Research Resources

Research Resources

Our Archives contains unique and original documents, photographs, maps, oral history recordings, and ephemera, which are stored in a climate-controlled environment. The contents have been indexed in a searchable database.

The new Online Archives contains our entire descriptive database along with digitized content. Browse nearly 4,000 digitized images, listen to oral history interviews, or search our entire archival database on this site. New descriptions and digitized material will be added as they become available.

Descriptions of our collections are also available on MemoryBC, which provides a searchable database of the materials available at nearly 200 archival repositories in British Columbia.

We maintain informational files on subjects of local interest, including families, organizations and events. Descriptions of the Information Files are available in our Online Archives.

The Reference Library contains books relating to the area’s social and natural history, as well as books by local authors. We also have a complete set of the Whaletown National Enquirer.

Using the Archives

Visit our Archives! We are committed to providing access to our collections. Our archival and informational holdings are available to the public for either research or personal use. Settle into the Reading Corner in the exhibit room to browse our collection of photograph albums and history binders, or consult the Information Files in the May Ellingsen Archives Room.

Descriptions of our Archives collections are available in the Online Archives portal or the printed Finding Aid at the museum. If you wish to view the original documents or photographs after reading these descriptions, an archivist or staff member will assist you.

 Reproductions of material can be made for research purposes or for personal use. However, copying will only be done where it is permitted under Canadian Copyright Law, where it does not jeopardize the physical condition of the records, and where there are no donor restrictions. Researchers are encouraged to use their own cameras to photograph material for research purposes, especially where copying is not possible due to the fragility of the originals. To use reproductions for a purpose other than research or personal use, permission must be obtained from the Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society, using these PDF forms: Condition of Use Agreement for Archival Material and Photograph Reproduction Fees and Order Form.

We provide photographs and scans according to this File Specifications for Archival Images Scanning (PDF)