We are temporarily closed to the public and all volunteers to support Toronto’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. We will remain closed through to at least the end of 2020, at which time we will revisit the situation to consider extending the closure as needed. As the number of immunocompromised folks in our community is already significant we are choosing to go this precautionary route for everyone’s well-being.
Due to our limited labour capacity at this time, archivists are unable to fulfill the majority of research requests. Requests are being assessed on a case by case basis to determine urgency, if requests can be refined, and whether archivists can realistically fulfill them within their capacity. If unable to fulfill your request, archivists will do their best to refer you elsewhere or provide an alternative. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
On-site research
Researchers can conduct research at The ArQuives in person during our Public Service hours:
- Tuesday through Thursdays from 6:30-9:00pm
- Fridays from 1:00-5:00pm.
Please request your desired records in advance of your visit through our Online Collection Portal and speak to a reference archivist at queeries@arquives.ca about your request and when you plan on visiting. The archivists on duty ask for advance notice of your visit as the majority of the archives records are housed offsite and need to be retrieved.
Remote Researcher Services
The ArQuives offers a remote researcher service for a fee of $50/hour to be paid in advance. This service involves speaking to a reference archivist at queeries@arquives.ca and selecting materials you’d like looked at in your stead by an archivist through our Online Collection Portal. The archivist may direct you elsewhere should they know of a more efficient or effective resource. Materials that have been deemed helpful through conferring together, will either be emailed to you or summarized should that suffice. Remote researcher services are available depending on researcher availability. Depending on the archives capacity and amount of research required, this process may take several days to weeks. Archivists are not able to do rush research requests, and researchers should not expect research to be conducted within an hour or day.
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