The Future of Our Past Council of Nova Scotia Archives

On 30 April 1857 the Nova Scotia House of Assembly passed a resolution providing for the examination, preservation and arrangement of the records and documents that illustrate the history and progress of society in the province. One hundred and forty years later, Nova Scotia's archives and records management programme continues with the preservation of the province's corporate memory. In 1996, Nova Scotia Records Management was combined with the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. In 1997, this integrated organization became known as Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, although the archives facility on University Avenue retains the name of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia.

The current mandate of Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, as embodied in the Government Records Act and the Public Archives Act, is to acquire and preserve government and private-sector records of provincial significance, and to facilitate access them; to develop policies, standards, procedures and services for effective records management in government; to be the permanent repository of the archival records of public bodies; and to encourage and assist in the professionalization of archival and records management activities within the public and private sectors.

Staff member processing records

Below are examples of the types of records housed at the Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management. Click on the images for details.

Dr. D.C. Harvey, ca. 1956

Request for support for a ferry at the Stait of Canso, 1875

The Romance of Government House, 1939

Cartoonist Robert Chambers, 1939

Return to Halifax-Dartmouth.