The HRM Archives promotes the preservation of the region’s total archival heritage, whether records are preserved in the Municipal Archives, in one of the region’s many other archives and museums, or in the “personal archives” of a family, business or organization.

The Municipal Archives is interested in receiving donations of records created by individuals, families, businesses or community organizations active within the municipality. The donation must meet the terms of our Acquisition Policy, and if the records fit the acquisition mandate of another local repository, we will refer the donor to them.

Donating your records to an archives is an important contribution to preserving our documentary heritage. In addition to the knowledge that your records will be securely preserved and made accessible to future generations, donors may request a receipt for their gift to the municipality, which they can use for an income tax deduction.

Donations are received according to our Acquisition Policy. Potential donors may find it useful to look at our Appraisal Criteria to understand the types and qualities of records that might be of interest to the Municipal Archives.

Below is a brief outline of the process of donating records to the HRM Archives. The process may become more or less complex depending on the nature of the records being donated.

The Donation Process:

1. Individuals with records (documents, photographs, maps, plans, audio-visual recordings, etc.) that document the history of HRM, that they would consider giving to the municipality, contact the Municipal Archivist to discuss the potential donation.
2. The Municipal Archivist will ask about the contents of the records and who created them to first determine if the HRM Archives is the most appropriate repository. The donor may be referred to another, more appropriate repository.
3. If the records appear to be within the acquisition mandate of the HRM Archives, the Municipal Archivist will either set up an appointment to view the records, or, if that is not possible, ask extensive questions about the date range, extent, condition and type of records being offered.
4. The Municipal Archivist will do an appraisal of the records to determine if they fit our Acquisition Policy and if HRM Archives can adequately resource their preservation.
5. If HRM Archives can acquire them, the Municipal Archivist will discuss the terms of the donation with the donor. The Deed of Gift, which is the legal document authorizing the gift, formalizes those terms. Issues such as ownership, copyright and restrictions will be discussed.
6. Once the Deed of Gift is signed, arrangements will be made to physically transfer the records to the Archives, where they will be accessioned and eventually preserved in appropriate archival housing and described so that researchers will be able to access the records.
7. If a tax receipt is requested, the gift will be given a monetary appraisal and a receipt issued from the Halifax Regional Municipality.
8. If the donor agrees, the donation will be acknowledged through appropriate publicity.

Community records are an important complement to the government records created by the municipalities; however the extent of our non-government holdings is limited by the resources available to preserve and provide access to them.