The Archives of the University of Ottawa

You can research the history of uOttawa by consulting archival materials managed by the Information and Archives Management Service. Follow these steps to prepare your consultation visit.

You can obtain reproductions of archival documents under certain terms and conditions. You must first sign a form saying you agree to these terms. If documents are fragile or in poor condition, reproductions may not be possible. Archives staff can decline or limit reproduction requests.

Self-serve copying

You can use your own digital camera, phone or tablet to copy records such as photographs and documents in the reading room. Archives staff will walk you through the steps.

Photocopying and digital scanning

On request, we provide hard copy photocopies and scans as PDF or high-resolution TIFF files. You can pick up photocopies in the reading room. Scanned documents are sent through the secure LiquidFiles file hosting site for download.

A minimum $5 fee applies for scanning requests. Pre-payment with a valid credit card through the uOttawa eStore is required. Once you’ve received your final reproduction invoice from the archives, follow the links below to pay online for your order.

The fee schedule is as follows (after the $5 minimum if necessary):

• Pay for textual records (photocopy and PDF) $0.20 / page 
• Pay for graphic material (TIFF) $5.00 / image

Collection policy

We collect the official administrative records of uOttawa, as well as personal archival records of faculty and staff, and the administrative records of organizations closely associated with the University, such as student or advocacy groups.

Types of material we accept

• Textual: correspondence, publication drafts, reports, minutes, research and presentation notes, journals, yearbooks, promotional materials
• Multimedia: photographs, film, audio and video recordings, posters, artworks, textile records, artifacts

Donation process

• If you are interested in donating records to the archives, contact Information and Archives Management
• Please include the following details about the records you wish to donate:  
  • An overview of the types of records (e.g., photographs, reports, pamphlets)  
  • The approximate amount or extent of the records (e.g., 2  bankers’ boxes, 10 MB of digital photos, 3 yearbooks)  
  • The date range of the records (e.g., 1960-1964, the 1950s)  
  • Information on the owner or creator of the records and their connection to uOttawa (e.g., yourself, a family member, an organization)