Online catalogue
Search the Ottawa Museums & Archives Collections(link is external) online catalogue.
Select the City of Ottawa Archives collection to access a wide range of materials available online including maps, photographs, architectural drawings, and artifacts.
To access the records found in our online catalogue and for recommendations of other records not yet online, please contact us(link opens email application).
Corporate resource library
A limited number of our corporate reports holdings are described online.
Search the Corporate Resource Library(link is external).
To retrieve these items, please e-mail archives@ottawa.ca(link opens email application) or call 613-580-2857. Please quote the box number, the classification code for the document (where available) and the title. These materials will be available in the Archives Reference Room at the Central Archives. Additional lead-time will be required if you wish to view these items at the Rideau Archives in North Gower.
Research Guides
The following guides are offered as tools to understand how we provide Reference Services and for researching the different records that are found in our collections. For further guidance, please contact Reference Services(link opens email application).
- Civic Records: Research Guide 201 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 143 KB]
- Community Records: Research Guide 202 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 129 KB]
- Corporate Resource Library: Research Guide 203 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 89.3 KB]
- Newspaper Collections: Research Guide 204 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 131 KB]
- Property Assessment and Tax Collector Records: Research Guide 205 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 156 KB]
- Microfilm & Microfiche: Research Guide 206 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 136 KB]
- Genealogy Collections: Research Guide 207 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 167 KB]
- Preserving Civic Records Research Guide: 208 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 176 KB]
- Street, Parks and Facility Naming: Research Guide 209 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 145 KB]
- Photographic Collections: Research Guide 210 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 178 KB]
- Rideau Branch: Research Guide 211 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 121 KB]
- Tracing the History of your Ottawa Property: Research Guide 301 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 1.2 MB]
geoOttawa
geoOttawa(link is external) is an interactive map tool that allows you to view map layers, get information and answers about the locations in the City of Ottawa. Search by address, intersections, streets, facilities, or park names to find a location. Many different layers of information are available such as parks, schools, City facilities, property parcels, roads, zoning and aerial photos dating back to 1928. geoOttawa is your starting point for mapping available from the City of Ottawa.