LTSA Continues Preservation of Kamloops and Nelson Land Title District Records

The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) will continue work to preserve its historic records from the Kamloops and Nelson Land Title Districts this Fall. The records, which include original Absolute Fee Books and other types of land title transactions recorded in bound paper volumes, form part of the LTSA’s historic records collection.

The next phase of the LTSA’s ongoing preservation program requires us to temporarily relocate the Kamloops and Nelson Land Title District bound paper volumes to the Victoria office where they will be scanned to create digital images of the records. The Victoria office has a dedicated team of conservators who have expertise in this area, along with the necessary technology and equipment. The records will be securely transported from Kamloops to Victoria and returned to Kamloops after the digitization process is complete. While the original records are being scanned, specific records contained in the bound volumes, if required, will be made available upon request.

Once the digitization of bound volumes is complete, the digital images will be made available for download through LTSA’s DocuWare Image Delivery System. Computers equipped with DocuWare software are located in each LTSA office. Direct Access pass holders, including Registry Agents and First Nation representatives, will be able to access digital images of all digitized historic records from all Land Title Offices through a DocuWare account.

The LTSA recognizes the value of historic records in its care and is committed to their preservation while enabling broader access benefiting British Columbians for generations to come. Since 2005, we have invested $15M in the various technology, equipment and personnel to digitize 80% of the Land Titles bound volume series and maintain all the records in our care. This has resulted in both increased accessibility to historic records and increased quality of digital record reproductions available to LTSA customers.

The digitization of LTSA’s historic records is an ongoing multi-year project: to date, 80% of the Land Titles bound volume series have already been digitized and, once the Kamloops and Nelson Land Title Districts bound volumes series have been scanned, virtually 100% of the Land Titles bound volume series will be available digitally. The bound volumes held by the LTSA include Absolute Fee Books, Charge Books and other records which document land title transactions, mostly from the mid 19th to the early 20th centuries. Records in bound volumes are normally used by registry agents and LTSA staff to trace land title transfers over time. Registry agents access records to provide their clients with information for legal research or an environmental assessment on a land parcel.

The extensive record collection cared for by the LTSA also includes plans, maps, letters, documents, certificates, registers, indices, and books which exist in a range of formats including paper, microfilm, and electronic. Dating from the mid 1800’s to the present, records held by the LTSA are useful for tracing historical land ownership, researching complex property boundary issues and guiding environmental stewardship. These historical records are used by LTSA staff, lawyers, notaries and land surveyors to conduct their day-to-day business, and are also of interest to historians, First Nations, genealogists and environmental researchers.

For more information, contact moreinfo@ltsa.ca.