Provincial Archives of Alberta

Location

Mission/Mandate

The Provincial Archives of Alberta acquires, preserves and makes available the documentary heritage of the Province of Alberta.

Description

The Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) preserves the collective memory of Alberta, and contributes to the protection of Albertans' rights and the sense of the Alberta identity.

Located in Edmonton, Alberta, the PAA acquires, preserves and makes available for research private and government records of provincial significance. The PAA also serves as the permanent repository of records of enduring value of the Government of Alberta.

The PAA operates according to the Historical Resources Act which provides for the "operation, maintenance, and development of the Provincial Archives of Alberta", as well as for the "acquisition, preservation, publication and public exhibition of documents, parchments, manuscripts, records, books, maps, plans, photographs, magnetic tapes, or other materials regardless of physical form, the preservation of which is in the public’s interest."

The collection at the Provincial Archives includes:

·         42,000 metres (138,000 feet) of government textual records

·         5,600 metres (18,000 feet) of private textual records

·         67,000 maps

·         30,000 architectural drawings

·         2.2 million photographs

·         56,000 hours of audio recordings

·         13,500 volumes of books

Additional Information

History of the Archives