A New Way to Look at the Past

We are excited to celebrate Archives Week with the City of Regina’s upgraded virtual archives system.

February 5 to 11, 2023 celebrates the 18th annual Archives Week in Saskatchewan. This week is an opportunity to highlight archives in the province and celebrate our history as recorded in those archives. The City of Regina’s Archives was established in 1985 and includes over 6,000,000 documents that tell the story of Regina.

“We are passionate about telling the story of our city and keeping our history alive,” says Dana Turgeon, Historical Information & Preservation Supervisor. “This upgrade is the culmination of dedicated hard work by our Archives team, and we are pleased it will improve the overall experience for residents exploring our archives.”

The City’s virtual archives hosts over 43,000 images and nearly 46,000 text-based records. The upgraded system provides a more efficient and newer mobile-friendly experience for the public and allows our staff to respond to requests more quickly. The previous system had become outdated with an operating system that is no longer supported, so an update was required to ensure ongoing public virtual access to archived materials. Now, archive users can see our records updated in real time, meaning once an item is uploaded it can be viewed immediately.

New collections are added all the time. Recent additions include:

• Buffy Sainte-Marie’s appearance at the statue unveiling at Piapot First Nation
• Cricket match between Team Midway and the Stallions on September 2, 2014
• Queen Elizabeth II’s 2005 visit to Regina

The City of Regina archival collection includes documents of legal, historical, administrative, or financial significance. Virtual archives users can search:

• Over 43,000 images, including more than 25,000 early Regina photographs
• Nearly 46,000 textual records, representing well over half a million sheets of paper
• Timelines of Regina including
  • History of Taylor Field
  • 150 Stories Oral History Project

Additionally, the City has an archival reading room on the 15th floor of City Hall. Residents can make an appointment to examine documents like building permit registers, photographs, or old City Council minutes, all with a great view of the Legislative Building in Wascana Park.

Visit Regina.ca to book a session in the Archive Reading Room and experience the updated City Virtual Archives.