Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives
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The Museum In Your Computer: How to Search Digital Archives

1/12/2022

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      Many visitors to the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives ask “where are the archives?” While we maintain a robust collection of archival documents in storage, many of these archives are not available for in-person viewing due to preservation concerns. What we have on exhibit is only a small percentage of the Museum’s collection, which includes 7000+ artifacts, 1600 archival documents and over 8000 photographs and negatives. We also house The Coast News and The Peninsula Times newspapers, along with an assortment of other regional publications. The museum is committed to making everything accessible to the public so we have worked to digitize our collections. This makes them easier to search through and means that you do not need to visit the museum, or be trained in archive handling, to go through the archives. You can visit our collection from the comfort of your own home!
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Photo #4226 from the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives. Harry Roberts working at his desk in Sunray cabin, Nelson Island.
 There are several ways to search the collection and the best method depends on what you are looking for. Interested in learning about the winner of the Dog Fish Derby in 1979? Looking for images for your business? Do you want to hear locals tell stories about the olden days? Each of these can be found in a different part of our collection. Let’s research Harry Roberts as an example. ​

Photographs & Archives

PicturePhoto #1050 Harry Roberts
Click here to search photographs and archives
When you type Harry Roberts into the keyword search bar, the results will come back including anything mentioning Harry or Roberts. All of the items associated with Harry Roberts will be included, but so will every other person named Harry or Roberts and you will get 478 results rather than the 40 that are specific to Harry Roberts. To avoid this, you can instead type “Harry Roberts” or Harry AND Roberts. To search for photographs taken by Harry Roberts, used the Advanced Search option and type “Harry Roberts” in the Creator field. To limit your findings to photographs of the different things that Harry Roberts built during his lifetime, you can search “Harry Roberts” AND buil*. The asterisk (*) will include built or buildings and is a great trick to use if you are uncertain about spelling. In this case it is useful because we will be able to see all of the buildings, boats and even the waterwheel that Harry Roberts made in one search. 

​Once you have clicked search, you will see photographs appear first, followed by any archival materials that are in the search results. For Harry Roberts, these archival materials are categorized as “Papers, Personal” and include his extensive writings on a variety of topics. You can read through handwritten or typed accounts of local stories as well as some of Harry’s more philosophical ponderings. Other archival materials that can be found in our collection are maps, pamphlets, books. Anything on paper! 
If you want a digital copy of a photograph that you have found, without that pesky watermark covering it, we’ve got you covered. Click on the image, then click Request Image in the lower right corner to open an online ordering form. Once you have submitted your request, an email notifies staff at the museum and we will get back to you ASAP. For research and private study, low resolution .JPG images (96 dpi) are available free of charge. High resolution .TIFF images (300 dpi) are available for purchase for $20 (research/private study only). If the image is to be used for commercial purposes, a Usage Agreement may be required. *PLEASE NOTE: Prints are not available for purchase at this time. Printing can be done at home, by a local copy shop or through an online service.  

Newspapers

​Click here to access digitized newspapers
The museum has digitized several publications that were locally produced, including two newspapers The Coast News (1945-1995) and The Peninsula Times (1963-1979). These are invaluable research tools that highlight the day-to-day life of the Sunshine Coast as well as chronicle many significant events for the area. Similar to searching for photographs, the newspaper search also uses keyword searching and works best when quotation marks are used. You can choose to search chronologically or within a certain time frame if you are looking for a specific event or article. The Coast News has the most articles so it is a good place to start but do not underestimate The Peninsula Times! Searching for “Harry Roberts” will pull up 126 results from The Coast News and 23 articles from The Peninsula Times. 
​To save digital copies from the newspaper collection, there are two options; single pages can be downloaded in JPEG format while entire issues can be downloaded as PDF files. 

Oral Histories

​Click here to access selected clips from our Oral History Collection
Recorded interviews with a variety of Sunshine Coasters are preserved in the archives, with the oldest recording dating back by to 1959. There are over 90 that have been collected from local legends. We are currently working on making more of them available and our incredible volunteers are in the process of transcribing them. Although the Oral Histories are not all available yet, the ones that are online can be found on the museum’s Soundcloud. This includes an interview with Harry Roberts, recorded in the 1960s. To learn about the recordings that we have, submit a research request and we will look through our masterlist. 
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Library

PicturePhoto #2132 The Gibsons Public Library circa 1955
​Our library includes books on relevant heritage and coastal topics, some of which are no longer in print or are difficult to source. The library is open to the public during museum hours, although it is not a lending library, meaning that our books are available to read in the library but cannot be borrowed. If you would like a list of recommended books for a topic you are interested in, we are happy to discuss which books may interest you. Harry Roberts is, of course, mentioned in Remembering Roberts Creek by the Roberts Creek Historical Committee as well as a selection of other books.


​You may have to come into the museum after all – some things just have to be experienced in person! 

Research Requests

​If there is anything that you cannot find, feel free to ask us. We are happy to help with research requests, nothing is too out there. It takes approximately two weeks to complete a request and the first 30 minutes of research is free. Additional research is $25 per hour. Requests can be submitted by emailing scm_a@dccnet.com, phone 604-886-8232 or in person. Now that you have read all the way through this guide, you are practically an expert researcher already! 
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New Trails, Old Views: A Walk Through Fairy Glen

9/17/2021

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Before Winegarden Park or Brothers Park there was “Fairy Glen”, more commonly referred to as the Glen. It was a popular picnic area enjoyed by locals, summer complaints and cattle alike, but until recently, the Glen was no longer the community gathering space that it was 100 years ago. According to The West Howe Sound Story, during the 1920s “the Glen was a lovely secluded picnic area […] at the north-eastern boundary of the Village of Gibson’s Landing”. Church services and fundraising events such as summer teas were often held there alongside everyday picnics. It became so common to have these events that the Gibson’s Landing and District Improvement Association installed two large picnic tables there. This lovely spot made such an impression that it was included in a wedding album that Helen McCall gave to Mary Fletcher, alongside other favourite spots about town such as Gibsons Landing, Dougall Point and the Howe Sound School. 
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Photo #2940 from the Sunshine Coast Museum Archives. "The Creek in the Glen" Taken by Helen McCall, circa 1930.
Although the popularity of the Glen faded in the decades since the 1920s it is being revitalized in the 2020s as a trail system. The Town of Gibsons, with the help of many volunteers and a grant from the Vancouver Foundation, has developed a new trail through the area.
Barry Janyk, former Mayor of Gibsons, worked with neighbours to build the new trail following a dispute over property lines. The Heritage Hill Neighbour Association and the Town of Gibsons cleaned up the creek and surrounding area, which had been used as an illegal dumping site, rebuilt the trail and planted a dozen cedars. Janyk, who has lived on the Coast and been involved in community work since 1978, commented that “nothing bonds people like everyone working together on a common goal” and this trail was one such goal. Daniel Tardif, Manager of Maintenance and Operations at Town of Gibsons, also spoke about the effort that the project took as it required a geo-technician, biologist and trail designer to evaluate the area. Michel Frenette was heralded by Janyk as a "master trail builder" and was instrumental in the planning and building of the trail. ​
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Photo #128 The wooden bridge over the Glen at the boundary between Gibsons Landing and the Checkwelp Indian Reserve in 1911.
The Glen, as it was remembered by Stanley Trueman in one of the Museum’s oral history recordings, “comes out just where the highway leaves the village. At that time, it wasn’t as thickly treed as it is now”. The new trail, which has not been officially named yet, is in this same location, with an entrance right next to the sign for the Town of Gibsons. The trail is not very long, and is made up of a leisurely couple hundred metres that wind along Gibson Creek. The old wooden bridge is no longer there and the pathway is maintained by the town and the neighbourhood rather than the free-range cattle “that roamed at large” and “kept the grass well grazed” in the 1920s. And yet the area has kept its secluded allure.
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When asked about future projects, Tardif mentioned working on other local rights of way that need to be improved upon to make them more accessible. Signage for these trails will also be created, which is not only good for helping people find these paths, but also in clarifying property lines and educating people about the heritage of the area. That is something we at the Museum are particularly fond of. While the trail through Fairy Glen waits to be named, it will be exciting to see the area become a community gathering space once again.
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1971- the Summer of Coastal Communes

7/23/2021

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Crowe Road Commune, Funny Food Farm, and Sugar Mountain Commune are just some names of the groups that populated the Sunshine Coast in the early 1970’s. This may not come as much of a surprise, as many of us are familiar with the Coast’s countercultural attitude, so what made 1971 any different? This year was especially notable in the history of these communes because, for a short period of time, they were funded by the Federal Government.

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Mushroom Festival, Fall 1969. Photograph by Michael de Courcy, from the Intermedia Catalogue. Courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia.

Unlike the emergency Government funding we’ve all familiarized ourselves with during the reign of COVID-19, the people of the 70’s were faced with an entirely different pandemic: restlessness among youth. To remedy this, and the growing youth unemployment rate in the country, Opportunities For Youth was created. These grants were unique because they were given to projects that were created not only for, but by the younger generations. The program received criticism for many reasons, including supporting projects which some found to be too controversial. Underground newspapers, drug counselling services, and communes are just some examples of the ideas which received funding. British Columbia had 30 of these subsidized counter-cultural groups, half of which were located on the Sunshine Coast. At the foundation of these communes was the idea of self-sufficiency, and exploring alternative lifestyles. The phenomenon received international attention when a New York Times journalist was sent to the Coast, noting that many communes were without electricity and running water.  One of the harshest critics of this program was Wallace Peterson, the Mayor of Gibsons at the time. In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, he stated that “to support a bunch of American hippies. . . isn’t the purpose of the OFY program. They’re using the money to learn how to grow pot—I don’t think you’ll see a single potato growing on any of these communes.” His suspicions were put to the test on June 21st of 1971 when the RCMP raided these grant recipient groups, only to find no hard evidence of any illicit activities. Documentation on the final success of the communes is limited.
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The experience of living through a pandemic has changed many individuals’ perspectives regarding the sustainability of our current ways of living. And although we aren’t quite headed toward another Government-funded commune craze yet, it may not be a bad idea to learn about ways to become more self-sufficient.  


Special thanks to Matt Cavers for research notes

-Kaylin


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Hello hello hello, Kaylin's back at the Museum!

6/10/2021

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After an interesting in-person semester of my Motion Picture Arts program at Capilano University, I’m excited to be back at the Museum- and to have a normal schedule again! I’m very much looking forward to welcoming back visitors in the near future, it’s so quiet here now that I swear I can hear chattering from the dolls upstairs. Working at the Museum has allowed me to see that although events transpire in a fixed way, our knowledge and perception of history is constantly evolving. This process of re-learning and un-learning has given me the opportunity for much self-reflection, and the ability to think more critically of my role (however small) in events that are currently transpiring; a process which I’m grateful to be able to further expand upon in my time here. The COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on several video projects we had started last year, including our new “Unpacking History” series, where each episode we'll pull an artifact and discuss the history that it represents. Lots to look forward to this summer!
Best,
Kaylin 
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(Photo #841) Aerial photo of Princess Louisa Inlet.
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Pacific Coast Militia Rangers of the Second World War

11/6/2020

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​We would like to welcome military historian Stu McDonald for a guest column about the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers on the Sunshine Coast during World War II
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Remembrance Day is a day to think about those who served in defence of our freedom and the freedom of others around the globe.  We often think about those Canadians on other days of the year, as well as on November 11th. When doing so, here on the Sunshine Coast, many of us are not aware of a little known group of military volunteers who served right here in our communities from 1942 to 1945.
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Local chapter of PCMR training on the Sunshine Coast
These volunteers were members of the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (P.C.M.R). All of them were members of Canada’s Reserve Army. They were equipped with weapons and uniforms and trained in the evenings and on weekends. Many of the Rangers would have preferred to join the overseas Canadian military forces but they were employed locally in essential work, such as logging, fishing, farming and mining and were not permitted to leave those jobs.
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PCMR Hat Badges
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Examples of brassards (arm bands) for regional PCMR chapters
The mission of the P.C.M.R. was to provide surveillance along the coast of British Columbia and Yukon and to help to defend our country against possible Japanese attacks. They also watched for suspicious activity, located Japanese balloon bombs and assisted the Regular Army as guides and scouts.
 
How many were there in B.C.? Far more than you would probably think. There was a 25 to 50 man company in the Sechelt to Pender Harbour area, another in the Gibsons to Robert’s Creek area, another company in Gambier - Port Mellon – East Bay and a fourth in the Woodfibre area. 
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Firearms training for local PCMR chapter
There were 132 companies in BC and Yukon, with a total strength of over 14,000 Rangers. If you were a Ranger, or know someone who was, please post a comment below, or contact the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives.

                            Many thanks to guest author Stu McDonald!
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Local PCRM target practice
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Yours Till the Kitchen Sinks

7/15/2020

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Thanks to the rise of the smartphone and the World Wide Web, it is now easier than ever for us to connect with other people. With one quick search, you can almost always find out anything about anyone, even that girl you met at summer camp ten years ago. It’s difficult to imagine a time when we couldn’t take a thousand photos of our friends, or send a good morning text to a loved one kilometers away. For the generations who grew up before the rise of social media and accessible photography, memories of these connections could be maintained in autograph books.
These books were quite small in size, usually with a decorative cover, and they were carried around by the owner with the intention of collecting signatures and pieces of writing from their friends and family. The sentiment is similar to how one would sign a yearbook today. Autograph books first appeared in 16th century Europe, carried by travelling university students who wished to have something to remember their friends by. At times it could even be used by scholars to show off any impressive connections they’d made throughout their academic careers. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that autograph books became more commonplace. Friends and family would write a prayer or wish for the owner of the book, even including a sketch or a painting at times. 
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1927
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1925
The books lost popularity in late 19th century, but came back into fashion again in the 1920’s. The content between earlier and later books differs slightly as earlier books are more likely to include photographs and artwork, while the later ones will at times contain only a simple signature. Despite a shift in content between the generations, the idea of immortalizing past connections was nevertheless the same.
Two of these autograph books have recently found their home in our collection- one from years 1925-1928 and the other from 1951. The difference in the language used between the two books is interesting to observe. The 1920’s book generally seems to be more poetic and romantic, but contains its fair share of wit nonetheless. Two gimmicks that appear in both of the books are inscribing “by hook or by crook, I’ll be the first in your book” on the first page, or writing in the book upside-down while including a rhyme about this mischievous act, as shown below. 
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1951
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1926
​Another fun word game appears in the 1951 autograph collection, when the writer signs off with “yours till ___”, some creative examples are “yours till Niagra falls”, “yours till the kitchen sinks”, “yours till the barn dances”, and “yours till the washing diapers”. It is unclear where these silly rhymes originated from, possibly from the mind of a creative author one day, and copied from one book to the next ever since. Another interesting aspect is the history represented in these collections. The older autograph book holds many signatures from young members of local pioneer families, names such as Soames, Inglis, Hinsta, Winegarden, and Chamberlin.
It is fascinating to witness the unfiltered humour of past generations. There are many sweet sentiments in these books; however, there are just as many witty and slightly crude remarks. Reading these pages evokes the feeling that despite being separated by several decades, we really aren’t so far apart. 

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1950
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1950
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1927
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1920's
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1926
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1951
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It's about time!

7/5/2020

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​The museum holds many mysteries, and these past couple weeks have brought us the answer to one which has been in the back of our minds since last summer; the restricted time capsule instructions from Gibsons Elementary School (as mentioned in our previous blog post “Restricted Access”). We came upon this sealed envelope last year, and written on it was an opening date of September 1st 2020.  
Leaving messages for the future is not a new idea. Even the ancient Babylonians inscribed tablets in the foundations of their buildings for future generations to discover. Building time capsules as we know them today, however, is a practice far from ancient. The first time a capsule was built with a specific “open by” date took place in 1876, at the US Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, which was then dubbed a “century safe”. Some of the items deemed of enough importance to be included in the safe were a gold pen, a book of Americans’ signatures, and a book on temperance.
In 1937 a “Time Bomb” was being prepared for the 1939 New York World Fair, and thanks to a publicist from the event, the words “Time Capsule” were coined and have stuck ever since. A notable artifact contained within this capsule is a letter from Albert Einstein himself, which reportedly says, “People living in different countries kill each other at irregular time intervals, so that also for this reason anyone who thinks about the future must live in fear and terror.” It’s doubtful that the children of Gibsons Elementary included any words of this weight in their capsule, but that was for us to find out.
The first step in our search was to look through the digitized archival newspaper collection. The date our time capsule was created had not been noted in our records, so that made the search a bit more difficult. In the end, nothing pertaining to a Gibsons Elementary time capsule was found, but it does seem that there have been quite a few capsules buried on the coast over the years. 
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                                            The Coast News 04/18/1994
​
In a last-ditch attempt, a basic Google search was done. We couldn’t believe our eyes as the first hit came up; an article titled “What happened to the time capsule at Gibsons Elementary School?”, published by the Coast Clarion. The time capsule in the article had been buried in the late 80’s and was set to be unveiled in 2020, so it seemed that we had found our match. The only problem was that this capsule had been lost when renovations were done at the school. We contacted Brian Low, who wrote the article and assisted in the time capsule assembly, to find out if any new information had been uncovered.
“Please check the map to see if the indicated location of the capsule is beneath the stairs leading down to the gym and stage of the previous Gibson's Elementary School […]
If that is not the location indicated on your map, then perhaps the capsule or some part of it has survived and might yet be displayed! Please let me know either way.
It is just possible that Sam Reid [the principal at the time] had this trick up his sleeve the whole time. As indicate[d] below, he was always quite the showman!”
 
Since he published the article, Low had in fact located the capsule, although its fate was still a grim one. According to a former secretary from the district, Sam Reid had decided to open the capsule before his retirement in the early 90’s. An event for the unveiling was organized at Sea Cavalcade, and many of the students who contributed to the capsule were in attendance. The capsule had been tampered with slightly, but hope prevailed as Mr. Reid lifted the lid. A wave of disappointment struck as the eager audience realized that at least half of the contents were missing. One of the most precious items to be lost was a video made for the occasion. Interestingly enough, another time capsule buried by Mr.Reid at Cedar Grove Elementary also had a similar fate.
 
The question still remained, was this doomed capsule really the one in our archives? Or maybe Low was correct in his guess that Sam Reid had another trick up his sleeve.  The only way to find out was to open the envelope. An executive decision had to be made as to whether there was reason enough to open it before the written date of September 1st. Whoever buried the capsule surely would want an event to be organized around the unveiling, so it was our duty to ensure that would actually be feasible. On top of that, we had a written request to open it from one of the probable co-organizers. 
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 To quote our blog post “Restricted Access”, “So much waits to be discovered in the world of archives, who knows where our sealed map will take us next September!” now we finally know that our sealed directions will in fact be taking us nowhere.
Despite a slightly disappointing conclusion, we were given the opportunity to learn about Sam Reid and his time capsule antics, which is a wonderful story in itself. Maybe another one of his capsules is still waiting to be discovered underneath a lesser doomed staircase. 
“Ironically, we thought at the time that the greatest danger the time capsule faced was having its existence forgotten.”- Brian Low
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Kaylin's Returning to the Museum

6/14/2020

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Large B&W negative of a young girl "shaking paws" with a large dog. (Year unknown, photo #2486)

Following the craziness and uncertainty of the past couple of months (thanks to a certain pandemic), I am thrilled to be back at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives! I spent this past year studying Motion Picture Arts at Capilano University, where I was able to explore all the roles involved in the making of a film. Over winter break I was contracted to make a short documentary to preserve the history of the Gibsons United Church, which I just finished and can’t wait to share with the community. This film was a great opportunity to practice the research skills I acquired while working at the museum. Bringing in photos from the archives and newspaper articles from the online database (available on our website!) really brought the video to life. I’m looking forward to being able to welcome visitors to the museum again soon, and being involved with the continued growth of the exhibits. This summer will definitely be different than the last, but I’m certain it will be just as interesting with a lineup of exciting new projects.
​
I can’t wait to welcome everybody back, even if it’s from six feet away!
Kaylin Schober


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Final Days With the SCMA :,(

9/1/2019

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The swimming enclosure, diving tower and ramp from shore at Camp Elphinstone YMCA (1940)

It’s that time of year again, when back to school ads plague the television and everyone starts saying “this summer went by way too fast!”. Although I’m looking forward to the start of university, I’ll miss being able to come in to work at a museum with such awesome staff and volunteers.

This summer has been a whirlwind of projects, from learning how to add photo negatives into our collections database, to setting a new record in August for our busiest month ever. I never could’ve foreseen how interesting my time here would be! Working at the museum also gave me the opportunity to improve skills that are much needed at university; I worked on my writing and research capabilities while creating the articles on this blog, I learned how to edit video in different formats through working with our footage of Alan Farrell, and I even got to create a video promoting the museum.

One of my favourite parts of this job is the fascinating conversations I have had with people who came into the museum. You never know what memories or connections will be brought up while looking through the exhibits. My view of the Coast has also changed as I learned to see it through the eyes of first-time visitors. I’ll never get tired of recommending activities to do and places to eat here!
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Even if I had an endless summer, it would be impossible to learn all of the stories and mysteries within the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. I’m grateful for the (way too short) summer that I did have here and for everything that I learned during it.
 
Kaylin Schober
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Restricted Access

8/10/2019

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Why are some archives in collections restricted, and why have they been made inaccessible? To work in a museum one must have a good knowledge of ethics, on top of many other things. Since historically significant objects can be personally or culturally sensitive, this understanding of ethical practices is crucial in accepting, displaying, and allowing access to these items.

Either the donor or the museum curator or archivist may decide to restrict an archive. The reasons for this can vary greatly but the over-all purpose is to protect sensitive information. For example; if a diary is donated and a person who was written about in the document is still alive, the curator may choose to preserve the book in a sealed envelope. Nobody, including the museum staff in this case, has permission to open the envelope until a pre-determined date, which would have been decided and recorded at the time of the acquisition.

The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives holds some restricted archives. One that has recently caught our attention is a large envelope containing a map which leads to a time capsule created by Gibsons Elementary. The date on which the time capsule was buried is unknown, but the instructions state for it to be opened on September 1st of 2020. We can’t wait!



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Culturally significant items may also need to be restricted from public access to protect the integrity of religious or ceremonial practices, or physical locations. A map indicating the whereabouts of sacred or religious areas may be restricted in order to prevent others from disrespecting or endangering the space.  “The amount of this material may constitute a small percentage of the entire collection. For Native American communities the public release of or access to specialized information or knowledge gathered with and without informed consent-can cause irreparable harm. Instances abound of misrepresentation and exploitation of sacred and secret information.”  (Protocols for Native American Archival Materials copyright First Archivist Circle https://www2.nau.edu/libnap-p/protocols.html#Accessibility)

Laura Millar, a well-known archival consultant and author of Archives- Principals and Practices, expertly summarized the subject to SCMA staff recently:
"Archivists act as trusted custodians of documentary evidence, and our goal is to preserve archives so that these materials may be used. But archivists have to balance access with privacy, and sometimes we find it necessary to restrict access to archives. Sensitive correspondence, for example, may be restricted for a number of years, often until the people mentioned in the letters are no longer alive and so cannot be directly affected by the contents of the communications. Archivists work closely with donors to consider appropriate restrictions, and we strive to support reasonable privacy concerns without denying access entirely. What archivists will not do is accept restrictions that unfairly inhibit the potential use of archives, such as closing archives permanently or only permitting certain people to use the materials. Unless we ensure that we can provide balanced and fair access to the materials in our care, archivists are left storing nothing but hidden secrets." (Laura Millar, archival consultant and scholar, personal communication, 8 August 2019).

The world of ethics in museum work is complex and ever evolving. There are always countless points of view to be taken into consideration; even a seemingly straight-forward inquiry into archival restriction reveals the many layers of expertise that are required in the field. So much waits to be discovered in the world of archives, who knows where our sealed map will take us next September!
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