Welcome!

The Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives (FCOA) is a voluntary non-profit association that supports the Archives in protecting and sharing materials relating to Ottawa's remarkable history. 

Membership is free – see Join Us. Facebook

City of Ottawa Archives and Ottawa Museums Go Virtual with their Collections

The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Museum Network have partnered to create the Ottawa Museums and Archives Collections (OMAC), which is fully accessible, bilingual and simple to use. The online collection contains digitized records of archival records and artifacts, with full colour images where available, from a variety of local institutions including the Bytown, the City of Ottawa Archives, Diefenbunker, Goulbourn, Osgoode Township, Muséoparc Vanier and the City of Ottawa.

This project will play a significant role in the local community by providing the public easy access to the history of Ottawa and its people through these digitized records. The catalogue allows for many records to be viewed that could not have otherwise been put on display given their current condition. There are over 34,000 active records on the website, and new records will be uploaded once a month.

Doing Research at the City of Ottawa Archives

Are you looking for tips on doing research at the City of Ottawa Archives?

CHOO/COPO (The Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa) presents an in-depth series on what’s in the collection, how it’s organized, and how to use the various materials at the Archives facility. Check out the City of Ottawa Archives "How To" Series on the CHOO-COPO website.

Plus, consult the City of Ottawa website at ottawa.ca/archives for further information.

Andrews-Newton Digital Access Project

Congratulations to the City of Ottawa Archives for receiving a Museums and Technology Fund grant from the Government of Ontario to digitize 10,000 negatives from the Andrews – Newton Collection (1946 -1993).

The Andrews-Newton photographers documented Ottawa’s growth and transformation. From the post-war years through to the end of the 1950s, the staff worked as the official photographers for The Ottawa Citizen newspaper, capturing major events, moments of disasters and celebrations.

Great news for increased access to this important civic asset!