Archives Search Tips

for Claims Researchers

S. Hurford and J. Wilhelm2010

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Researching INAC Records at LAC

Online Search Tools:1. Archives Search ( most up-to-date)

• Main search tool for archival documents• Keyword search to identify records. • If record has been digitized, it will be attached to the record’s

description and visible from the website.

2. Databases (no longer being updated)• Red and Black Series• Orders in Council (Up to 1910)• Treaties, Surrenders and Agreements • General Inventory

You can view the files you locate online through these databases.

Archives Search vs. General Inventory

- Archives Search (MIKAN) is replacing ArchiviaNet Database

- General Inventory is being phased out and is no longer updated

- Archives Search is LAC’s main search database

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Viewing the Inventory on Archives Search

• How to view all series:• Keyword: R216 or RG10 or RG22 AND• Keyword (eg: correspondence)• Set “hierarchical level” search limiter to “series”

• How to view all accessions:• Keyword: R216 or RG10 or RG22 AND• Keyword (eg: River Desert)• Set “hierarchical level” search limiter to “accessions”

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Digital Copies in Archives Search

• Archives Search contains digital copies of:• Black Series• Red Series• School Series• Treaties and Surrenders

• Future plans for digitization of the following records:

• HQ Treaty Annuity Paylists ( up to 1909)• Indexes to HQ records

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Understanding Search Limiters

• Search limiters: – Allow the search to identify fonds,

series, sub-series, files or items.

– Allow searches by date

– Allow searches by finding aid

– Allow combinations (eg: agency name + date + FA number)

Note: You cannot search within the list of results returned except by using the search limiters. To do this, press the back button on your web browser and add an additional keyword.

Searching online in Archives Search:

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Understanding Search Limiters

• Search filters: – Allow you to refine your search

results

– Allow you to see how many of the items are available online.

– Allow you to filter out results at different levels (eg: are descriptions of series, not files)

– Allow you to see results from the decade of interest (1900s only)

Searching online in Archives Search:

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Keyword Search

• Search by keyword to identify files.

Keywords: – Agency name– Band name– A person’s name– Place name– Type of file (eg:

correspondence, central registry, census, treaty)

– Allow combinations (eg: agency name + type of file)

Searching online in Archives Search:

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Searching by File Number

Need to understand File Classification Systems (see FA10-376)

Pre-confederation: letterbooks, correspondence, etc.• Red Series and Black Series (1872-1964)• Subject-based registry systems:

– Thousand Series (1833-1970)– First Series (1834-1970)– School Files Series (1879-1953)

• Modified duplex numeric system (1844-1983)• Block Numeric System (mid-1980s onward)

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Searching by File Number

Use the search limiter “Archival Reference Number” and “R216” or “RG10”, or “RG22” as keywords

AND

Use search limiter “file number”

Type in file number in one of the following formats:

987/31?

987/3-11-? (this will locate all files with the root 987/3-11-, eg: 987/3-11-5)

987/3-11-4

987-3-11-4

Warning:

This file number search will not retrieve the file: 987/3-11?

Finding Aids

- Finding Aid = list of files LAC has related to a descriptive record (fonds, sous-fonds, series, sub-series, or accession).

- There is often more than one Finding Aid for a descriptive record.

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Understanding File Level Descriptions

• An individual file can only be found in Archives Search if the finding aid it is listed in is entered into the database.

• Not all finding aids are in database.

• Files within accessions will not have file level descriptions.

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Lower Level Item Links

Trust lower level item links list everything attached to a descriptive record when:

- All finding aids listed under the Finding Aid field are “Electronic” and there are lower level items attached.

- No finding aid is listed as “ Paper” or “Severed” or “Restricted”.

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Lower Level Item Links

DO NOT trust lower level item links list everything attached to a descriptive record when:

• Finding aids are listed that are indicated as “Paper”;

• Finding aids are listed as “Severed”; • Finding aids are listed where there is no

indication of the medium.

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Location of Files

Look at field “Other Accession no.” for four letter location code:

• VFRC = Vancouver• HFRC = Halifax• WFRC = Winnipeg• OFRC or no location reference = Records are

located in Ottawa• EFRC = Vancouver (formerly located in

Edmonton)15

Location of Files: example

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Upper Limit Search Returns

• There is no longer an upper search limit of 1000 in Archives Search

• See contents of FA 10-10 as an example

• You can use search limiters to split your display results into parts.

• Sort search by Date

• Sort search by items online vs. items not online

Note: If you re-create the search later, you can re-create the same list of results using these limiters.

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Citing INAC Files found in LAC’s Collection:

• Researchers should cite both archival reference number (R216) AND former archival reference number (RG10).• Archival Reference Number R216-38-3-E (Former

archival reference number RG10-C-IV-6 )

• However, you cannot see the R number within the descriptions for accessions, so sometimes it is necessary to use the former archival reference number.

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Citing INAC Files found in LAC’s Collection:

Examples of citations:

• To cite MIKAN 2076494 (a file in the permanent collection): R216-244-6-E (RG 10), Red Series, Volume 3195, file number

492,863, reel C-11338.

• To cite MIKAN 49585 (an accession):

RG10-C-IV-6, BAN 1997-01172-7, box 1, file number xxxx

OR

RG10-C-IV-6, Accession 1997-98/173 GAD, box 1, file number xxxx

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Conclusion

• Questions?

• For assistance with research questions, or questions about our services, please contact Reference@lac-bac.gc.ca or call 1-866-578-7777.

Thank you!