Archives Search Tips
for Claims Researchers
S. Hurford and J. Wilhelm
2010
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Databases (no longer being updated)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.
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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is no longer updated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
Searching online in Archives Search:
• 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.
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Understanding Search Limiters
Searching online in Archives Search:
• 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)
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Keyword Search
Searching online in Archives 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)
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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: 987/311-5)
987/3-11-4
987-3-11-4
Warning:
This file number search will not retrieve the file: 987/3-11?
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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)
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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 recreate 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!
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