General Information
The Canadian War Museum's Military History Research Centre
houses, in
one convenient location, the George Metcalf Archival Collection and the
Hartland Molson Library. These extensive national collections of primary
and secondary research material document Canada's military history from
the pre-contact period to the present.
The George Metcalf
Archival Collection contains unique archival documents and
photographic
materials, and is especially strong on First and Second World Wars. The
archival collection, consisting of approximately 413 metres of
documentation, includes original letters, diaries, scrapbooks, logbooks,
maps, 3-D maps, blueprints, postcards, sheet music, records, oral history
tapes and other printed material. The photographic portion of the
collection holds approximately 65,000 items including original photographic
prints in black and white and colour, negatives, glass slides,
daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, stereoscopic slides, hand-tinted
portraits, film reels and videos.
The Hartland Molson Library Collection has
approximately 55,000
volumes including
regimental histories, published personal memoirs, periodicals and
newspapers, wartime pamphlets, military technical and field manuals,
multi-media, and 5,000 rare books. The Hamilton Spectator newspaper
collection which includes 144,000 Second World War newspaper clippings
is available electronically with fulltext searching capabilities at the
Democracy at War website.
Opening Hours
The
Military History Research Centre is open to the public:
May 1st to
mid-October:
Monday to Friday 9:00 - 4:30
Mid-October to
April 30th:
Tuesday to Friday 9:00 - 4:30
Closed on week-ends and statutory holidays.
Closed December 25 and 26, 2006, and January 1, 2007.
Closed for maintenance from January 8 to 12, 2007.
Contact Information
Military History Research Centre
Canadian War Museum
1 Vimy Place
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1R 1C2
General inquiries: (819) 776-8652
vimy.biblio@warmuseum.ca
Image Reproduction Services or
Permissions : (819) 776-8686 or (819) 776-8655
imageservices@warmuseum.ca
Archives related inquiries :
vimy.archives@warmuseum.ca
Fax: (819) 776-8623
Appointments
Visitors wanting to consult materials from the George Metcalf Archival
Collection or the Hartland Molson Library's rare book collection are
required to make an appointment to allow adequate time for the retrieval
of material. Please contact us 3 working days in advance
of your visit to
book an appointment and provide us with an outline of the materials you
would like to consult during your visit.
Appointments are not required for visitors wanting to consult books,
periodicals, wartime pamphlets and military and field technical manuals
from the Hartland Molson Library collection. An appointment is recommended
for researchers who would like the assistance of a staff librarian in
identifying relevant materials from the collection.
Individual or group tours of the collections held in the Military
History Research Centre are available by appointment.
Please contact us to make an appointment
To book an appointment: (819) 776-8652 or
vimy.biblio@warmuseum.ca
