Administrative Records Management and Archival Program: The Kingston Experience

Abstract

Administrative records management and archival programs are important to the administration of health care institutions and to the historian of health care. The development of an administrative records management and archival program at the Kingston General Hospital is outlined in this report. This program has been possible because of the endorsement of the President and Board of Directors, the appointment of a hospital archivist, and an agreement to maintain the archives in Queen’s University Archives. The records of the Kingston General Hospital Archives reflect the dramatic transformation from a charitable institution of the mid-19th century to a tertiary care centre. Much of the history of health care in Canada will be lost unless similar initiatives to ensure the preservation of primary records of Canadian health care institutions are undertaken.