Bruce County Archives

Identity area

Identifier

ON00031

Authorized form of name

Bruce County Archives

Parallel form(s) of name

Other form(s) of name

Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre

Type

Government

Contact area

Deb Sturdevant, Archivist Primary contact

Type

Address

Street address

33 Victoria St. N.

Locality

Southampton

Region

Ontario

Country name

Canada

Postal code

N0H 2L0

Telephone

519-797-2080, ext. 114

Fax

Email

archives@brucecounty.on.ca

URL

Note

Susan Schlorff, Archival Assistant

Type

Address

Street address

Locality

Region

Country name

Postal code

Telephone

519-797-2080 ext. 129

Fax

Email

URL

Note

Description area

History

The Bruce County Archives is a proud part of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, which is owned and operated by the Corporation of the County of Bruce.

Geographical and cultural context

Mandates/Sources of authority

Administrative structure

Records management and collecting policies

Buildings

The Archives are housed on the third floor of the 1878 Southampton School, which forms part of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre. The School was retrofitted during the 2003-2005 Museum rebuild project. The Archives and Reading Room consist of the Archival Stacks storage area (1500 sq ft) and the Reading Room (900 sq ft).

Holdings

Stored on the shelves in the Archives are photographs, letters, postcards, family histories, land records, maps, newspapers, local histories, scrapbooks, business records, organizational records, videotapes and more, that tell the story of Bruce County. The Bruce County Museum and Bruce County Archives have been the collective memory of the County since 1955.

We also hold the library of the Bruce County Genealogical Society so the Reading Room contains wonderful resources for Genealogists. We also receive reference materials from the Bruce & Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

Finding aids, guides and publications

Finding Aids are available on the "Search Our Archives" web page: http://www.brucemuseum.ca/collections-research/archives-and-research/search-our-archives/. Finding Aids are also linked to some of the descriptions available in the Museum's Online Collections - www.collections.brucemuseum.ca.

Access area

Opening times

April to October: Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
November to March: Tues. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
See brucemuseum.ca for more details and holiday hours.

Access conditions and requirements

Entrance to the Reading Room is free to members of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre. Otherwise, a daily pass is available for $6.00.

When you arrive in the Research Room, you will be asked to read our access and use policy and fill out a registration form. These are also available for review through our website.

Accessibility

Services area

Research services

Knowledgeable staff, and sometimes volunteers, supervise the Research Room and are available to assist researchers in the Archives. It is always a good idea to call ahead before your visit to the Research Room. It will allow the archives staff to prepare materials in storage and to reserve the microfilm readers if necessary. A consultation with the archives staff is always a good way to begin your visit as they will be able to direct you to the appropriate resources quickly.

For those who are unable to attend the Archives in person, Fee for Service Research is conducted on an as time permits basis. More information about this service may be found at brucemuseum.ca.

Reproduction services

Copies - letter and legal size: $0.25
Copies - ledger size: $0.50

The Archives also offers reproduction of historic photographs available online (http://collections.brucemuseum.ca/) and in the Archives. For more details on reproduction fees, please contact the Archives.

Public areas

For preservation and security reasons, the archival storage room is not accessible to the public. The majority of the records held within this room, however, are available for public use. Researchers must conduct their work in the Research Room and the Archivist or Archival Assistants will retrieve any archival records needed. If you need access to archival records on a weekend, call the Bruce County Archives before your visit to make arrangements with the Archivist or Archival Assistant.