COQUITLAM, B.C., Feb. 14, 2023 – Coquitlam’s City Archives continued to make strides last year preserving the stories of all those who helped build and shape the community we know today.
The Archives’ activities in 2022, which is documented in the 2022 Archives Annual Report available at www.coquitlam.ca/cityarchives, included a continuing effort to expand its vast store of municipal government documents with community records that reveal what life was like through the eyes of individual residents, community groups and businesses.
The Archives’ ongoing work to preserve all aspects of Coquitlam’s history was part of another busy year for the Archives, and aligned with the City’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
2022 by the Numbers
The Archives made significant accomplishments in 2022, including:
- 11 per cent increase in traffic on the Quest online search portal from 2021
- 58,266 Quest page views by visitors from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia, Ireland and Germany (to date, Quest has had more than 283,000 page views by over 43,000 unique visitors)
- 1,200 archival descriptions added to the Quest online database
- More than 165 reference requests from the public and City staff
- 19 researchers reviewed archival materials on-site
- 15 accessions (acquisitions of archival materials) received
- Three new online exhibits produced
Processing Acquisitions
A core activity of the Archives is arrangement and description, which transforms donated, unorganized photos, maps and documents into physical and digital records searchable by the public. This painstaking work includes sorting, categorizing, describing and preparing materials for public access.
Sixteen collections (or fonds) were arranged and described in 2022 on topics including: Club Bel Âge seniors’ group, Minnekhada Regional Park, Barb Wood artwork, Coquitlam Public Library, Canadian Federation of University Women, Hoy Scott Watershed Society, District of Fraser Mills, Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable, Burquitlam Community Association, gender equity and fonds from local families.
Archive staff also digitized hundreds of photographs and documents for the Quest online search engine, reducing the backlog of unprocessed records by 85 per cent.
Community Outreach and Impact
The Archives continued to share stories of Coquitlam’s past in 2022 by adding three more installments to its series of online exhibits, available at www.coquitlam.ca/onlineexhibits. These exhibits showcase archival records, and explore and celebrate various aspects of Coquitlam’s history. New additions reflect on the work of the Hoy Scott Watershed Society, the former District of Fraser Mills, and how the Archives collects and preserves the stories of Coquitlam’s past.
Outreach activities in 2022 included an in-person showcase of the artwork of Barb Woods, a booth at a Coquitlam in Bloom event, tours for students and City staff, and participation in International Archives Week and Archives Awareness Week. The popular Throwback Thursday (#TBT) social media posts continued.
Students, researchers, historians and community groups such as Coquitlam Heritage, Evergreen Cultural Centre and Riverview Horticultural Society also used the Archives.
A Complete Picture of the Past
The Archives encourages donations of photographs, letters, maps and other records that reflect the lives, perspectives and contributions of all former residents – including working class people, members of historically marginalized populations, and others who did not traditionally hold positions of power.
Archives staff also dedicated time in 2022 to teasing out the hidden stories behind the records, such as stories of Japanese and South Asian mill workers pieced together from the District of Fraser Mills fonds and shared in an online exhibit.
For information or to make a donation, contact archives@coquitlam.ca or 604-924-3900. The Archives’ existing collections can be found on its Quest search portal, accessible through www.coquitlam.ca/cityarchives.
Looking Ahead
Plans for 2023 include new online exhibits and an expanded social media presence. The Archives will continue to acquire and process community and City records, add more photos and documents to the Quest database, and preserve collections with conservation concerns through digitization and other methods.
About the City of Coquitlam Archives
The City of Coquitlam Archives serves a dual purpose: to preserve and to make accessible. Since the inception of the archives program, the Archives has been raising its profile to encourage people to use its services and discover the trove of records in the collection.
Thousands of archival records, including hundreds of historical images, are available in digital form through the Archives’ online search portal Quest at www.searcharchives.coquitlam.ca.
The Archives is open for drop-in visits Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact 604-927-3900 or archives@coquitlam.ca.
For more information about the City of Coquitlam Archives, visit www.coquitlam.ca/cityarchives.
Media contact
Jamie Sanford
City Archivist
604-927-3900
archives@coquitlam.ca