January 15, 2007

The Northern British Columbia Archives – located at UNBC – has achievedthe highest certification possible in Canada. The Archives has receivedCategory A accreditation, the first archival repository in Northern BCto receive this designation from Canadian Heritage and one of only 50in Canada.

The accreditation recognizes that the Northern BC Archives has theprofessional staff, security, and environmental controls necessary formanaging and preserving archival materials. The designation alsoprovides added tax benefits to donors of historical materials.

“We had been working on achieving this designation for three years,”says Archivist Ramona Rose. “It is vital to our ability to keepattracting historical materials and is important in our efforts to‘repatriate’ some northern materials that are currently housed inarchives outside of our region. This will make our archives morecomprehensive for people who want to conduct research on the history ofour own region.”

The Northern BC Archives already has a valuable assortment of text andphotographic materials. Some of the best collections capture theindustrial history of the region, including the records of the Cassiarmining community and materials from Noranda regarding the founding ofNorthwood Pulp and Timber, Ltd. There are also fascinating collectionsrelated to the region’s cultural history, including a photo collectionfrom local naturalist Mary Fallis and the literary collections ofprominent northern writers such as Barry McKinnon and Brian Fawcett.

The Northern BC Archives is open to the public and is located on the top floor of the Geoffrey R. Weller Library.

Contact:
Ramona Rose, University Archivist, UNBC – 250.960.6603
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622