Donate Materials

Archival material is original and unique. It has long-term significance, based on the administrative, legal, fiscal, evidential, or historical information it contains. How is this different than library material? An archives might have an original draft of a book with an author’s hand-written notes, whereas a library might hold one of the published copies of this book, alongside other libraries.

If you are interested in donating books printed between the 15th-19th centuries, please contact [email protected].

Our mandate is to collect archival material which is significant to the history of Montreal Jewry.

Local institutions and organizations, as well as families and individuals, can donate original and unique records, such as:

• Family papers (correspondence, journals or diaries, vital records, biographical and genealogical information)
• Photographs, albums, and already digitized audiovisual material
• Business, organizational, or institutional records (minutes, by-laws, etc.)
• Posters, playbills, programmes, and ephemera from the community

Donating personal and corporate records to the Archives ensures their preservation and access to researchers and future generations. Our collection is kept secure in a climate-controlled environment. Your records will be described on our website for public access around the world.

Note that we do not collect:

• photocopied materials
• published materials (due to reasons of copyright legislation)
• artworks
• plaques
• vinyl records

Unlike a library which is organized by subject, archival records are often kept in the order in which they are received by the records’ creator. This allows researchers to fully appreciate the interconnections between records as they were created and then as they were used.

Weed it
This is a good opportunity to make sure that what you want to save are ‘just the things that you’re going to value over time.’ We call this weeding. Just like in gardening, weeding helps direct resources to those parts most treasured in a garden. For example, you might find photocopies, publications, or old bills among your papers. Do they have enduring value? Are they within our collecting mandate? Narrowing down the collection takes time now but saves time and resources long term.

Sort it
Note that the way that your materials are organized overall may be fine as is or they may need some sorting. This Library of Congress guide can help you get started on organizing your materials.

Describe it
Once you’ve organized your records, write a list of their contents — the more detailed the better. Consider writing down the types of documents, who wrote them, and when (year is fine). Be prepared to provide this to the Archivist. It will help expedite the donation process.