The Bank first began compiling records about its business back in the 1900's in order to publish the company's first history book. By 1932, a second history book was published to mark the bank's centennial year. Records were scattered throughout the bank's various branches until 1951, when Scotiabank opened the doors of its General Office building. Eventually, all material was transferred to the General Office regularly and reorganized into a formal collection of documents known as "the Archives'. Economist and research librarian Betty Hearn, who became the Bank's first official Librarian-Archivist in 1960, spearheaded this initiative. When she retired in 1967, Margot Dixon was hired as the Bank's first full-time Archivist. Under the guidance of Jane Nokes, Corporate Archivist since 1971, the Archives department has grown from a one-person operation into a department of four professionally trained archivists.

The Archives dazzle visitors with memorabilia of Scotiabank's past including: ancient office equipment, thousands of photographs and film of 19th-century Scotiabankers and a colorful collection of antique coins. While these artifacts are visually interesting, the Archives mainly facilitate the storage and retrieval of yearly bank records including correspondence, meeting minutes, financial statements, annual reports, records of amalgamated banks and companies and departmental and branch records. The stored material is comparable to about 30 metres of documentation per year. Today approximately 1,300 metres of records are in the department's custody, dating back to 1820.

The Archives proves to be a valuable research tool to a number of Scotiabankers and the community. Branches celebrating significant anniversaries know they can count on the Archives' help in mounting historical displays to decorate their premises. Public and Corporate Affairs staff often use photographs from the Archives for the staff magazine - Scotiabanker, for information in general, as well as for their Heritage booklets series. Historians, graduate students, filmmakers and collectors among many others also use the Archives.

If you visit the Archives on the 19th floor of 44 King St. W. Toronto, the bright spacious office welcomes visiting researchers with study carrels, a conservation lab, a large records processing room, a display preparation station and a collection of interesting artefacts that chronicle the bank's existence.