Kitchener has a rich history that we celebrate in our corporate archives. We take pride in collecting and preserving materials that document the history and progression of our city, and we make them available to the public.

On this page:

  1. Our collections
  2. Access conditions
  3. Donations
  4. Reproductions

Our collections

Within our collection, you'll find records and historic information on:

  • Village, Town and City of Berlin
  • City of Kitchener
  • Village of Bridgeport
  • Township of Waterloo

City documents include:

  • assessment rolls from 1854 to present
  • board of health records
  • board of park management records
  • bylaws from 1864 to present
  • council minutes 1854 to present
  • Kitchener City Hall records (1924 - 1997)
  • organizational charts
  • recreation commission records (1948 - 1965)
  • water commission records
  • parks and recreation commission records (1963 - 1973)
  • millennium project records
  • former visitor convention bureau

Photos and maps include:

  • aerial photos from 1946 to 1984
  • maps from 1857 to present
  • photographs of places, people, and events from 1924 onward
  • Moe Norman collection
  • Harry Class collection

Recreation records include:

  • Kitchener Memorial Auditorium board of management records
  • Kitchener Minor Soccer Association records

See the collections available online.

Access conditions

We reserve the right to:

  • refuse disclosure of some records under the guidelines set by Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) 
  • refuse access to archival items too fragile or valuable to handle
    • where practical and appropriate, reproductions will be made and substituted for the original for public display or research purposes
  • restrict the amount of material a researcher may use at one time
  • prohibit access to archival items to those individuals who violate the corporate archives' care and handling rules

For more information, please contact our records and archives specialist, at 519-741-2200, ext. 7769.

Donations

We are always looking to grow our collection of archives and we welcome donations that meet our mandate and are deemed to be of archival value. Donations we accept may include records and artifacts that pay homage to the people, groups, and events that have helped shape Kitchener.

Donations to our archives are accepted on a permanent basis and are subject to our donation agreement, which outlines all applicable conditions and/or restrictions. We legally own all materials in our corporate archives.

We will accept donations of personal papers and other items if they complement our existing corporate archival holdings or serve to fill a gap in our collection.

We may not accept:

  • oversized/large items due to space availability
  • materials in extremely poor physical condition due to the lack of resources to restore them

We will not accept:

  • items that we cannot preserve under proper storage conditions
  • contaminated items that could pose risk to staff, researchers and other archival materials

For more information, please contact our records and archives specialist, at 519-741-2200 ext: 7769.

Reproductions

You can request reproductions, such as photocopies, reprints of photographs and digitized images, provided:

  1. The reproduction will not likely damage the records. The city reserves the right to refuse the reproduction of any records which might be damaged during the handling and/or reproduction process.
  2. Permission is granted for the reproduction of a single copy only, and for one-time use. No copies are to be sold, further reproduced, or published without prior consent of the city. Exceptions to these conditions detailing the agreed upon use of the reproduction and any restrictions must be approved first by the manager of corporate records and archives services.
  3. The requester assumes all responsibility for obtaining copyright clearance and reproduction rights and for any infringement of existing copyright legislation.
  4. Credit for the reproduced item is given to the City of Kitchener corporate archives.

Cost of reproductions

Fees vary depending on the size of the original and the physical reproduction, as well as other factors like the availability of photo negatives. We charge these fees to recover our service costs. Any applicable delivery, shipping and handling costs will also be charged. Where possible, digital reproductions will be provided at no cost.

Wherever possible, we will provide a reasonable estimate of the costs associated with reproductions if more than $25. We cannot guarantee the estimate as the final amount.