2002 marked the tenth anniversary of on-site services in the Vancouver Office of the Government Records Branch of the National Archives of Canada. This regional arm of the National Archives is a very different place than it was in July of 1992, when the first two regional archivists were hired. That summer, Jay Gilbert and Heather MacNeil took on the ominous task of charting unknown regional archival territory, with the establishment of the Vancouver Pilot Project. Their goal was to acquire, select, control, and provide access to government records transferred from the offices of federal departments in British Columbia and the Yukon. Rather than sending records to Ottawa at the time of their disposition, the National Archives had begun (in 1984) to retain archival material on-site within Federal Records Centres in Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

What has come to be known as the Regional Records Program was an inevitable extension of the National Archives’ commitment to provide equitable access to regional records, which has its origins in a 1987 Senior Management Committee statement:

Regional government archival records produced in the
regions and relating to those regions will, in general,
remain in the regions, under the control of the National
Archives.

Vancouver was chosen as the site of the Pilot Project because of the pivotal role that regional records originating from the Department of Indian Affairs had begun to play in the land claims process in British Columbia.

Prior to the establishment of the Vancouver Pilot Project, the National Archives managed accumulating regional archival holdings through coordinated trips to Vancouver. Small troupes of archivists would descend upon the Federal Records Centre to spend a few hectic days - sleeves rolled up - processing accessions that had been transferred to the custody of the National Archives since the previous trip. The pace of the work afforded little opportunity to pause and peer above the boxes.

When Ottawa archivists weren’t visiting, Federal Records Centre staff were largely responsible for the physical control of regional archival material in Vancouver. The establishment of the Pilot Project allowed the National Archives to go beyond the provision of basic records control and facilitate on-site access. In the early days, as the research community was just beginning to discover the regional holdings in Vancouver, reference activity was intermittent. Consequently, the regional archivists were able to tour federal offices throughout the province of British Columbia and solidify relationships with various regional programs. The records of Royal Roads Military College, Shaughnessy Veterans Hospital, and New Westminster Penitentiary are just a few examples of acquisitions that have benefited from the presence of regional archivists in Vancouver. In addition, regional offices that had previously been reluctant to transfer records to Ottawa were reassured by the knowledge that their archival record would remain in British Columbia and therefore be more readily accessible.

Reference demand for the records held by the now Vancouver Office has grown considerably since 1992. While Jay and Heather only saw a small handful of researchers each month, people are now filling the reference room on a daily basis. Marnie Burnham and Jana Buhlmann, the current regional archivists in Vancouver, advise researchers to book appointments two weeks in advance. The practice of booking appointments is unique to the Regional Records Program and reflects both the limited size of regional reference rooms and the sensitive nature of the research that is conducted.

Essentially, the Vancouver Office now functions as a miniature version of the National Archives. Regional archivists wear many hats, working with federal departments to appraise regional records, and with staff in the Federal Records Centre to facilitate the transfer of records to National Archives custody. They accession and do descriptive work to improve the accessibility of records in Vancouver. They facilitate all components of the research process, responding to reference questions, conducting informal file review as required by the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, physically retrieving requested records, and assisting on-site researchers. In many ways, the activities of the Vancouver Office of the National Archives are similar to small community archives across the Province.

The land claims process that initiated the Pilot Project continues to play an active role in research conducted at the Vancouver Office. Researchers representative of all parties in the treaty negotiation process consult the archival record of the Department of Indian Affairs. In addition, the Vancouver Office holdings have become a focus for research pertaining to the resolution of the Indian Residential Schools issue. Records of departments such as Fisheries and Oceans, Transport Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, the Vancouver Port Authority, and National Defence are also used regularly, reflecting the growing diversity of the research community with access to regional holdings in Vancouver.

As the regional record in Vancouver grows - and research demand along with it - the Vancouver Office of the National Archives continues to make efforts to increase the accessibility of its holdings. Recent renovations have resulted in an expanded reference space. Future changes to the National Archives’ website will afford researchers new opportunities to gain access to information regarding regional holdings, prior to visiting the Vancouver Office. It’s going to be an exciting second decade!

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© 2003 Archives Association of British Columbia