• The Descriptive Records
• The Database
• The Search Screen
• Search Tips
• How to Interpret the Results
• How to Consult a Record or Order a Copy

The National Archives of Canada has custody of millions of textual, photographic, iconographic, audio, philatelic, cartographic, architectural and other documents from all sources on all types of media. These documents, which mainly, but not exclusively, illustrate Canadian life, are organized into fonds, collections (which are themselves subdivided into sous-fonds, series, sub-series, sub-sub-series, etc.) and accessions, which reflect the activities and functions of a person, family or organization. There are descriptive entries for each of these groupings, and all of these descriptive entries can be found in one broad data base that also includes some item descriptions.

The current database contains all the high level descriptions in one place and is an excellent starting point for any research at the National Archives of Canada. For most people, this is not the ultimate research tool because the descriptive entries are often supplemented by finding aids, some of which can be found as databases in ArchiviaNet (see the ArchiviaNet main page); others are available on paper at our premises in Ottawa. These finding aids help researchers to more accurately identify documents relevant to their work. Accession entries describe unprocessed archival accessions and are linked, if applicable, to relevant fonds or collections.

The size and contents of the data base changes as new information is added or changes are made to existing descriptive entries. In principle, descriptions are written in the predominant language of the set of documents; researchers will find that most of the entries are in English.

The search screen and its options allow researchers to query the thousands of descriptive entries contained in the data base. This screen includes two fields in which users can type in the terms that they are looking for in a description and a series of buttons for limiting the search. Based on the selected parameters, the system will search for an exact entry title or specific expression and display the results, if any, as a list of links leading to the actual descriptive entries.

A search by Keyword makes it possible to retrieve any term or group of individual terms through appropriate logical operators (see the Search Syntax link for further information). Because this is a full text search system, once triggered, the search covers all fields of the data base.

For example:

Type King, and you will get a list of all available descriptive entries that contain this name; it could be the fonds creator, an editor or any other person mentioned in the description.

Type MG26-J, and you will get a list of descriptive entries that contain these terms (here, this archival reference number refers mainly to the William Lyon Mackenzie King fonds and its related series and collections).

Searching by Title allows you to find descriptive entries whose titles contain the expression that you entered.

For example:

Type King, and here you will get a list of all descriptive entries that have this word in the title, whether it is the name of a person, place or title.

The option Number of references per page allows you to change the number of references that will appear on a results page. The default number is twenty.

The buttons allow you to limit the search to a more specific level of entry and to define the sources of the descriptions. It is possible to change a selection by pressing a different button. By default, the search will include all of the descriptions.

In the appropriate search field, enter the terms or expressions that you feel best describe the fonds, collection or accession that you are searching. This could be the name of a person, an organization or department, a place, a subject or any relevant combination thereof. If necessary, conduct additional searches using synonyms.

Unless you are looking for a very specific fonds, collection or accession, conduct your initial search using a limited number of terms. Do not be afraid to use wildcard characters to get around possible spelling variants or typographical errors: the question mark (?) is used to replace a single character; the dollar sign ($) is used to replace a string of characters.

For example :

Type Wilfr?d, and you will get Wilfrid or Wilfred.

Type patriot$, and you will get patriote, patriots, patriotism, patriotic, patriotique, patriotisme, etc.

If the search yields too many references, you can always specify by using quotation marks or the appropriate logical operators. Follow the Search Syntax link to learn more.

For example :

Type Ottawa OR Bytown, and you will get a list of descriptive entries that mention this city, regardless of which way it is identified.

Type Mackenzie AND King, and you will get every description that combines these two words, regardless of the connection between them.

Type Mackenzie ADJ King, and you will get every description where these two words appear together in the entries in the order in which you entered them.

Type "Mackenzie King", and you will get the same results as above.

For technical reasons, certain frequently used words and characters are not usually supported when conducting a search: these include the period (.) and certain adverbs, adjectives, prepositions and conjunctions in English, such as the, by, it, at, near, or, with, not, etc. You can conduct a search on these words by placing them in quotation marks; however, we advise users to stick to expressions that do not contain such terms.

For example:

Type Woodward and family, and you will get every entry that contains these words, whether linked or not.

Type "Woodward and family", and you will get the entries where this specific expression appears.

Searches for initials or abbreviations are subject to special conditions; you must place the initials in quotation marks without any punctuation marks. Acronyms such as UNESCO or NATO do not pose any problems.

For example:

Type "J.B.", and you will not get any result.

However, type "J B" and you will get every J.B., J.-B., J. B. and more.

Type "J B Demers", and you will get every relevant entry; however, the search will not retrieve entries in which the given name is written out in full, even though they may be related.

If possible, search for equivalent terms in French and English. With certain exceptions, entries are written in the principal language of the fonds, collection or accession. Most descriptions are in English only.

You also need to be careful about using accented characters.

For example:

Type Québec and you will get a certain number of references.

Then type Quebec and you will get a different result.

Finally, type Québec OR Quebec and the result will be different again and not necessarily a combination of the first two searches, because the word may be written in different ways in the same entry.

It is possible to search by dates in the keyword field. However, there is no standardized date format in this system, so you would only get those that exactly match what you entered.

For example:

Type 1940-1950, and you will only get descriptions containing this specific expression, if there are any, and you will bypass 1941, 1942, 1943, etc. Use wildcard characters ($ and ?) to increase your chances of success.

Type 194$, and the results will be more relevant.

Because the data base describes many fonds that contain old documents, you must know how to query by taking stock a bit. You should be aware of changes in the meaning of certain words:

For example:

Acceptance of the words habitant, savage and Eskimo, among others, has changed over the years.

Finally, place names are entered as they appear in the documents. Therefore, your search must take into account any official changes in geographical names as well as any translations used by the creators of the documents. In most cases, look for French toponyms that may be anglicized, but the reverse is also possible, although less frequent.

For example:

William-Henry has become Sorel.

Bytown has become Ottawa.

Trois-Rivières is sometimes found as Three Rivers.

New York may be translated as Nouvelle York.

Regardless of the options you have selected, the list of results will contain information that will allow you to quickly determine the relevance of the descriptions found: the title of the entry, under which the equivalent title will appear in the other language (if available), the type of standard entry, the predominant type of material (a lack of information here suggests that it is a multimedia fonds or collection) and the earliest dates of the documents. Based on the parameters that you selected on the search screen, every page in the list will contain between 1 and 200 references related to the descriptions themselves.

At the top and bottom of every page of the list of results you will find navigation buttons. However, the browser may not display the buttons’ functions when the mouse is placed on them. The functions of these buttons are as follows:

Return to data base introductory page

Return to search screen

Return to previous results page (inactive on the first page)

Return to list of results (always inactive here)

Go to next results page (inactive on the last page)

Go to last entry on current page

Contextual help

Descriptive entries are presented in a standardized manner in order to help researchers retrieve the relevant information. However, if the information seems insufficient or vague in any place, please enquire at the National Archives of Canada Reference Service to obtain additional information. Make sure to have with you the necessary information to help us find the description to be clarified, that is, the name of the fonds, series or accession, the reference number and the MIKAN source number (eg: William Lyon Mackenzie King Fonds; MG26-J; MIKAN Source 98362).

The following navigation buttons are found at the top and bottom of each page of every descriptive entry:

Return to data base introductory page

Return to search screen

Return to previous results page (inactive on the first page)

Return to list of results 

Go to next results page (inactive on the last page)

Return to first entry on current page

Return to previous entry (inactive at first entry on page)

Active document (inactive)

Go to next entry (inactive at last entry on page)

Go to last entry on current page

Go to end of current entry

Button not used

Contextual help

Besides these standard buttons, when appropriate, another button will appear to allow you to display the fonds arrangement structure to which the active entry belongs. Most of the accessions are not linked to a fonds or collection structure. The arrangement structure shows the relationships between the various components of a fonds or collection and consists of a collection of links to the relevant descriptive entries.

Following the buttons, the entry also includes three or four basic pieces of information:

The first, which always appears, indicates whether it is a fonds, sous-fonds, series, sub-series, sub-sub-series, collection, accession or item.

The second shows the title of the entry in bold.

The third is, in fact, a link leading to the equivalent descriptive entry in the other language, if such an entry exists. If so, it is important to consult both entries because they may contain complementary information.

A fourth piece of information consists of a quick summary of the type of documents, their earliest dates of creation and scope.

The entry then displays several other more detailed pieces of information labelled as follows:

Biography/Administrative History: summarizes the activities or principal milestones in the life of the fonds creator, whether of a private or institutional nature.

Scope and Content: summarizes the type of documents in this archival unit and its extension. This will give an idea of the context in which the documents were created.

Fonds consists of: this information appears when the archival units are large enough to be divided into smaller units. The references found under this heading are, in fact, links to detailed descriptions of these units, as the aforementioned Arrangement Structure button suggests.

Reference Number: number used by the National Archives since 1997-1998; consequently, only the most recent descriptions will have such a number. When available, this number is essential for referring to the entry and, if necessary, for ordering documents. If there is no number here, use the number that appears under the following heading.

Former Reference Number: number previously assigned by the Archives. When available, this number is essential for referring to the entry and, if necessary, for ordering documents. If there is no number here, use the number that appears under the preceding heading.

Reproduction Number: gives the number of the microfilm(s), if any. Some reels may be restricted, so read the entry carefully and, if necessary, consult the Reference Service for further information.

Consultation/Reproduction: Consultation and reproduction of certain documents may be subject to restrictions, especially under the Copyright Act or, in the case of numerous Government of Canada records, under the provisions of the Access to Information Act or Privacy Act. This will give a general idea of what is or is not restricted. If necessary, consult the Reference Services for further information.

Finding Aid: number assigned to the tool giving a detailed description of the documents covered in the entry. Some small fonds do not require an additional description and, therefore, do not have a finding aid. Some of these aids have been computerized and are included in data bases that can be accessed from the ArchiviaNet main page. It is recommended that you note the number of the aid because it can be used as a search term in these data bases. At this time, the only finding aids retrievable in this way are those for the data base Records created by federal government departments and agencies.

Accession records available: if applicable, link that sends researchers to the list of results, but only for descriptions of accessions related to this entry.

Additional Information: may contain sundry information including the date that the documents were created, the name of the fonds creator, the location of the original documents, various notes.

Subject Headings: if applicable, subjects identified as likely to be covered by the fonds.

It is very important to remember that this database constitutes a general inventory of the fonds, collections and accessions and that, consequently, it might not be possible to order copies based on the information found here, except in the case of descriptive entries of items or that refer to microfilm reels. The information required to make up a complete reference is recorded in our finding aids. Some are available in ArchiviaNet but the others must be consulted on our premises or may be photocopied.

A complete reference includes the title of the fonds, collection or accession, its reference number (including the former number, if available), the series title, the container number, the file number, microfilm reel, if any, or finding aid, if a copy is desired, and the MIKAN source number. (eg: William Lyon Mackenzie King Fonds; MG26-J; MIKAN Source 98362).

Researchers who live outside the National Capital Region may access microfilm copies of numerous documents in our collections through the inter-institutional loan arrangement (offered to archival services and libraries). Loan requests must be submitted by the borrowing institution and must clearly indicate the available references and the numbers of the requested microfilm reels.

Before ordering a copy, please ensure that all access conditions have been met. For further information, please consult the above section on How to Interpret the Results.

For more information about the reproduction and consultation services offered by the National Archives of Canada, please follow the Obtain copies and Consult records links.