News from LAC

Here are four items of news about Library and Archives Canada.

1. LAC has posted its second podcast, this about the Lest We Forget Project a cooperative educational program that allows students access to military service files in person and online. It starts as a fairly bureaucratic puff piece about the program that failed to grab me, until actual examples were given. Worth a listen, don't get turned off at the start.

2. Following my comment posted to LAC's blog item on the 1921 Census Countdown a prompt response came that the 1921 census is only available in microfilm form, the original having been destroyed in 1955. This is both good and bad news, good in that digitization should be faster and cheaper, bad in that only a monochrome image will be available.

LAC also mention making jpeg and pdf format images available "shortly, after their release date of June 1, 2013." Will LAC be taking any initiative to expedite indexing by others?

Now items LAC likely won't be publicizing.

3. The self-digitization program at LAC allowed clients to digitize records. Those were supposed to become available online  ...  none that I know of have been so far.  Now I'm told the program is ended, the computer and person who assisted people disappeared last week. It was always billed as a pilot type project. Will we ever learn what LAC learned from the trial? When will LAC live up to the promise to make the product people digitized available?

4. Thanks to the anonymous person who posted a comment drawing attention to a french language, TVA News, March 19 article that LAC Assistant Deputy Minister Cecilia Muir is having her office refurbished at a cost of $40,000 at the same time program cuts and layoffs are occurring. It's an expense Heritage Minister James Moore is quoted as calling unacceptable.