Government of Ontario awards funding to Region of Waterloo Archives

Waterloo Region – The Region of Waterloo Archives has received a Museums and Technology Fund grant today from the Government of Ontario.

The Archives at the Region, responsible for preserving and providing access to records, will use the $23,918 grant to digitize its collection of records. “With more and more people searching records for family and local histories, there is a need to make these records even more accessible to everyone. This grant will open the doors for more research and make more of our history available to researchers,” said Ken Seiling, Regional Chair.

This project involves purchasing a microfilm reader/scanner so County of Waterloo records currently on microfiche, as well as Regional Council and committee records on film, can be made into digital files. “The new technology we’re acquiring will help us turn our records into digital files that will be searchable and available online, and much easier to access,” said Kris Fletcher, Director of Council and Administrative Services.

Museums and Technology funding helps collection-based arts and heritage organizations preserve and present Ontario’s diverse and rich heritage. One of its objectives is to provide Ontarians with access to the diversity and richness of the province’s heritage and history.

The Archives is the official home of records created by the: County of Waterloo (1829-1972); Region of Waterloo (1973-present); Township of Woolwich (1851-present); and Town of Elmira (1886-1972).

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For more information please contact:

Bryan Stortz, Director of Corporate Communications, 519-575-4408 or bstortz@regionofwaterloo.ca

The Region of Waterloo provides more than 60 per cent of municipal services to a growing population of 550,000 people. We are committed to creating an inclusive, thriving and sustainable community through innovative leadership and a range of services such as: public health, social services, planning, heritage, water supply, regional roads, waste management, ambulance service, rural libraries, public transit, community housing, emergency planning, Provincial Offences Courts and airport services.