- Our stories, our histories are preserved for researchers and future generations;
- Communities are made up of individuals, each of whom contributes to the story of their community through their personal lives, work lives and community involvement;
- The Red Deer and District Archives goal is to preserve records of historical value to be used and enjoyed by many future generations;
- The Red Deer and District Archives provides public access and research support through a public Research Room and experienced archival staff.
What types of records are the Red Deer & District Archives looking for?
- We are looking for records of individuals or organizations that reside in or have a connection to Red Deer and the Red Deer area.
The records of private individuals, organizations or businesses
- Correspondence, photographs, audio visual recordings, clubs or organizational membership materials, business records, community organization records, diaries, scrapbooks, drawings, architectural plans, maps – any material that provides insight into the interests, occupations, and life of an individual or organization as well as documents the values of the larger community.
Corporate or organizational records
- Operational records – records that document the core functions of a business. They reflect the way organizations develop and grow – they document essential activities, decisions, legal obligations and responsibilities. These are records of permanent value – examples of these records are policies and procedures, minutes, legal agreements and records of assets. Records follow function and are created for a purpose, which often have legal implications. Films, photographs, and textual documents are all considered archival.
Material that falls outside our mandate
- Generally, we do not accept published material (e.g. books, newspapers), ephemera, financial records (e.g. receipts), copies or duplicates. Our interest is in original records not mass produced items;
- If material has high information or historic value we may accept it into our library or reference files. For example, a book that provides information about Red Deer and/or surrounding district. Determination on such material will be made on a case by case basis.
What is the nature of donation to the Red Deer & District Archives?
- An archivist will meet with a potential donor to discuss the records to be donated and determine the origin of the records, the condition of the records and develop a biography of the creator of the records if this information is available;
- The donor will be asked to “Gift” the material to the archives. Once materials are donated, they become the legal and physical property of the Red Deer and District Archives;
- Donors eligible for a tax credit may request one if he/she so desires. Tax receipts may take up to 18 months to produce;
- The donor is responsible for setting access restrictions. While it is preferred to have records freely available or to limit any restrictions, access restrictions are important to consider when donating personnel records or records that contain sensitive information. For these types of records, the Archives prefer to restrict the records for a period of time rather than destroy the material;
- The donor is only asked to transfer Copyright on material to which he/she owns copyright (material that was created by the donor) to facilitate their use by researchers. The Copyright Act of 1999 permits archives to make copies of material for the sake of research and private study as well as for conservation reasons;
- Donors may make provisions in their Last Will and Testament to donate their personal papers to the Red Deer and District Archives;
- The Red Deer and District Archives is committed to the health and safety of its staff, researchers and volunteers. Please inform the Archivist prior to deposit if the records have been exposed to mice, insects, mold of any kind or any other possible contaminants.
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