Acquisitions

The BC Archives collects both government and private records. These records are acquired in two very different ways. Government records are acquired through scheduled record transfers. Private records are acquired from private individuals, families, institutions and organizations. Each records transfer that is accepted into the archives is identified as an accession.

Acquisition of government records

Under the Information Management Act (SBC 2015, c. 27), records created by BC government agencies that are identified for permanent retention are transferred to the BC Archives according to approved information schedules. These schedules specify how long records are retained by the creating agency and their final disposition—what ultimately becomes of them.

Government Records Services (GRS) is the government agency responsible for overseeing the final disposition of government records. GRS staff appraise, select and document the disposition of government records. Once this process is complete, records identified for permanent retention are transferred to the BC Archives.

Acquisition of private records

Private records are acquired primarily by donation from private individuals, organizations or associations.

Donations are accepted if they meet our criteria: that is, if they are provincially significant. We may also refuse donations if they are better suited to another institution.

If you are interested in donating records to the BC Archives, please see Donating Records.

Donating Records

The BC Archives acquires archival records from private individuals, families, institutions and organizations that are historically significant to the province of British Columbia.

As we prepare to move to a new collections and research building (CRB) in 2026, we have reduced capacity to accommodate new acquisitions and are no longer accepting donations at this time. Exceptions may be made for items of considerable cultural or provincial significance.

Records we may consider at this time:

• Accruals to existing fonds at the BC Archives
• Records from BC communities currently underrepresented in the Archives collection
• Records from BC organizations or companies who are ceasing operation
• Records from individuals or companies who played a significant role in the Province of British Columbia

All donation requests must be submitted using our archival donation form. An archivist will contact you within one month after your submission if they wish to discuss your donation further.

If you are interested in donating your records, please see Donating Records (pamphlet)

This pamphlet includes considerations you need to make before deciding to donate your records, the criteria we use to determine what records we can accept and information on tax receipting.

Items that the BC Archives does not acquire include:

• Newspapers, newspaper clippings, magazines or scrapbooks (unless part of a bigger fonds)
• Self-published family histories
• Photos that have no identifying information
• Material that has no relevance to British Columbia
• Objects such as furniture, dolls, clothing, coins, etc., should be directed to the Museum.

For donations of published material, please email
archiveslibrary@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Unsolicited donations mailed to or left at the Royal BC Museum will be returned to the donor, or appropriately disposed of if return contact information is not provided.

Other Resources

To learn more about the government and private records we have, see:

To donate artifacts to the museum, please see Modern History.