Using the Archives
In addition to acquiring and preserving the rich documentary heritage of the province of Saskatchewan and its citizens, the Provincial Archives endeavours to make available and encourage the use of our archival resources.
French language services are available where resources allow.
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Hours
Monday to Friday
10 am to 4 pm
Closed statutory and civic holidays
Visit the Archives in Person
Plan Your Visit
The Provincial Archives is dedicated to encouraging and assisting everyone who is interested in exploring our province’s history. While our website provides access to hundreds of thousands of record descriptions, full access to the records is best achieved through a personal visit to our reading room.
Location
Find out how to contact us, and visit our location.
Reading Room Services and Procedures
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our reading room services and procedures so that you know what to expect when you visit our Reading Room. For example, personal belongings, food and beverages are not permitted in the Reading Room. Patrons should be aware that some records at the Provincial Archives may have access restrictions.
Tours and Presentations
Introductory Tours
Introductory presentations and tours of the Provincial Archives may be arranged by submitting a request well in advance of your visit.
Groups and Classes
The size of groups or classes that can be accommodated for a tour or presentation may be impacted by some physical limitations of our facility.
For those wanting to conduct research following a tour or presentation, we recommend returning at a later date to allow us time to identify and retrieve records relevant to your search.
Speaking Engagements and Conferences
Our staff is also available for off-site displays, speaking engagements and conferences. Advance notice is necessary for these requests to ensure our participation.
Researching and Requesting Material
Researching and Requesting Material
The information below will be useful if you are planning a visit, researching from a distance or need to order reproductions or microfilms through an interlibrary loan.
The information below will be useful if you are planning a visit, researching from a distance or need to order reproductions or microfilms through an interlibrary loan.
Search our Collection
Please browse or search our collection to discover records documenting the history of our province.
Consult with Provincial Archives staff
Once you have a starting point, you can contact our dedicated and knowledgeable staff regarding your research interests, since some resources available at the Provincial Archives are not yet described in our database.
Distance Enquiries
Enquiries to the Provincial Archives may be sent by phone, e-mail, or by contacting us. Enquiries arriving by these means are given equal priority and are handled in the order in which they are received.
Due to the large number of inquiries that we receive, Archives staff must place limits on the amount of research undertaken for any patron during the year.
Response time will depend on the complexity of your enquiry and on the time required to check our sources. In most cases, we will respond four to six weeks after we receive your request.
For large projects, consider a research service
For projects requiring detailed or extensive research, you may need to visit the Archives in person or consider hiring a professional researcher to undertake research on your behalf. Visit Saskatchewan Genealogical Society for information about their genealogical research services.
Order Reproductions
Reproductions may be made of most archival material in our Collection. Our Fee Schedule describes all available reproduction and special services, and states the associated fees.
Interlibrary Loan
Provided your local library has a microfilm reader, loans may be arranged through a borrowing institution by contacting the Provincial Archives to submit an interlibrary loan request. Only microfilmed sources are available for interlibrary loan.
Researchers may borrow 3 reels of microfilm at a time, for a period of one month from the date of receipt by the borrowing institution. Extensions may be granted provided the reel(s) has not been requested by another researcher
Requests for additional reels will be filled only when the initial 3 reels have been returned to the Archives from the borrowing institution.
Interlibrary loan fees may be found on our Fee Schedule.
Getting Started with Family History Research
The Provincial Archives is a major resource centre for family history research related to Saskatchewan families.
Archives’ experienced and knowledgeable staff can help family historians locate records in the Archives’ collection and provide referrals to resources held in other institutions across Canada.