National Library and Archives Canada

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In French, a nod to the country’s not so distant formation, the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is referred to as Bibliotheque et Archives Canada. The fourth largest library in the world, LAC falls under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Steven Guilbeault. The National Archives of Canada was originally founded under the name Public Archives of Canada in 1912 while the National Library of Canada was not founded until 1953. In 2004, the two entities were combined to form the Library and Archives Canada. Since its inception LAC has inadvertently reported to the Canadian Parliament through the current Minister of Canadian History. 

The Library and Archives Canada holds adamant to the principle that their collection in its entirety, assembled over the course of 140 years, “is the shared documentary heritage of all Canadians and spans the entire history of [our] country.” Included in the collection, prospective visitors can expect to find the following: an estimated 20 million books, 250 linear kilometers of government and private textual records, nearly 30 million photographic images, and the Canadian Postal Archives in addition to so much more. The facility believes digitization of their records is vital. As such, they are working to digitalize as much of the collection as possible through a two-step process which they have divided into a content assessment and a feasibility assessment. According to the Library and Archives Canada website, the content assessment is considered using 4 criteria: public interest, Government of Canada involvement, uniqueness, and preservation. The feasibility assessment is similar to the content assessment although there are only 3 motivating factors: rights issues, metadata needs, and technical consideration.




The facility has demonstrated a keen interest in the preservation of its country’s culture and heritage, as is evidenced by their extensive preservation center located in Gatineau, Quebec. The entire premise of the facility is clear: preserve the country’s documentary heritage. The center is comprised of 48 vaults which are intended to house a variety of documents and publications in addition to individual labs utilized for conservation treatment as well as preservation of records and digitization. Most recently, LAC received approval for their proposed New Preservation Facility which is expected to be located adjacent to the already existing facility.



Outside of learning about the unique preservation efforts of the facility, visitors to the site may be interested in the censuses, genealogy and family history, and indigenous heritage collections and programs offered by LAC. The aforementioned programs are designed to promote general knowledge of Canadian history and heritage. Those who consider themselves avid researchers may also find interest in the military heritage and immigration records collections housed at the Library and Archives Canada. In fact, most interestingly, the military heritage collections offers records dating back to New France. Citizens that are looking for a more hands on approach to the documentation and preservation of their country’s heritage may be interested in participating in LAC’s Co-Lab program which offers individuals the opportunity of transcribing, tagging, translating and describing their digital records. As demonstrated, the Library and Archives Canada offers something for everyone!


- Breyana Stilts

References:

About the collection. Library and Archives Canada. (2017, December 1). https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/about-us/about-collection/Pages/about.aspx.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) - Library and Archives Canada. (2020, February 6). https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx.


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