The British Columbia Sessional Papers are an annual collection of selected papers tabled in the Legislative Council of British Columbia (2nd to 8th Sessions, 1865-1871) and the Legislative Assembly (1st to 32nd Parliaments, 1872-1982). This index covers Sessional Papers published between 1865 and 1871 with the Journals of the British Columbia Legislative Council; the term Sessional Papers first appeared in the 1866 Journals. The index partially fulfills a requirement for an index to the complete set of Sessional Papers. Departmental reports and selected papers published in the Sessional Papers are also indexed in Marjorie C. Holmes' Publications of the Government of British Columbia, 1871-1947 (BC Archives Library call no. Ref. NW 016.9711 H752p).
A photocopied set of table of content pages for all BC Sessional Papers is available via the Information Desk in the BC Archives Reference Room.
The following special categories of papers are indexed under the headings in parentheses:
(Acts): also indexed by subject matter
(Indexes): to departmental annual reports or other reports, papers, etc.
(Maps): only folded maps are indexed
(Petitions): also indexed by the name of the petitioner and the subject matter
(Proclamations): also indexed by subject matter
(Reports, Official): at the departmental level only; subject matter is not indexed except for a few unusual cases
(Voters Lists): arranged by the electoral district name used at the time the list was compiled. The last voters lists in the Sessional Papers appeared in 1899. Access to all the provincial voters lists held by the BC Archives may also be obtained by consulting a list at the Information Desk in the BC Archives Reference Room.
A complete set of BC Sessional Papers is preserved by the Legislative Library. The BC Archives Library lacks some volumes between 1872-1982, but has a complete microfilm set purchased from UBC Library (available in a self-service Reference Room microfilm cabinet: reel sets D-24 [1872-1920], D-25 [1921-1947], D-25a [1948-1964], and D-26 [1965-1982]). Except with permission of the Duty Archivist, access to the Sessional Papers is restricted to use of the microfilm.
Spellings have been standardized as much possible. Readers are reminded that the index utilizes words and terms from the 19th and early 20th centuries that may be considered offensive today.
USING THE BC SESSIONAL PAPERS INDEX
Abbreviations
SP = Sessional Papers
1902 = Sessional Papers year
I or II = Sessional Papers volume number
How to read the index
Esquimalt District ..............................main heading
public works, 1882 (Return),..................sub-heading
SP-1883:..........Sessional Papers year
401-402...page number(s)
Note that the Sessional Papers year is sometimes a year ahead of the content in the Sessional Papers volume.
The reports and other documents bound together as a Sessional Papers volume are not always in page number order. You may need to refer back to the table of contents for the microfilmed volume you are viewing or to the hardcopy table of contents list available at the Information Desk in the BC Archives Reference Room.
ACCESSING MICROFILMED BC SESSIONAL PAPERS AT BC ARCHIVES
The BC Archives Library holds a complete set of microfilmed Sessional Papers for the years covered by this index, 1872-1916, as well as all volumes from 1917 to 1982 on self-serve microfilm reels.
The microfilm reels are available in self-service Reference Room Library microfilm cabinet: reel sets D-24, D-25, D-25a, and D-26.
The microfilms are positive polarity and can be printed.