Donating to the Archives
The Region of Peel Archives strives to collect material of long term evidential or historical value relating to the County and Region of Peel, Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, area businesses and organizations, and citizens.
When in doubt, don't throw it out! Contact us first.
There are a few steps to donating, including a review to see if your material fits our mandate. For the convenience of everyone, please get in touch before dropping off materials.
What we tend to keep
- County/Municipal/Regional government records (please refer any such material to the Regional Archivist)
- Personal and business correspondence, memos, and journals/diaries (including letters and postcards)
- Bylaws and constitutions
- Membership lists or rosters
- Newsletters
- Meeting agendas and minutes
- Reports
- Draft manuscripts (if annotated or if not published)
- Speeches
- Research notes
- Local advertisements (broadsides, calendars, pamphlets, postcards, menus, etc.)
- Directories and phone books
- Indentures (land deeds, mortgages, etc.)
- Photographs (when the locale and or people are known)
- Maps, plans, drawings (including architectural and technical drawings)
- Scrapbooks
- Personal identification documents like old passports and driver's licenses (case by case basis)
- Audio/video recordings of events in Peel
- Almost anything created before 1945, if it relates to Peel
What we tend to not keep (with some exceptions)
- Non-Peel newspapers (e.g., copies of the Toronto Star)
- Non-Peel-related records
- More than 2 copies of any given item
- Duplicates of material where the original exists
- Routine financial records (bank books, cancelled cheques, receipts, etc.)
- Routine correspondence (bills, tax assessments, etc.)
- Newspaper clippings (unless they are from a rare paper or if they are part of a larger scrapbook or relevant research file)
- Low-level administrative records (invoices or interoffice memos concerning ordering supplies, booking meeting halls, bills, etc.)
- Poor quality photographs with little or no identification
- Travel documents like airline tickets, brochures, or museum guides
- Unused items, such as blank notebooks, exercise books, and ledger books
- Plaques and other mounted items (unless they are unusually significant)
- Published books and religious texts
- Event registration / RSVP lists
- Material produced outside of Peel
Frequently asked questions
What records are we interested in collecting?
Records that reveal the lives and activities of individuals and activities of individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and institutions anywhere in the Region of Peel (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon).
What happens to my donation?
Archival records are re-housed in acid free materials, placed in climate-controlled storage, catalogued and made available for various types of research, unless restrictions have been applied.
Can I give you copies, instead of the originals?
Archives collect original records.
Do you issue tax receipts?
PAMA can issue tax receipts for the value of the records you donate. We are also a designated institution under the Canadian Cultural Property Export Act.
Will my records be put on exhibit?
PAMA mounts several exhibits each year and archival material is often included. But we are unable to guarantee that your records will be placed on display.
How do you safeguard privacy at the Archives?
The Archives protects personal, proprietary, or privileged information found in its records in accordance with applicable legislation such as the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. We also observe a professional code of ethics. Sometimes, we will also apply reasonable donor restrictions where necessary.