The Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) is the province’s repository of records that document the people, communities and the organizations of Alberta. Our collection preserves and makes available government and private records in many formats such as text, sound recordings, photographs, maps and film and video. The PAA has recently completed a project to make one of the largest collections of nursing records in Western Canada available for public research. With support from the Friends of the Provincial Archives of Alberta Society and a gift from the estate of Dr. Shirley Stinson, over 110 metres of records have been arranged and described and are available through our public-facing reading room.

These records were donated to the PAA in 2017 by the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA), which had inherited the archives of the former Alberta Association of Registered Nurses. The records include organizational files, photographs, audio recordings, and personal collections documenting nursing education and the work of nurses across Alberta from the First World War to the 2010s.

Nurses and nursing students can use these records to explore the history of their profession, learn about past education programs, and see how nursing practice in Alberta has developed over time. Of particular interest are the Alumnae Association of the University of Alberta Hospital School of Nursing fonds (PR4156), which includes records of alumni activities and contributions to nursing education, and the Shirley Stinson fonds (PR4153), which documents the career of one of Alberta’s most influential nursing leaders. Look closely and you might find nursing party recipes from the ‘70s! We also preserve the organizational records of the United Nurses of Alberta fonds (PR2272), which contains records of the union’s activities, negotiations, and advocacy on behalf of Alberta’s nurses.

We invite you to visit the Provincial Archives of Alberta in person or explore our online repository: https://searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca/. If you have any questions about accessing the records, what we do, or have personal or family records to donate, please connect with archivist [email protected].

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Photo description: Nurse Shirley Stinson with Colleagues

Date: 1962-1971