Leave a Legacy for Generations to Come
To complement the records of the municipal government, the Archives is seeking historically significant records from members of the community, including:
- Businesses
- Families
- Individuals
- Organizations
Why Donate Records?
- Contribute to passing knowledge from one generation to the next.
- Make a lasting contribution to the historical narrative of Coquitlam.
- Ensure the preservation of your records by placing them in a secure and controlled environment.
What to Donate
Items to donate include:
- Audio/visual records
- Diaries
- Letters
- Maps and plans
- News clippings
- Photographs
- Records documenting the operation and administration of a local organization
- Records documenting the operation and history of a local business
- Scrapbooks
The City of Coquitlam Archivist will review all potential donations and evaluate each to determine whether the records fit with our collection mandate, taking into consideration:
- Significance to the history and culture of Coquitlam
- Relationship to existing collections (i.e. does it fill a gap?)
- Resources that are required to provide appropriate care and documentation
How to Prepare Your Donation
- Call or email the Archives to discuss your potential donation.
- Please do not reorganize, repair or clean your records because tape and cleaning products may damage the materials.
- Please maintain the original order of materials. We want to be able to arrange them to reflect how they would have been used or kept by the donor.
- Document information about the history of the materials in a separate document. If possible, make a list of the files, documents, or photographs, identifying dates, names, events, and locations.
- When identifying photographs, please use only pencil if writing on the back and make sure to press lightly so as not to damage the images.