Celebrating 30 Years of Partnership!

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Celebrating 30 Years of Partnership!

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Why genealogy matters to me.
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Published in Times-Journal July 16, 1981 with
caption "Advice From Director - Elgin County
Library research librarian Tom Bonanno, right,
who is directing a summer project to compile
indexes of old area census reports, talks over a
minor problem with project co-ordinator Patti
Binks, second from right. Patti worked last
summer on the first phase of the project, which
is expected to be completed this winter." Also
shown are research assistants Steve Peters, left,
and Cathy Mihalik, seated.
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1980 1982 Census Indexing Project

• This project was the first comprehensive
  genealogical project in Elgin and one of the
  first in Ontario. It was the building block to
  the partnership we have today.
• What made it happen? Elgin County Librarys
  early commitment to local history and genealogy
  and evidenced by the most comprehensive microfilm
  collection of any County in Ontario.

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Elgin County Library Microform Collection

• -assessment and collectors' rolls for the
  different municipalities.
• -complete microfilm copies of every census from
  1842 to 1901 for the Province of Ontario.
• -bylaws and minute books from municipalities
  within the County.
• -Tweedsmuir Histories
• -assorted city and county directories from Elgin
  and neighbouring municipalities
• -gazeteers and directories concerning Upper
  Canada, Canada West, and Ontario.
• -business directories
• -diaries and letter books
• -scrapbooks
• -newspapers published in the County
• -Surrogate Court Estate Files and Wills for the
  London District and Elgin County.
• -Surrogate Clerk of Ontario records
• -Upper Canada Land Petitions
• -church records from various churches in the
  County.

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Acknowledging those who made it happen

• Elgin Wells and Ruth Prowse

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Acknowledging those who made it happen

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30 year anniversary of public discussion on
archives

• First resolution on this matter passed by Elgin
  County Library Board in 1982.
• Study commissioned by Elgin County Council in
  1988 called for development of Elgin County
  Archives on 4th floor of administration building.
• Issue sat dormant until 1998 when County Council
  again took up the matter in response to municipal
  amalgamation and land records issue.
• Archivist hired in 2001 to shepherd the
  development of a program. Let the fun begin!

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Creating Elgin County Archives

• Stakeholder consultations began in 2001,
  including with OGS.
• Initially, concerns were expressed about the
  types of materials the archives was willing to
  acquire, particularly the unwillingness to
  acquire published family histories given that
  they did not fit the mandate.
• There were some tense moments!

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Elgin County Archives mandate (By-Law 01-21)

• to act as the repository for all inactive records
  in all formats of the Countys executive,
  management and administrative functions and
  related agencies that are designated for
  permanent retention according to legislative
  requirements and/or the Countys records
  retention by-law (see Schedule A attached to
  and forming part of this by-law for a glossary of
  terms)
• to establish policies for the management of
  active and semi-active records within all County
  departments, including authority for the
  destruction of all corporate records as well as
  maintenance of the Countys records retention
  by-law
• to enter into transfer agreements for the
  management of inactive records of the Countys
  former and current local municipalities
• to acquire archival records from private sources
  that have bearing upon the history of the County
  of Elgin as appraised by the archivist and in
  accordance with an acquisition policy approved by
  Council. It is generally understood that such
  donations are the property of the archives upon
  completion of a donation agreement unless
  otherwise stated
• to enter into agreements pending Council approval
  for the management of records of other agencies
  and levels of government.

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Acknowledging the important role of STPL

• Thorman Room has filled the void a reference
  library for OGS for published materials such as
  family histories.
• STPL is responsible maintains the Times-Journal
  collection and is responsible for on-going
  microfilming.
• STPL recognized the significant importance of
  maintaining published sources on local history
  and genealogy through the recent revitalization
  of the Thorman room.
• In other words, things have worked out pretty
  well. Each institution is able to focus on
  acquisitions that meet respective mandates in
  complete partnership.

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Archives opens to the public in 2002!
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Success to date has increased resources and
services available

• We have completed transfers for all of Elgins 16
  former municipalities, making resources like tax
  assessment rolls and voters lists available.
• We have acquired Tweedsmuir history books for
  almost every current and former branch in the
  County.
• We have provided a powerful, on-line database to
  our collections which includes the Scott Studio
  photographs.
• We have acquired significant holdings on local
  veterans, particularly for First World War and
  early militia records.
• We have provided in-house genealogical reference
  services to thousands of patrons in our first ten
  years and responded to tens of thousands more via
  phone and e-mail.
• We received an institutional award in 2007 from
  the Archives Association of Ontario.

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Projects that symbolize our strong partnership

• Acquisition of Times-Journal hard copies, sorting
  and indexing.
• Remember those hot days on the 3rd floor
• The indexing of the duplicates and their other
  uses in the community has been truly gratifying.
  Thanks Carol!

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Projects that symbolize our strong partnership
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Archivists attitudes have also changed from

• We are all aware of the fact that an unfortunate
  antipathy exists between members of the archival
  and historical professions and the genealogists.
  The former generally view the ancestry
  researchers with contempt, regarding them as
  people who contribute little or nothing to our
  knowledge of this countrys past and are chiefly
  occupied in forging weak links between themselves
  and such celebrities as Charlemagne and William
  the Conqueror. The genealogists, on the other
  hand, often think that archivists and historical
  society personnel deliberately close their eyes
  to the real value of genealogical investigation
  and consequently are uncooperative when requested
  to make available records in their custody.
• Milton Rubincam, American Archivist, (1949)
• Genealogists are like potatoes the best parts
  are underground.
• Does the index date 01/01/32 mean January 1st,
  1932 or is it January 32nd, 1901?

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To the point where genealogists are vital
customers

• Archivists attitudes have changed drastically in
  the past 20 years, fuelled partly by the key role
  genealogical groups have played in advocating on
  archival issues. No better example than the
  joint work on release of the 1911 census.
• Locally, genealogical research accounts for at
  least 80 of our usage.
• The nature of genealogy has also changed given
  recent moves to open adoption records, the need
  to determine family medical history and the fact
  that it is now big business (ancestry.com).
  Through the indexing work of genealogists, the
  Internet has turned archives from being one of
  the least accessible resources to one of the most
  accessible.

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Our go-forward partnership in action

• I am willing to bet that there is not a
  jurisdiction anywhere in Canada that has more
  material digitized, indexed and available on-line
  than Elgin County, especially between
  www.elgin.ca and www.elginogs.ca

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Future challenges

• We recognize that we need more space and plans
  are unfolding to address this.
• Our success with digitization is only increasing
  expectations that we will be digitizing
  everything this is simply not realistic in the
  foreseeable future for a whole host of reasons
  such as cost and preservation considerations.

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Advocacy must continue!

• Archivists need genealogical community more than
  ever

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Your voice is needed.

• http//archiviststrek2012.tumblr.com/
• Sign the petition under google search Help save
  Canada's National Archival Development Program.

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Final words of wisdom

• Dont focus on your past while forgetting your
  present. In light of family breakdowns,
  employment mobility, we need to document the here
  and now of our families too. Dont leave this
  for future generations.
• Lets always remember that between a birth,
  marriage and death date there was a life lived.
  Stop and smell the roses and learn more about
  your ancestors than just their vital statistics.