Research with the Museum

If you are interested in researching the Museum archives, please note that the majority of Britannia's archives are held at the BC Archives (the list of documents can be accessed via the Reports link on their page).  And in the UBC Special Collections, listed under the Howe Sound Company. Much useful information on the Mine can also be found in the Ministry of Mines historical Annual Reports.

If you would like to access our Collection for research purposes please contact our Curator of Education and Collections on 1-800-896-4044 ext. 255. If we can't answer the question, we will try and put you in touch with someone who can.

Research Fee

All prices are subject to change without notice.

The Museum does not have full time researchers on staff. Our ability to conduct research or a photograph search will be assessed with each request. 

In some cases of research, an initial in-person or phone consultation with Museum staff or volunteers is needed. 

Prior to the Museum agreeing to have its staff conduct research, an assessment as to our ability to do so will be made and a price for the work will be quoted. Also, we make no guarantee that we will find the information being requested. Response to the request will usually be within two weeks, unless otherwise indicated. The research request must be very clear and we can only accommodate specific questions that are in writing.

If an archive, photo or map request can be filled relatively easily by Museum staff, only the fee for reproduction will be charged, otherwise staff time will be charged in addition to the per photo charge. 

It may be possible for a researcher to conduct their own photo or archive search using the available finding aids. If feasible, there is a one time $100.00 fee and MUST be done by prior appointment. 

Digital Photos and Images

The Museum does have the bulk of its photographs digitized. These digital records are used as finding aids and are not of a high resolution but for many purposes, they are just fine. Research fees will apply if staff must conduct a photo search or scanning of a photograph that takes longer than 10 minutes.

This fee covers the time to locate, digitize and process the requested images. Usually 5-10 images can be done in one hour. The images will be scanned to your size and resolution requirements (within reasonable requests). 

Scanned images will be sent via email, for no additional handling fee. 

Publication Fee

There is a publication/video fee per image used from the BMM archival collection. The table below outlines the fees. This fee is a one-time use only. All BMM property and materials are copyrighted for the Museum's use. Fees are normally waived for non-commercial education requests, so please contact us to discuss your education project. Any other public use for profit must be discussed with the Museum's Board of Directors.

Items / Sources / Footage
Canada / US Source
International Source
Standard print and electronic publication (e.g. books, websites, posters, DVD's) $50 $75
Book jackets, cover illustrations $100 $150
Broadcast of still images - TV / Satellite / Cable (excluding films & advertisements) $150 $200
Broadcast of still images - feature films & advertisements POA POA
Broadcast of video footage - TV / Satellite / Cable (excluding films & advertisements) $100/min $150/min
Broadcast of video footage - feature films & advertisements POA POA

Use of any image requires that credit be given to the Britannia Mine Museum Society. For all send-out services; please contact us to discuss your needs. The fee will be dependent on staff time, postage/courier costs and reproduction costs.

Regulations

No original materials are allowed to leave the museum. There will be no relaxing of this policy for any reason, unless another accredited Canadian Archives is involved.