Collections Reading Room, one of the three reading
rooms at the Archives of Ontario.
Location: 2nd Floor, 77 Grenville Street,
Toronto, ON, M5S 1B3
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday,
8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except statutory holidays). No
appointment is necessary.
Telephone: (416) 327-1552 or toll free
within Ontario 1-800-668-9933
Registration: All new researchers must
present identification at the Main Reading Room Registration
Desk located on the main floor. Acceptable identification
includes: driver’s licence, passport, university
or college ID card, birth certificate, S.I.N. card, Senior
Citizen’s card, or Government of Ontario employee
ID card. Credit and business cards are not acceptable.
Researchers will then obtain a Researcher's Pass that
is valid for one year.
Coats and bags: Coats and bags must be
left in the Main Reading Room Registration Area before
proceeding to the Special Collections Reading Room. Lockers
are available in the Main Reading Room Registration Area.
Sign-in: All researchers must sign-in
at the Main Reading Room Registration Desk before going
to the Special Collections Reading Room. You must also
sign-in at the Special Collections Reading Room and show
your Researcher's Pass to the Reference Archivist. Please
remember to sign-out at the Registration Desk before leaving
for the day.
Accessing the Records
Finding aids: Inventories are available
in both the Main Reading Room and the Special Collections
Reading Room along with a subject/title/name card catalogue.
Researchers can also access the Archives
Descriptive Database and Visual
Database from the Archives’
web site (www.archives.gov.on.ca). Please consult
the Special Collections Reference Archivist for assistance.
Retrieval: A request slip must be completed
to order material. Retrieval of most material is on demand.
The last retrieval is at 4:30 p.m. Materials may be used
in the Special Collections Reading Room only and must
be returned at the end of each day.
Handling: The Special Collections Reference
Archivist will supply the gloves and soft-lead (2B) pencils
that must be used while viewing Special Collections material.
Assistance is available for the safe handling of particularly
large or fragile items. For more information on handling
archival records, please see Customer
Service Guide 101 : Reading Room Rules.
Legal Restrictions: Access to some records
may be restricted because the Archives must comply with
provincial and federal legislation; however, most legal
restrictions are time limited. For terms regarding specific
records, see access and copyright terms in the finding
aid descriptions or talk to the Special Collections Reference
Archivist for details. Access to some government records
is restricted under the Freedom
of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Access is restricted to some private records by third
parties, i.e. donor restrictions.
Restrictions on Reproduction: Researchers
should consult with the Special Collections Reference
Archivist to determine if reproduction is possible and
for advice on the most appropriate format. Please note
that photocopying of photographs and most original Special
Collections material is not permitted. For more information
about reproduction processes, fees and payment policies
please see: Customer
Service Guide 105: Reproduction Services
and Fees. The Archives must abide by Copyright laws. Please
consult Customer
Service Guide 108: Copyright and Your Research
for details.
Restrictions Due to Preservation: Access
may also be restricted for preservation purposes.
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