Finding Family
Ann ten CateArchivist (Retired)
Why did you want to become an archivist?
Old records always fascinate me. When I hold a letter written 100 years ago, I imagine myself in that person’s life. I am touching paper that they touched, and reading their thoughts. It is like being a psychic time-traveller!
How did you become an archivist?
After getting a history degree at university, I got a summer job in an archives and was hooked. I worked in a lot of different archives, big and small, getting as much experience as I could. If I was starting out now, I would probably get a master of archival studies from a university.
What does an archivist do?
Archivists collect, organize and look after important records of many different kinds so that we will have a reliable memory of the past. They also help people find information in those records, whether they are writing a family history or the history of a province or country.
What do you think is the most interesting information people can discover at BC Archives about their families? Sometimes people find out things about their families that they never knew. It is fun to watch their reactions when they realize that they have an extra branch in their family because a grandparent was married twice and had two families, or they discover they have First Nations ancestry. Once we had two ladies in the archives who came in separately to work on their family trees, and then realized that they were actually related!
Stories by or about this person
Archivist, Ann ten Cate, writes about genealogy.
Archivist, Ann ten Cate, leads viewers through the basic steps of family history research (genealogy) at the BC Archives.
CBC radio visits BC Archives for Archives Bootcamp. This audio recording presents Archivist, Ann ten Cate facilitating a public event designed to introduce and demystify archives research.
Frederike VerspoorArchivist (Retired)
Why did you want to become an archivist?
While studying history at university, I did research using original records at an archives in Amsterdam. Working at an archives seemed a perfect fit for my interest in history, my passion for research and my desire to preserve and provide access to the records which form the basis for historical research.
How did you become an archivist?
After obtaining master’s degrees in history and library science and working for several years as a librarian in research libraries, chance and circumstance finally provided the opportunity to work as an archivist.
What do you do as archivist?
I describe records, create research guides, provide reference and research assistance, and participate in public programs such as Archives Boot Camp and This Week in History. I also work on the genealogy database.