Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives

AGM Event: Archives in Your Attic!

Help us celebrate 30 years of the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives' service to the community!

This year we are doing our Annual General Meeting a little bit differently. With the “Archives in the Attic” event, the public has the opportunity to bring in their archival items that may be tucked away and gathering dust at home.

The event is taking place on Saturday, April 15th from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Here is an outline of the day:

12:30 - 1:30: The Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives' Annual General Meeting

1:30 - 2:00: Refreshments and set-up for Archives in Your Attic

2:00 - 4:00: Archives in Your Attic and an open house downstairs in the vault

What is Archival Material?

Archival material is defined by the Society of American Archivists as "Records in any format retained for their continuing value." In the past, this was focused mainly on paper documents, but as our society has advanced, the scope of what has archival value has greatly expanded.

Everyone, including different archival institutions, defines value their own way. For the Archives in Your Attic Event, we welcome anything that is of value to you, your family, your organization or business, or your community.

We will be providing advice on any type of material, even if it is an object from your personal archive and not necessarily something of greater historical importance for the community. We're happy to offer advice and to field questions on anything you bring in.

What we can Offer

We will have three archivists and one museum curator on hand to answer your questions. Some of our volunteers will also be present and many have been with the AMBA for many years and know the area's history like the back of their hand!

You can have our specialists assess the historical value of your items, offer professional help on long-term preservation, and answer your questions about archives in general. Items will be viewed on a first-come-first-serve basis using a number system, with follow-up appointments also available to those who need more time.

While our specialists are well-versed in storage, preservation and emergency salvage of archival material, we are not conservation or appraisal professionals. For more technical questions, for monetary valuation or for actual conservation work, we will have information on who you can reach out to. We will also have resources you can take home.

This event is also a great opportunity to see what others bring in, mingle with fellow history buffs, , learn about the history of Arnprior and McNab/Braeside and get to know the AMBA.

Want to Donate your Material to the AMBA?

If you would like to bring archival items to donate, you are encouraged to bring them to the event! We will be able to accept donations of archival material that fit the mandate of the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives, or point you in the direction of a more suitable heritage institution.

We have also had cases in which we borrow material to scan and give back to the donor, so that they can keep their valued items and share the knowledge with their community at the same time. If you have an historically important photograph or document that you'd like to keep, please consider allowing us to scan it and add the digital copy to our archives.