City of Calgary Archives

City of Calgary Archives

• Municipal

Corporate Records, Archives was established in 1981 April with a limited mandate. It was a part of the Archives and Records Division of the City Clerk's Department, which was under the direction of The City's first Archivist. The Glenbow Institute served as the repository for The City's historical records from 1973 until the establishment of the Archives. The majority of records were repatriated to The City of Calgary in 1987. Further City of Calgary records have been repatriated in subsequent years.

In 1990, the Archives established its own state-of-the-art, environmentally controlled storage facility, as well as a reading room.

Since its inception the Archives has been under the jurisdiction of City Clerk's. The mandate has been continually expanded to include the acquisition of private records as well as civic government records and the development of formal archival policies and procedures.

The City of Calgary Archives operates under the guidance of several Administration Policies, including: the Archival Records Policy GN-017(B); Information Governance Policy IM-IT-003; Intellectual Property Management Policy GN-019(D); and Records Disposition Policy GN-013(B).
As stated in The City of Calgary’s Intellectual Property Management Policy, intellectual property held by City of Calgary Archives is governed by the Archives’ policies, as well as copyright and other legislation.

The Administration Services Division of the City Clerk's Office consists of:
•The Administration section which is responsible for providing general administration in the Business Unit, coordinating protocol, citizen recognitions, hosting, and events related to protocol and recognitions, providing external and internal telecommunications and telecasting for Council and internal services for Committees of Council.
•The Corporate Records section which is responsible for Security, maintenance and access to the Corporate Record. Corporate Records is made up of Records Management and Archives.

It is the purpose of City of Calgary Archives to identify, acquire, preserve, and make accessible, archival material in the form of civic and private records, which document the structure, functions, activities, and history of The Corporation of The City of Calgary and its predecessors. The primary focus of the Archives' acquisition guideline is the preservation and accessibility of The City's archival records. Archival records are those selected for permanent retention through the archival appraisal process. The Archives seeks to increase public appreciation and awareness of The City's history through its outreach program.

Total Volume: 3500 metres<BR>Inclusive Dates: 1884 to present<BR>Predominant Dates: 1894-1975<br><br>The City of Calgary Archives maintains the corporate memory of the City of Calgary. As the official repository of all civic records of enduring value, the Archives acquires, preserves and makes these records available to City staff and the general public. The holdings consist of the operational records of the civic administration and include Council minutes, bylaws and contract agreements, records documenting decisions and policies of City Council, civic business units and agencies, records documenting civic functions, significant events and programs, such as reports, studies, briefs, photographs, maps, assessment records, voters lists, and municipal handbooks. The Archives is also the official repository for records relating to the XV Olympic Winter Games, mainly those of the Organizing Committee, OCO '88. These consist of agreements, correspondence, photographs, blueprints, posters, pamphlets, reports, artifacts, audio tapes, and the original broadcast videotapes.

Fonds level descriptions are available on Alberta on Record. Paper inventories, and in some cases digital finding aids, for processed fonds are available in the City of Calgary Archives Reading Room.

Please contact the Archives to book an appointment to visit. Appointments are Mondays to Fridays 9:00am - 12:00pm or 1:00pm - 4:00pm. We are closed on statutory holidays.

The Civic Parkade, located off of 9th Avenue and Macleod Trail SE, is open 24 hours and you can check their website for stall availability and rates at http://www.calgaryparking.com/web/guest/parkinglots/lot36 .Alternatively, City of Calgary Archives is located right off the City Hall (South) C-Train platform and is wheel chair accessible.

The Reference Archivist will be available to assist researchers in using finding aids and locating records but researchers are required to conduct their own in-depth research. Researchers wishing to hire a professional research consultant for assistance are provided with a listing of independent research consultants.

The Archives makes available records to be copied, subject to current copyright law, by offering several choices depending on the medium of the records. Digital photography of Archives’ records by researchers is allowed. Personal scanning devices are not allowed. The Reference Archivist can provide the researcher with basic photocopying and paper copies can be made directly from the micro-form reader/printers. Researchers wishing to print their research results will be charged the Council-approved rate of $0.50 per page + GST. Other fees apply for digital and oversize copies. Payment in advance is required for all reproduction orders (excluding regular photocopying) and must be taken at the time the order is placed. The Archives can accept payment by either cash, cheque, debit or credit card.

Guest WiFi is available in the Reading Room.

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