Researching at the Centre

The Centre’s collections database provides access to information on the Indian Residential School System in Canada. No appointment is needed to browse the collections or to see the current exhibition. 

Supporting SURVIVORS

If you are a Survivor or a family member of a Survivor and you are looking for records, testimonies or other information on schools or records from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and/or other collections, we can help you.

Visiting the Centre can be an emotional experience, particularly when looking for specific records. Survivors and their family members are strongly encouraged to make an appointment for research or health support during their visit. 

Centre staff can help with finding additional records not available to the public, requesting personal documents from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, or facilitating access to additional materials at other institutions such as local community archives, museums and libraries.

We know this research can be difficult and we are here to support you. Contact irshdc.reference@ubc.ca with questions and to make an appointment. 

supporting RESEARCHERS

The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is an archives, resource centre, dialogue space and online hub that provides access to records related to the residential school system in British Columbia and across Canada. The Centre can also help to facilitate research partnerships and connections with other archives, organizations and/or other applicable parties. 

The IRSHDC works with partners at UBC and beyond, including the Indigenous Research Support Initiative (IRSI) at UBC, to support connections between researchers and Indigenous communities. The Centre supports research at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level.

Researchers can access images, documents, Survivor statements and recordings at the Centre and also speak with staff about how to conduct research on the histories of residential schools. Researchers wanting guidance on finding records in certain subject areas, or those looking into collaborative research projects are encouraged to contact us. 

Contact us for in-depth questions and to set up an in-person consultation with one of our staff.