Conducting Research


Queen’s Archives and the Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)

Universities in Ontario are subject to the Ontario Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy Act. Therefore, provision of access to university records held in the Archives at Queen's University follows the requirements of the Act.

For information on the Act, the Regulations and other access and privacy guidelines see:

Using University Records at the Archives

  • Under the Act, access to university records is open except for certain very specific restrictions. Please consult the archivist or the Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy (FIPPA) Contact in the Archives for help with your access rights and the restrictions.
  • All university records that might otherwise have been restricted and that do NOT contain personal information are open twenty years after their creation.
  • Any personal information about an individual that is collected by the University during the course of its activities and is contained in university records in the Archives will be protected from disclosure.
  • Personal information about an individual is open only to that individual upon request. For access to any of your own information that might be held in university records in the Archives, please contact an archivist or the Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy (FIPPA) Contact in the Archives for help.
  • Personal information held in the Archives is protected and cannot be disclosed until 30 years after the death of the individual.

Using Non-University Records at the Archives

The private (non-university) papers of individuals and organizations, (with some few exceptions), are not subject to the Act but only to any restrictions imposed by the donor of the material. Please consult with an archivist when beginning your research.

Protecting Your Personal Privacy at the Archives

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 (PDF 80 KB)

Copyright

  • The researcher assumes all responsibility in seeking the appropriate permission to make use of unpublished documents.
  • As a general rule, no document produced by a person still living may be quoted, paraphrased, or used in any way without the written consent of the author.
  • The University Archives does not hold copyright on all of the material in its holdings. Under Canadian copyright law, copyright to unpublished material resides with the creator, his/her heirs or literary executors. Please consult with an Archivist to determine what copyright restrictions apply to specific material.
  • The researcher must file a copy of the consent of the copyright holder with the University Archives before any item or any part of an item is published. Queen's University Archives is to be credited as the location of the original in any publication.
  • It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permissions for access to restricted material. The researcher must file a copy of the of the research agreement with the University Archives, and will be required to sign a separate document agreeing to the conditions set on the research use of that material.

Queen's University Archives will not be held responsible for any matter that may arise as a result of violation of copyright.

For further information on Copyright legislation, you may also wish to consult the following websites:

Undertaking Research

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.

Researchers for Hire

Queen’s University Archives (QUA) maintains a list of student and local researchers who, for a fee, will conduct research. Queen’s University Archives provides this list as a reference tool for members of the general public who may wish to hire an independent researcher to conduct research at Queen’s University Archives. If you would like research assistance beyond what Queen’s University Archives has been able to provide, please consult the list of researchers for hire.

The individuals listed below have self-identified as researchers. They are neither employees nor agents of Queen’s University Archives and should be consulted personally about their fees, services, credentials, and areas of specialization. QUA does not certify or confirm the credentials of any of the individuals named in this list and cannot be held responsible for any claims, damages or losses resulting from the use of this list, or any part thereof, by any person.

Name of Researcher

Contact Information and Areas of Expertise

Carlie Visser

15cdv@queensu.ca

Intellectual history; social and political thought; Feminism, gender, and women's organizing; political economy; labour history; the history of race, racism, and whiteness; general researcher.

Harrison Dressler

22hd4@queensu.ca

Disability history; labour history; the history of education; total institutions;  social history; the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; general researcher

Chris Greencorn

chris.greencorn@queensu.ca

Canadian social and cultural history, anthropology; non-textual and audiovisual records, esp. music and recorded sound collections; oral/local/family histories; Queen’s University records.

Bruce Murduck

bruce.murduck@family-historian.com

Genealogical focus; City of Kingston records, Queen’s University records; special interest in the records of individuals and groups moving to, and through, Upper Canada, Canada West, and Ontario, Canada, 1775 to today. 
 

If you wish to be added to this list please reach out to archives@queensu.ca.

Archival Terminology

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.

Citing Archival Sources

It is very important to correctly cite the archival sources used in any work that will be made available to others. You and future researchers need a complete and accurate citation to access or obtain copies of the same material.

Different disciplines and institutions may require differing citation styles. This guide suggests a style for citing archival records held by the Queen’s University Archives. Each citation is tailored to the archival source being used.

Published sources from the QUA Library can be cited using the standard formats prescribed in guides like The Chicago Manual of Style.

Tip: An accurate citation starts when you order records in the Reading Room.

  • Fill out your request slips with as much information as possible, including the full Location Code, Title and Date of the item being requested. Consult a Reference Archivist for assistance in filling out your request slip.
  • The Location Codes that you fill out are the basis of your citations.

There are two types of citations:

Footnotes/Endnotes

Bibliographic Entries

  • cite the specific source referred to in the work
  • information about the source is arranged from the specific to the general
  • each element of information is separated by a comma
  • list the fonds/series consulted
  • information about the fonds/series is arranged from the general to the specific
  • each element of information is separated by a period

Include the following elements of information in this order:

  1. Description of the item (creator, title, date, if known)
  2. File title, series title and fonds/collection title
  3. Location - as complete as possible, including Locator, Box Number, File Number, and Item Number, if possible

Include the following elements of information in this order:

  1. Repository (Queen’s University Archives)
  2. Location (e.g. 5009-8-2, or V28-A-Foot-1955-1)
  3. Fonds and series titles
  4. Optional – Description of the item (creator, title, date). Use this option to specify a source if a corresponding footnote or endnote was not used.

Citation Examples

(N) - Footnote/Endnote Citation (B) – Bibliographic Entry

File in a fonds or collection:

Note Type

Example

N

2 Kenyan Pottery, 1986, Exhibition files series, Agnes Etherington Art Centre fonds,  Locator 3737-1-18, Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. Locator 3737. Agnes Etherington Art Centre fonds. Exhibition files series.

Item in a fonds or collection:

Note Type

Example

N

6 Letter from Thoreau MacDonald to Lorne Pierce, 1938 June 28, Correspondence series, Lorne Pierce fonds,  Locator 2001-7-2-35, Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. Locator 2001. Lorne Pierce fonds. Correspondence series.

Photograph:

Note Type

Example

N

13 Douglas Library [photograph], ca. 1936, Buildings series, Queen’s Picture Collection, V28-B-Doug-13, Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. V28-B. Queen’s Picture Collection. Buildings series.

Sound Recording:

Note Type

Example

N

1 Special Convocation to Honour Franklin Delano Roosevelt [sound recording], Aug. 18, 1938, Queen’s University Convocation collection, SR 161, Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. SR 161. Queen’s University Convocation collection.

Moving Image:

Note Type

Example

N

24 Football Playoffs - Queen's (11) vs. McGill (0) [motion picture film], 1961, Football films series, Frank Tindall fonds, MI 125.18, Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. MI 125. Frank Tindall fonds. Football films series.

Architectural Drawing:

Note Type

Example

N

12 Design of a private residence for Dr. McCammon (Kingston) [architectural drawing], 23 May 1882, Robert Gage Drawings series, Kingston Architectural Drawings collection, VO 36-35(xv), Queen’s University Archives.

B

Queen’s University Archives. VO 36-35. Kingston Architectural Drawings collection. Robert Gage Drawings series.