Nova Scotia
Archives

Please be advised that during this time, priority will be given to requests of a humanitarian nature or research needs that are urgent or time-sensitive such as legal, fiscal, or educational program completion requirements.

Onsite research visits will be available by prearranged appointment only. Please send us an Appointment Request Email.

Once you submit your request, Archives staff will contact you to book a reference consultation, answer your questions and work out a research strategy.

We appreciate your patience during this time.

What to expect from your reference consultation:

We will contact you to help determine the best approach to meet your research needs. We may suggest sources, finding aids and collections. Working together, we will come up with a list of resources and materials for you to consult during your onsite visit:

• We may be able to answer your questions over the phone
• We may direct you to relevant online resources or other sources for you to continue your research at a distance
• We may provide you with finding aids to consult

If onsite consultation of records is necessary, we will book a time for you to visit the Archives and go over what to expect when you arrive. Onsite appointments must be scheduled in compliance with physical distancing requirements and the limitations of our research space. We will do our best to accommodate your preferences, but please keep in mind that this might not always be possible.

What to expect during your onsite visit:

Your health and safety, as well as that of our staff, is of utmost importance. With this in mind, and based on information supplied by Nova Scotia Public Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada and other authorities, we have put the following measures in place:

• Workstations have been spaced to ensure physical distancing guidelines can be met. Please limit yourself to the station(s) allotted for your use.
• We have increased and intensified our cleaning of workstations and equipment.
• You will be asked to wash your hands before proceeding to the research floor. Please wash your hands regularly during your visit.
• Visitors are required to wear a mask while visiting Nova Scotia Archives. We do not have masks available onsite and ask that you please provide your own.
• We will not have pencils or scrap paper available, so be sure to bring what you need from home. You may also want to consider bringing a sweater.
• You will be asked a series of Public Health “screening questions” upon arrival at the building.
• Please stay home if you are feeling unwell. We will be happy to rebook your appointment for a future date.
• Archival materials will be available for your exclusive use during your visit and will enter a ‘quarantine’ period after use in compliance with recommended standards.

As we are still closed to the general public at this time, our front doors remain locked. Our Commissionaire has a list of appointments for each day and will admit you at the time of your appointment. Appointment blocks are from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM– 4:00 PM. Within these times staggered arrival times will be assigned to ensure social distancing upon arrival. Please do not arrive before your appointment time.

You will be assigned a workspace and/or microfilm reader for your visit. Please be mindful of this space and the space of your fellow researchers. We have done our best to physically distance workstations, as physical distancing will be required during the duration of your visit, and we thank you for your cooperation.

During your reference consultation, resources relevant to your work were identified. These records have been retrieved in advance and will be what are available to you during your visit. Staff will be unable to perform additional on-the-spot retrieval, but we’d be happy to book you in for a further appointment if necessary.

During your time on the reference floor, a staff member will be on hand and will be able to help you in a limited capacity. Please be aware that in-person reference services will be unavailable at this time. Access to non-digital finding aids (including card catalogues, binders, and published sources) will also be unavailable.

The need to ‘quarantine’ materials after use complicates our ability to provide copying services. In response to this we have temporarily changed our digital photography policy and will be encouraging researchers to use their smartphones and digital cameras. During your Reference Consultation any resources that are restricted from copying will be identified, and you will be reminded that images created by you are for your personal use only — any other uses would still require rights declarations and use agreements. Please make careful reference of anything you copy to facilitate future rights conversations.

For more information on the COVID-19 guidelines, please visit novascotia.ca/coronavirus.