Ann ten Cate
Ann ten Cate

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.

Stories by or about this person

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.