14 March 2012

Daniel Caron explains LAC's acquisition policy

90% of our acquisitions are government documents and legal deposit. We continue to refine policy for the other discretionary 10%. That was one of the messages given in a Radio-Canada interview in French by Library and Archives Canada's "general administrator".
http://www.radio-canada.ca/audio-video/pop.shtml#urlMedia=http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/2012/CBOFT/LeTelejournalOttawaGatineauAjouts201203120830_m.asx
Other points made, if my rusty French serves, are that there is considerable cost to conserving donated materials, as well as the cost of tax-concessions, so there is a need to be selective in what is accepted; some materials have been deaccessioned to Quebec and Newfoundland; LAC will only collect materials that fit it's mandate and are of national importance. He criticized the previous lack of criteria for adding to the collection stating that acquisitions had been too much the personal choice of the archivists and curators. He also stated that he regarded LAC as one amongst many archival organizations in Canada and would not compete with others, LAC will only collect materials of national significant within its mandate and ensure that materials were available close to where they would be most used.

Unfortunately he was not asked which materials in the collection do not meet the collections policy and what he intends to do with them.

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