Before the lockdown in Ontario, researchers could make appointments at Library and Archives Canada building in Ottawa to view documents in its reading room but the building doors have now been closed for weeks.
"That's going to, inevitably, have a have an impact on which projects can be done now and which projects are going to have to wait," Gaffield said.
Johanna Smith, Library and Archives Canada's director general of public services, said decisions on public access to the collections have been aligned throughout the pandemic with public health advice that varies across the country.
On-site services are now closed in Ottawa and Winnipeg, but they are available to the public in Vancouver with social distancing measures in place. In Halifax, Library and Archives Canada's public service point at the Pier 21 Museum will be closed until April due to renovations.