Donate to the Museum

The City of Waterloo Museum maintains a library of books, journals and magazines covering a range of topics. The library includes materials with a focus on the history of the City of Waterloo, alcohol and its industrial production, Prohibition, coopering, glassware, and food and drink within the context of the City of Waterloo.

The archival collection includes personal and organizational collections, correspondence, notebooks and diaries, maps and plans, paintings, photographs and other visual and audio-visual media. Some notable pieces include early Waterloo Council Minute Books, fire insurance maps, Canadian almanacs, local history newspaper clippings, and by-laws from 1891-1939. Books and other published works are considered archival if acquired as part of an archival collection or a museum collection accession.

Individual books and other published works of historical value are part of the collecting mandate of the City of Waterloo Museum and are housed with the archival collection.

The City of Waterloo Museum has an extensive collection of hundreds of thousands of archival materials and collection items. Our collections are available to researchers by appointment. To arrange an appointment or submit a research request, contact museum@waterloo.ca or call 519-885-8828.

Note: Depending upon the nature of the request, a fee may be charged. Staff will contact you with an estimate before beginning any work. 

The process of capturing and preserving our history is never complete, nor is the history itself written in stone. We are always grateful to you for pointing out any errors you may notice. Too often, the years go by and the opportunity to make corrections slips away.

Please label your photo or other archival information obtained from the City of Waterloo Museum website with "Courtesy the City of Waterloo Museum". Browsing through our online collections is free, but permission to use high-resolution images usually comes with an associated cost. To submit a photo request, contact museum@waterloo.ca or call 519-885-8828.

In conformity with national and international museum standards, the City of Waterloo Museum does not offer financial appraisals or evaluations of objects to the public, nor do we assist in the disposal of private property, nor express opinions regarding the merits of appraisal firms.

A perceived conflict of interest might arise should the museum place a high value on an object offered for donation; or the museum could be charged with inflating an object’s value (and therefore the donor’s tax deduction) to secure the donation. Another reason is that most museum staff are unable to keep abreast of fluctuating market values for the wide variety of objects that are offered to the museum.

Many resources exist online to assist you in obtaining a financial appraisal. We suggest that you contact a member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada or the Canadian Antique Dealers Association to find an appropriate private art gallery or dealer, art consultant, auctioneer and/or appraiser. Or check the Yellow Pages for antique dealers in your community.