It’s been a decade since Coquitlam Archives started.
And the thirst for local history has never been stronger, the city archivist told council-in-committee on Monday (Feb. 13) while presenting last year’s results.
In his annual report, Jamie Sanford said online traffic to Quest — the Archives’ search tool — rose 11 per cent in 2022 with more than 293,000 page views by 43,000 unique viewers from as far away as Russia, Brazil, Japan and Australia.
As well, division staff fielded 160 reference requests remotely or from the Archives office, which is located in the same building at the City Centre library branch.
Sanford said many of their questions related to the history of a family home, genealogy or information for an academic assignment.
Last year, staff uploaded three exhibits online, which also contributed to the increase in eyeballs.
Staff also made 15 acquisitions of archival material from such contributors as:
- Club Bel Age
- Riverview Horticultural Centre Society
- Hoy–Scott Creek Watershed Society
Sanford said a social media post about a Tri-City News’ story featuring an Elvis mural on an Austin Avenue house was the Archives’ most popular outreach in 2022.
He said the division continues to be busy with digitizing film negatives and images.
Do you have records or pictures of Coquitlam from years ago? You can make a donation to the Coquitlam Archives by visiting 1171 Pinetree Way or emailing [email protected].
