News

April 2025 in the Archives

3 May 2025

Stats:

Public open hours: The Archives were open for enquiries and on-site research appointments 17.5 hours/week except the Good Friday holiday.

Enquiries: 8, of which 1 in person.

Running total for 2025: 36

Photo views on Flickr : (about 29K, total 388, 449 on 29 April 2025, since 3 Mar 2022).

Volunteers’ work:

On-site volunteer hours logged: 36 (5 volunteers)

Volunteer projects:

  • municipal demolished-property files indexing
  • historic building permits indexing
  • file listing in a large collection of personal papers (45 boxes), preparatory to weeding and cataloguing – working on the last box!
  • transcribing oral history recordings, checking and correcting existing transcripts – a long collaborative project (90 mins of recording) now in final checking stages
  • additions to Oak Bay property reference files

Archivist's work:

  • PR 114 (2013) Haynes family photos progress:
    • Numbering of physical albums and photos is complete.
    • All captions on photos have been transcribed and further descriptions are underway.
    • 200 photos are online (with captions) for the first time, current total online just over 50% of the collection (up from 15%).
    • Scanning of the remaining photos is 50% done.
  • Meeting with Oak Bay librarians to plan 1-2 “Ask Your Archivist” days with an info table at the Library – similar to Avenue summer markets.
    • Dates: BC Archives Awareness Week (3rd week in November) and BC Heritage Week (3rd week in February), to even out similar public engagement opportunities through the year.
  • Display for Oak Bay Artists’ show @ Monterey Centre, requested by Rec staff. “Mystery Gallery” displaying facsimiles and asking for help identifying artists & dates for six original paintings in the archives without provenance, + leaflets/contact cards, enquiry forms. Mystery Gallery online: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives/mystery-gallery-1
  • internal and external enquiries research and responses, facilitating researcher visits, volunteer management
  • Leaflets outreach: maintaining archives leaflets in Oak Bay library foyer


Summer projects for me:

  1. Completion of Haynes photo collection
  2. Tidying up dead links & information throughout Archives areas of Connect and website
  3. Restoring WW2 project links on Connect and re-researching lost info from December to complete the Roll of Honour
  4. Developing school history box contents, and related Flickr collection with more images as a teacher tie-in
  5. Parks & Rec 50th anniversary exhibition


Post by Anna Sander, 5 May 2025.

To cite: Sander, Anna. (2025, May). 'April 2025 in the Archives.' [Blog post]. District of Oak Bay, Archives. Retrieved from https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives/ [date accessed].


Questions or appointment requests? Please get in touch!

Website: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives
Archive photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oakbayarchives/
Blog posts: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives
Email: archives@oakbay.ca

Phone: 250-598-3290