While everyone has a right to information held by the Ontario government, including your own personal information, the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act places some limits on this right. Please see our information handout for more information on the Act and how it may affect your research. Some private sector records have been donated to the Archives with certain conditions on access as part of the donation agreement. Records may also be closed for conservation treatment or if they are being microfilmed. Access to original records will also be restricted if a reference copy in another format, such as microfilm, is available.
Archival research can be exciting and challenging.
It can also be time consuming. Archival records are more complex and difficult to research than books and there is no single subject index to the collection. Unless we advise you before you visit that we have identified relevant records you should allow yourself a minimum of several hours to search for, order and read the records. If your inquiry is complex or you are doing detailed research you will probably need more than one visit. You should check at the time of ordering the records how long it will take for them to be delivered to the reading room.