Archives & Research Requests

Make an appointment with the archives department by phone (250-362-7722) or e-mail (archives@ rosslandmuseum.ca).

Please provide a detailed explanation of what you are seeking - include as much information as possible! - so we can prepare the relevant material before you arrive.

When you arrive at the Museum, let the front desk staff know that you have a research appointment, and we’ll show you to the Research Room.

Archival documents are fragile, so we’ll ask you to wash your hands. We’ll also give you a copy of our research policy!

When you arrive, we will have pulled out relevant records based on the information you provided when making the appointment. Unlike libraries, archives do not permit public access to the stack areas. Instead, Museum staff will collect the material that interests you and bring it to the Research Room for you to peruse at your leisure.

If you have further questions or want to check out other records, let us know! We can always gather more records for you.

Generally, you can conduct your own research at the Museum for free! However, a fee may be charged for projects requiring more extensive staff involvement.

A fee will be charged for

• Staff time gathering the necessary information

  • The first 15 minutes of staff time to help with your request are provided free of charge. Beyond that, we request a minimum donation of $25 per 30 minutes of staff time

• Photocopies:

  • Single Sided

    • $0.25 per 8.5” x 11” page

    • $0.50 per 11” x 17” page

  • Double Sided

    • $0.40 per 8.5” × 11” page

    • $0.75 per 11” x 17” page

Researchers are reminded that they are working with historical, archival records which are unique and often very fragile. In order to protect this material, we ask that the following conditions be observed:

• Coats, briefcases, parcels, personal books, etc. are left in the designated area.

• Hands must be washed and completely dried before any documents are handled. Gloves may be required for some material.

• Eating and drinking are prohibited in the Reading Room. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the premises.

• Please refrain from wearing fragrances.

• No ink is allowed in the Reading Room - all notes must be taken using a pencil, laptop, or audio recorder.

• Please do not place open volumes face down, remove more than one folder from a box at a time, or rearrange the order of any documents. Do not use sticky notes to mark locations, trace maps or other records, or place paper for note-taking on the archival documents.

• Leave records on the table when you are finished with them, letting the archive staff know that you are finished. Notify the staff if you need the documents the next day.

• Material cannot be removed from the research room. Copies of documents can be made for a fee. Photographs (no flash) of documents are allowed for research purposes only.

Once you’ve submitted your research request form, we will be in touch to let you know what assistance we will be able to provide.

We will conduct fifteen minutes of research free of charge, then let you know what we have found. If your research puzzle needs more time, we request a minimum donation of $25 per thirty minutes of staff time.

If you want us to continue pursuing the topic, we’ll be sure to check in with regularly to let us know what we’ve found!

Please note that due to high demand for our services, it may take several days for an initial response to be sent.

We generally try to complete research requests within 30 days, but it can take longer, depending on a) the scope of the research puzzle; b) our internal capacity at the time

We will conduct fifteen minutes of research free of charge, then let you know what we have found. If your research puzzle needs more time, we request a minimum donation of $25 per 30 minutes of staff time.

Alternatively, you can make an appointment to come to our archives in-person to do your own research (more info above).