Researching our Collections

Researching our Collections: Brisbane City Council Archives

Introduction

The Brisbane City Council Archives were established in 1994. The City Archives manages the historically significant or permanent records of Brisbane City Council. The Archives provides access to these archival collections both digitally through this website or by visiting the City Archives.

Queensland State Archives hold most pre-1925 records relating to former councils and agencies.

Digital Holdings

Our digital collections are uploaded to this website and new items are being added. Please contact the Archives if you need further assistance. 

Searching this website

You can use the search bar to search as you would in a regular web search. When you search you will get a list of results ranked by relevancy. You can filter further by using the options in the left hand pane to filter by item type, date, data fields and other options. For text-based formats (Minutes, Publications and Files and Correspondence), you can search the specific document by using the magnifying glass icon in the top left of the document pane.

If you are searching for a street, use the full name of the street. For example search, Adelaide Street, not Adelaide St.

Of note are item hubs, which will likely appear in your search.

Using the item page

When you select an item, the left and right bars will show related links and information about it. Suburbs, streets, collections, map pins, descriptive and explanatory text, subjects and dates. When viewing maps and photos and you wish to zoom further, press the Zoom to 100% option, and it will load a higher resolution, full page version - it will blink when you zoom in above a certain threshold. If you wish to download the item, simply press the down arrow in the left pane and select Download the Original.

 

Tips for understanding how the collection is organised. 

Suburbs and Streets

Our collection is primarily sorted geographically and we encourage you to search this way. Items relevant to a particular location are collected in their hubs. 

Here is the Suburb hub for the CBD - on the page, you can see items grouped by type, (photo, plans, video etc). 

If an item can be tied to its relevant street in Brisbane, it will appear in the Street hub. For example, here is everything that appears in Vulture Street, West End. For very long streets that span multiple suburbs, they are broken up into their suburban sections. For example, Coronation Drive has a separate page for Milton, Auchenflower and Toowong.

A Street hub will only be generated if there is content for the street in question. If there is no Street hub for your desired street, you may find items of interest in your Suburb hub.

Landmark and Park hubs

A Landmark in this system is any notable monument, building, bridge, or establishment in Brisbane we have material for. For example, here is the Landmark hub for City Hall. This follows the same concept, and pulls together material about a particular place. Parks serve as similar location hubs to Landmarks, like Streets, Parks will only appear if there is content available for it.

What is a Collection?

A Collection is an item hub that isn't linked to a particular location and are based on topic. For example, here is our Collection on cemeteries.

 

Map search

Using the map search you can easily browse identified locations. Each pin colour represents a different item type. You can use the pane to filter item type, and search by title. A map pin will only be added if the item can be narrowed down to a reasonably precise location. For items that are in an unknown or ambiguous location, see this collection and contact us if you can assist in geo-locating the item.

 

How to search for Archives records on the Library Catalogue

The City Archives Collection, which comprises of manuscript holdings and Brisbane City Council records, is catalogued on the Brisbane City Council Library Services catalogue. These holdings can be identified by ‘BCA’, which is the first three letters of the call and item number. The BCA will always be followed by 4 digits.

Go to the main library catalogue page

• Click on ‘Advanced Search’ to the right of the search bar for more options.
• It is recommended that you confine your search to City Archives by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to ‘Search Library Catalogue’ and selecting ‘Search City Archives Collection’.

Understanding your search results:

A listing of titles is provided in brief: call number, title, author or creator of the series.

Note: the title descriptions of the Archives series are detailed and include dates to provide clues to their content.

How do I view an Archives Item?

When you have found a series that you are interested in viewing, note the title and Call Number (BCA) and contact us. If the item has been digitised, you may be able to access it via our online platform.

If the Item has access restrictions, please contact City Archives first to clarify what restrictions are in place. 

What does Restricted Access Mean?

The Archives collection comprises public records that must be managed in accordance with the Public Record Act 2023. Certain records held by the City Archives may be restricted for a period. In cases where a file in the City Archives holds some pages that are restricted this will be noted on the item record. This means the public can view the earlier material. Where the whole record is within the period of restriction, application to view the file can be made in consultation with the City Archivist. This may incur a delay in access to the file being granted.

Where can Archives material be viewed? Can I copy material?

Because of its unique and valuable nature, original archival material can only be viewed at the Archives with the assistance and supervision of staff who will retrieve material for you. Some particularly fragile or large bound material may have further restrictions placed upon copying or use for preservation reasons. In general, material in the archives collection may be copied, although staff will do the copying for you. Items may be photographed with a digital camera/ phone, provided no copyright restrictions apply. In line with industry practice, we do not permit people to bring their own scanners in to scan material. The Archives is happy to receive requests for items to be digitise and added to our online collection.

 

 

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