Archives

The Region of Waterloo Archives was established in 1990 when a Corporate Archives policy was approved by Regional Council. The Archives is open by appointment only. If you are interested in accessing our Reading Room, resources, or finding out if we can assist with your research, please contact us at archives@regionofwaterloo.ca or (548) 398-8362.

The Archives exists to appraise, process, and preserve government records created by the:

County of Waterloo (1829 to 1972);

Region of Waterloo (1973 to present);

Township of Woolwich (1851 to present);

Town of Elmira (1886 to 1972);

Waterloo Regional Police Service and its predecessors (1851 to present).

The Archives also holds records from local organizations, businesses, and individuals that are related to the Region of Waterloo. Examples of the types of records we hold include bylaws, Council minutes, assessment rolls, maps, and photographs.

Services offered by the Archives include:

looking over the shoulder of a woman who is using a computer

Access to our Reading Room, which contains a non-circulating reference library, a digital microfilm reader/scanner, and work areas for researchers.

woman looking at large paper document on light table

Photocopying and scanning of archival records

Side view of woman using computer and image scanner

Digital reproductions of photographs and audio-visual items from our collection

Long-distance research

Fees apply to reproductions of archival materials and long-distance research requests.

Please note that we do not hold local newspapers and have limited genealogical records, as other local institutions actively collect those items.