Resources
Archives, Libraries & Museums
Archives & Libraries
A growing number of repositories are making inventories of their holdings available to researchers through the Internet. Some repositories, such as the British Columbia Archives, have also digitized documents and images which can be viewed and downloaded. Herewith a few sites that should interest students of history at VIU and elsewhere.
British Columbia Archives
Here researchers can look at finding aids to government records and to access hundreds of historical maps and thousands of historical photographs. Researchers can also search the Archives' online Library catalogue by author, subject or title. The online catalogue supplements the holdings listed in the Boam Dictionary catalogue (described in Part II of the Local Library & Archival resources page on this web site).
British Columbia Archival Information Network Union List [BCAUL].
Created and maintained by the Archives Association of British Columbia [AABC]. The list describes the holdings of nearly 200 archival repositories in British Columbia. The BCAUL site includes a searchable data base, which allows researchers to search by repository, by subject, or by creator.
City of Victoria Archives
The City of Victoria Archives acquires, preserves and provides access to civic and private records documenting the history of Victoria, British Columbia. This web site is well organized and provides information on many city records. It also includes a searchable database to obituaries and marriage announcements published in Victoria newspapers, 1901-1939, and an index to Victoria's historic Ross Bay cemetery, 1870-1980.
Nanaimo Community Archives
The Nanaimo Community Archives is sponsored by the City of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island University, the Nanaimo District Museum, the Nanaimo Historical Society, and community donations. Holdings include documents, photographs, maps, memorabilia and other materials from the public and private sectors including the municipal government, community and service organizations, families and individuals. Records date from 1852 to the present with materials from 1874 (the year Nanaimo was incorporated as a city) to 1952 predominating.
Library and Archives of Canada
The National Archives and the National Library of Canada were amalgamated in 2003 to create the Library and Archives of Canada. The web site is impressive. It includes links to virtual exhibitions, online publications and the online research tool called ArchiviaNet, which provides access to finding aids and thematic guides to manuscripts and government records.
This site provides access to the National Library's catalogues, reference materials, and exhibitions. The NLC's Digital Projects are particularly useful for students of Canadian history. The Projects provide resources and research tools on a wide variety of themes and topics, including Canadian city directories, Exploration, Gardening, Confederation, Heroes in Fact and Fiction, and Sheet Music from the First World War Era. A "Virtual Gramaphone" provides audio files for sound recordings from 1914 to 1920.
University of British Columbia Special Collections & Archives
UBC Library's Special Collections and University Archives Division houses an outstanding collection of rare books and Canadiana; extensive archival research materials, originating from within and outside the University; and important collections of historic maps and photographs. It also receives and maintains theses by UBC graduate students. Descriptive finding aids to textual records and digitized images of nearly 30,000 photographs are accessible from this site.
Canadian Archival Resources on the Internet
A comprehensive listing and guide to archival repositories across Canada. Originally maintained by the History Department and the University of Saskatchewan, the site is now part of the Canadian Archival Information Network.
Museums
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation Site
A national treasure and easily one of the most informative, visually arresting history sites anywhere on the web. The front page provides access to the Canadian Museum of Civilization and its Virtual Museum, with information and high resolution displays of artifacts on Canadian history (including First Peoples, Folk Art, and Canada's postal heritage). This page also connects to the Canadian War Museum, which offers interactive exhibits on the First World War and authoritative essays on such topics at the Canadian Women's Army Corps and Canada & NATO. As well, this site opens to the Virtual Museum of New France.
Nanaimo District Museum
The museum moved into a spacious new facility in 2008. It holds an extensive collection of artifacts and photographs relating to Nanaimo and mid-Vancouver Island. It is also the guardian of the only remaining, original Hudson's Bay Company bastion left in North America. The bastion was built in 1853.
Royal British Columbia Museum
The RBCM is nevertheless a valuable resource for students of history in British Columbia. Particularly useful are the research papers by museum curators and co-op students on topics relating to conservation, human history, and natural history.