Archival Donations

People often overlook the historical significance of their old papers and photographs. These types of records are vital to telling the story of the entire community and are important to preserve.

The Ottawa Jewish Archives accepts by donation the records of Jewish individuals or families who live (or have lived) in Ottawa and Jewish businesses, organizations or associations that have operated in the city. Donating your original records ensures that they will be preserved and made accessible to future generations of researchers.

We collect records in all unpublished formats (textual, photographic, audio-visual, cartographic, and architectural) from all eras. This may include correspondence, business and organizational records, photographs, diaries, posters, brochures, videos etc. Originals are always preferred over copies for archival reasons (believe it or not, a piece of paper is going to outlive a PDF).

Upon donating your archival material to the Archives, it is arranged and described according to Canadian Archival Standards and stored within the Archives holdings.