The Elgin County Archives is firmly committed to preserving and making available Elgin’s total archival heritage, and we are always interested in receiving new acquisitions, provided that the records meet the terms of our Acquisition Policy.
Donations become the property of the Archives upon completion of a Deed of Gift. Ensuring that records received will form a permanent part of the Archives collection is the best way to guarantee their long-term preservation and availability to all researchers.
The mandate and activities of the Elgin County Archives is governed by By-Law No. 01-21. The primary function of the Archives is to assist the Corporation of the County of Elgin and its constituent municipalities in fulfilling public obligations for the preservation and access to records that must be retained according to provincial legislation or because of their enduring cultural value. Therefore, adequate space and resources must be devoted in the Archives at all times to meeting these obligations on behalf of the County and its local governments.
Nevertheless, County Council has made a strong commitment to acquiring records from private sources that, according to the aforementioned By-law, “have bearing upon the history of the County of Elgin as appraised by the archivist. …” However, the volume of potential private acquisitions dictates that firm criteria be put in place in order to strike a balance between the aforementioned public obligations and remaining space and resources in the Archives.
In accordance with By-Law No. 01-21, County Council establishes the following criteria to govern private (i.e. non-municipal) acquisitions to the Elgin County Archives. The Archivist will assess the records according to these criteria prior to acceptance. Donors are urged to read these criteria and understand that the inability of the Archives to make an acquisition is not a statement of the records’ inherent value.