About the Archives

General Information
Undertaking Research
Protecting Your Personal Privacy at the Archives
Archival Terminology

 

The Queen's University Archives is open to the public Monday to Friday year round (except for the period from Christmas to New Year's). Facilities and services include a public reading room, research consultation services, research retrieval and reprographic service. We welcome you to visit us at Kathleen Ryan Hall.

During the initial visit to the Queen's University Archives, researchers are asked to complete a registration form. Researchers should discuss their research project with the reference archivist on duty in the reading room. During the interview, the archivist will make the researcher aware of the major holdings available at the Queen's University Archives relating to their topic. The archivist will explain the finding aids, and online database, as well as important reference tools available in the reading room. Finding aids and lists of collections for other archival repositories are also available for consultation.

Queen's University Archives is committed to protecting the privacy of all the individuals that it serves. The Archives operates under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of Ontario. The purposes and regulations on the collection and use of your personal information at Queen's Archives is outlined in the following document:

Queen's University Archives Privacy Statement

Your first visit to the Archives will undoubtedly introduce you to words and terms never before encountered. Here is a translation of what the Archivist is talking about:

• Fonds (pron. fohn) - archival documents that have been naturally accumulated (made or received) by an individual, company, institution, etc. as a byproduct of business or day-to-day activities.
• Collection - archival documents that have been artificially accumulated through conscious collection practices.
• Accrual - an addition of records made to a fonds or collection.
• Accession - a process by which fonds or accruals are registered and made part of the Archives' holdings.
• Provenance - the creator or custodian from whom a fonds is acquired.