A researcher is seen in the Esplanade's Archives Reading Room digging through local history. - SUBMITTED PHOTO PHILIP PYPE
As an Archivist, I always get excited to see my profession portrayed in popular culture. Whether it’s Gandalf in Lord of the Rings heaving dusty ancient tomes (with an open flame beside him!), or an infallibly clean place such as the one depicted in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, in which the archivist states, “If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist.”
As portrayals of archives, these are entertaining but misleading. Archives are living, breathing institutions, constantly working with the community to grow our collective knowledge through sharing resources, information and stories. This happens in many ways.
Archives reference services are always a two-way interaction. Staff are constantly learning from our local community, as well as from users around the world. A question often comes with a story; a researcher brings knowledge to us that, in many cases, will help us enhance a record, such as identifying a person in a photograph that was previously unknown. A story is relayed to us that we were previously unaware of. We in turn share this gained knowledge through improved descriptions in our databases (like recording that name) or adding notes to the files. The next visitor accessing the information will then gain a more thorough understanding because of that ongoing sharing.
There are significant gaps in our records that we are always trying to fill. Archival institutions are created by people who have their own personal connections, biases and history. Historically, people who donate records to archives have been those who feel most comfortable in an archival setting. Unfortunately, archives have not always been inclusive. Records of marginalized communities created by members of those communities are often rare in our holdings. Concerted efforts have helped close some of these gaps, but this is a never-ending endeavor.
Archives put a lot of energy into making our resources available beyond the Reading Room. The biggest impacts are by those who use the archives and share their discoveries with friends, family, and through traditional and social media. Materials from the archives find their way into documentaries, textbooks, and articles.
We try to make archives meet the needs of our community through our holdings and our services. Our story is continually growing, and we as a community become more knowledgeable about our past.
The Archives Reading Room and reference services are available in person at the Esplanade Tuesday-Friday from 12-5 p.m. Start your search of the collections online anytime by visiting the Esplanade website, http://www.esplanade.ca.
Philip Pype is an Archivist at the Esplanade
