Archives Policies

Introduction

We are directed by policies relating to our responsibilities as stewards of our collections, and by our corporate responsibility to shareholders of the Royal British Columbia Museum Corporation and the government of British Columbia.

If you are interested in other policies of the Royal British Columbia Museum Corporation, please contact Museum Corporate Communications.

Collections Policy

The purpose of the Collections Policy is to establish guidelines for the growth, management and care of and access to the specimens, artifacts, archival materials and associated records ("items") that have been approved for accession by the Royal BC Museum and Archives' Collections Committee.

View Policy

Copyright

The content, operation and management of the BC Archives section of the website is owned by the Royal BC Museum Corporation and protected by copyright law. It may not be reproduced or redistributed without the prior written permission of the Royal BC Museum Corporation.

To request permission to reproduce all or part of the material on this website, please contact:

Permissions and Licensing Office
Phone: 250-356-0138 or Toll Free: 1-866-356-0138
Mail: BC Archives, 655 Belleville Street, Victoria BC, V8W 1A1, CANADA
Fax: 250-387-2072
Email: access@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

In 1997 Parliament enacted amendments to the Copyright Act. Various sections of this new law came into effect between 1997 and 1999. The rules governing the copying of archival records are:

  • Works protected by copyright may be copied only if authorized by the Copyright Act for the purpose of fair dealing or under specific exemptions set out in that act; the copyright owner; or a license agreement between the BC Archives and a collective society or a tariff, if any.
  • The Copyright Act provides for civil and criminal remedies for infringement of copyright.
  • The BC Archives must affix a notice of copyright to all material copied for clients.
  • This copy is to be used solely for the purpose of research or private study; any use of the copy for a purpose other than research or private study may require the authorization of the copyright owner of the work in question.

Usage

Electronic access to BC Archives information resources is provided for research purposes only. Users will ensure that the information and/or image source, with its proper citation, will remain clearly identified on any material they access and retain. Digital manipulation and/or modification of the content of these images is expressly forbidden.

Donor Restrictions

The BC Archives does not hold copyright for all of the records in its holdings. In the case of some records, a third party may hold copyright, or there may be a donor restriction on the use of the item.

Under Canadian copyright law, the BC Archives cannot release copies of these records or images without written permission from the copyright holder and/or the donor. You are responsible for securing all such permissions.