Doing some preparatory work before you head for Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will save you much time, and if you live outside the Ottawa area, a great deal of money. Here’s a guide detailing some of the more important things you can do before you leave home.
Consult Relevant Research Tools
Suppose you wish to do research on some aspect of the history of the Canadian Psychological Association. The first thing to do would be to read "Archival materials contained at Library and Archives Canada" to get a general overview of what is known as the “Canadian Psychological Association fonds”. Then, consult the "Finding Aid" and the "Accession summary" of the Canadian Psychological Association fonds to determine whether there are any materials relevant to your research. If you cannot find anything relevant to your research topic you may wish to "Send an inquiry" to LAC or consult local and provincial archives. If you find that there are materials relevant (or that could be relevant) to your research, consult the "Access conditions" for the Canadian Psychological Association fonds to determine if these materials are open or restricted. If they are restricted, you will need to Write a letter to the CPA Historian requesting permission to consult these materials. If your topic is broad in scope you may also wish to consult the LAC web site at www.collectionscanada.ca and/or Send an inquiry to LAC to see if there are any other fonds or collections that may be relevant to your research. In addition, you may wish to consult local and provincial archives.
Send an Inquiry
LAC offers assistance to researchers free of charge. If you cannot find anything relevant to your research topic by consulting the “Finding Aid” and the “Accession summary” of the Canadian Psychological Association fonds or if your topic is fairly broad in scope and you wish to know what other fonds or collections may be relevant to your research you may wish to send an inquiry to LAC. In your letter clearly indicate the exact nature of your topic, what if any research you have done to date, and ask well defined questions about possible source materials. Be sure to provide full contact information (i.e., mailing address, telephone number(s), e-mail address) and allow up to 30 working days for processing. You may send your inquiry by surface mail:
Library and Archives Canada
Client Services Division
395 Wellington Street,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N4, Canada
or by fascimile:
613-995-6274
Or electronically by visiting the LAC web site at www.collectionscanada.ca. Click on the "Public" heading. Then, click on the "Ask Us a Question" heading. Under the "Ask Us a Question" heading, click on the "Online, by Fax or Mail" sub-heading. Now, scroll down and click on "Reference Inquiry Form" to access an on-line inquiry form.
Alternatively, you may wish to chat with a member of the LAC staff. LAC's Live Chat Service is available from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday to Friday, except statutory holidays. To access this service, simply visit LAC's web site at www.collectionscanada.ca. Click on the "Public" heading. Then, click on the "Ask Us a Question" heading. Under the "Ask Us a Question" heading, click on the "Live Chat Service" sub-heading. Now, click on "Chat" and submit your question.
Pre-order research materials
I - Textual Records
Archival materials pertaining to the Canadian Psychological Association fonds are no longer stored at the main building of LAC but at one of two satellite locations. In order to consult these materials, visitors to LAC need to allow 24 hours for the retrieval of containers. Fortunately, LAC offers a service whereby researchers can pre-order research materials. And now, with the “Finding Aid”, “Accession summary” and information regarding “Access conditions” on the Association’s web site, researchers - particularly first-time, out-of-town researchers, stand to save a great deal of time and money.
If you wish to take advantage of this service, here’s what to do:
Consult the “Finding Aid” for the Canadian Psychological Association fonds and make a list of all the materials you wish to examine from highest to lowest priority by noting the container (i.e., volume) and file numbers. Then, consult the “Access conditions” of the Canadian Psychological Association fonds to determine if these materials are open or restricted.
If any of these materials are restricted, you need to Write a letter to the CPA Historian before proceeding any further.
If these materials are open or you have received word from the CPA Historian granting you access to the materials, you need to write a letter to LAC indicating the materials you wish to examine. Please note you are limited to ten containers (i.e., volumes) when pre-ordering materials. (But take your list with you to LAC as you may order any remaining containers of interest upon your arrival.) In your letter, be sure to indicate the appropriate call numbers, volume number(s) and file number(s), along with the date of your arrival, full contact information and your LAC user card number.
If you have a LAC user card but it is no longer valid you need not worry. Just indicate your user card number in your letter and up-date the card when you get to LAC.
If you do not have a LAC user card visit the LAC web site at www.collectionscanada.ca. Click on the "Public" heading. Then, click on the "Consulting and Borrowing Material" heading. Under the "Consulting and Borrowing Material" heading, click on the "User Card Registration Form" sub-heading. Fill out the "User Card Registration Form" and, in so doing, you will receive acknowledgment of your registration and a user card number. You may then forward your letter to LAC indicating the materials you wish to examine.
You may send your letter by fascimile: 613-995-6274
or
by electronic mail: reference@lac-bac.gc.ca
or
by surface mail to:
Library and Archives Canada
Client Services Division
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N4, Canada
Your request must be received at least 5 working days in advance.
II - Sound recordings:
If you wish to pre-order audio materials please write to the Association’s Historian directly for instructions.
Do some background reading
In order to make the best use of LAC (or any other archives for that matter) you should do as much preparatory work as possible. Visit the library, consult the relevant secondary source materials (e.g., books, articles, encyclopedias, newspapers, etc.) and try to learn as much as possible about your topic. (If you visit LAC with minimal knowledge about your topic you may find yourself completely overwhelmed by the volume of material to be examined or easily distracted by all sorts of things that may be interesting but have nothing to do with your research project.) Note key dates, names, places and events. When you think that you have done sufficient background reading and you’re ready to do some archival work, plan out your research strategy. Think about what you want to do once you get to the archives, and in what order, being mindful of the time you have available for research. Good luck.
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