Welcome to the Archives' Online Search

This site is our online Reading Room, where you can search descriptions of City government and community records, as well as digital photographs. More material will be added over time.

If you come across a name, place, or subject term for which there are no records or images, it means that the item hasn't yet been added to the database. Please be in touch for more information.

Please note that records are provided for personal research and enjoyment. All other uses require permission.
See our website for more information on requesting permission of use for images.

Direct questions, comments, or feedback may be sent to archives@victoria.ca.

Learn about the Archives' Online Search:

Quick search tips

  • Enter a word or phrase into the search box to look for something specific or explore using the browse feature.
  • Search terms entered in the search box are, by default, searched with an “AND” operator. This means that searching for Douglas Street will return all results to do with Douglas AND Street.
  • Use quotation marks around exact terms, phrases, and reference numbers for best results. Example: "Douglas Street".
  • Use * as a multiple character wildcard. Example: galax* will find galaxy and galaxies, but not galactic.
  • Sample search: digital photos of Government Street stores.
  • During your search you can "pin" descriptions to a clipboard for review at a later time by clicking the paperclip icon on the results page. Access your clipboard by clicking on the paperclip icon at the top right of the screen. Please note that the clipboard is session-based and will be cleared once you close your browser.