As you sort through your loved one’s belongings, you’re likely to find old black-and-white photos, yellowed birth certificates, announcements or diplomas from the turn of the century. Some boxes of memorabilia contain priceless treasures, but you worry that your closet is not the ideal place to store these treasures from another era.

To remedy this situation, did you know that Quebec historical and genealogical societies can process and store your private archives, free of charge? An archives depository is the ideal solution for preserving these precious family documents that testify to the family, professional and love life of our family members. Historical societies’ archive service includes secure facilities that reduce the negative effects of time and limit the loss of documents.

Definition of an archive

An archival document is a record of what a person or organization did during their lifetime. These document archives can be photos, negatives, slides, postcards, audio tapes (VHS, CDs or DVDs), letters, deeds (such as a bill of sale or a will), drawings, plans, manuscripts, etc.

These documents are essential to understand the history of a region, to better grasp the contribution of its citizens to its development and to define the way of life of an era. With this in mind, archival societies acquire documents in order to safeguard the heritage of their territory, support historical research and facilitate access to heritage and its dissemination. In this way, archives may be consulted by the public, usually for a fee.

Donate your archives

Would you like to donate your family archives to a historical and genealogical society? There are some in every region. The Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie website lists most of these organizations in the province and offers a search tool to find the one closest to your home or to the person who owned the archives.

Societies generally accept all eligible donations and will work with you to determine the terms of access in a “donation agreement”. The archives will be stored according to a strict classification system, in a room that will protect the documents from fire and water damage.

Tips for storing your archives

If you want to keep your personal archives at home, here are some tips to protect them from damage for many years to come.

•  Carefully unfold the documents and store them in a binder or cardboard box. If you have large documents, roll them up.
• Avoid using paper clips and staples to keep documents together.
• To identify the back of a document with the date, place and occasion, use a lead pencil.
• Organize your documents by type, then chronologically, and make a list of the documents you have, updating it regularly.
• Store your documents in a dry place, away from light, dust and rodents.
• Scan your photos and documents to make it easier to preserve them and share them with your loved ones. Some archival companies provide scanners or offer a scanning service for the public.

Regardless of how you choose to preserve your personal archives, it is important that your wishes be respected as well as those of the deceased, if applicable. To ensure that your private papers are archived as you wish, you could also include a clause in your will to that effect.

Sources :
https://shghl.ca/trucs-de-conservation/
https://histoiregenealogie.ca/centre-archives/
https://shgmi.ca/centre-darchives/
https://www.federationgenealogie.com/fr/