Celebrating BC Archives Awareness Week
November 2024
Photo Credit: Cariboo Camel: W.H. Smith, A. McPhail or Adam Heffley, Grande Prairie BC. A-00347, BC Archives.
Each year, during the third week of November, we recognize BC Archives Awareness Week, celebrating the nearly 200 archival institutions across British Columbia and the importance of preserving our shared history.
In honour of this week, we want to shine a light on the BC Archives. The provincial government has collected archival records since 1894, and in 1908, the Provincial Archives was formally established with a mandate to collect and preserve material of provincial significance. Today, the BC Archives houses over 8.5 million records, including 31 linear kilometres of textual documents, 181,000 maps, and more than 5 million photographs.
The BC Archives welcomes close to 90,000 visitors each year, in-person and online. Staff retrieve more than 5,000 record containers for researchers annually, respond to approximately 5,000 inquiries, and reproduce over 13,000 pages of records for various requests.
The current location of the BC Archives opened in 1970, and in 2026, it will move to the Royal BC Museum PARC Campus. This relocation is essential to ensure the continued care of British Columbia’s archival holdings, reducing the risk of damage to these invaluable records and enhancing remote access through improved digitization facilities.
The BC Archives at PARC Campus will include:
- Modern Research Facilities: A reading room with private study areas, lockers to access materials outside of staffed hours, and a community digitization space (“DigiLab”) featuring multiple scanning stations.
- Advanced Technology and Amenities: New research equipment, modern furniture, and a welcoming lobby area to foster collaboration across disciplines.
- Flexible Learning and Event Spaces: Dedicated areas for groups, educators, and community events, along with a versatile multi-purpose room for lectures and activities.
- Enhanced Storage Solutions: Onsite cold and cool storage vaults for preserving audio and visual materials, and compact shelving for efficient collection storage and management.
- Visitor Accessibility: Improved facilities designed to enhance the overall research experience and community engagement.
Share your Feedback
The BC Archives is actively seeking feedback on ways to optimize service in this new space. If you have thoughts to share, please email engage@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or complete the online survey before December 31, 2024.
BC Archives Upcoming Events
To learn more about the BC Archives and the preservation of British Columbia’s heritage, join us at the following events:
- Live at Lunch: BC Archives Awareness Week. Join our archivists and learn about the history, collections, and role of the provincial archives along with how the documentary heritage of the province is preserved.
- November 20, 2024 at 12:00pm – BC Archives
- Genealogy Boot Camp: Explore the extensive tools and resources available at the BC Archives for family history research and learn how to uncover your family’s roots in British Columbia.
- November 21, 2024 at 5:30pm – Online
- November 24, 2024 at 9:00am – BC Archives
More information is available on the Royal BC Museum’s events page.
Join us in celebrating the significance of the British Columbia’s archives and the history preserved for future generations!