While at LAC on Tuesday I asked about progress on making the 1926 census available. You will recall that the census moved into LAC custody on 1 June last year. It was indexed by FamilySearch volunteers and handed back in December. LAC posted here "We expect to have an online database by March 2019". The response to my query at the Genealogy desk at LAC was that there is no further news, that whatever work is being done on the census is happening in Gatineau and does not involve the genealogy group at 395 Wellington.
In the meantime there is access, news via a post by Gail Dever, that images from that census have been placed online by FamilySearch at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/3029966?availability=Family%20History%20Library. They are not indexed even by location finer than province. A partial location index, at present only for Saskatchewan, is at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IfcgoxEz7qub6jJs6-SmDfe_JgvTGnnCCUj7GbQQXs/edit#gid=0. There's also a statistical summary of the census results with maps and lists of communities (search for appendix) at http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS98-1926.pdf if you're prepared to do some old fashioned hunting though images to find a person or family of interest.
New LAC/OPL Library
A public consultation and engagement process will soon be underway in connection with plans to build a shared facility to house Library and Archives Canada and the Ottawa Public Library downtown in a few years’ time. The architectural firms tasked with designing the building will launch public engagement in a few weeks with local residents and people from across Canada.
At meetings on 28 February and 2 March – and online from 1 to 15 March – individuals interested in the project can participate in the first reflection activity specifically centered on the site: its potential, its influence on the building (panoramic views, physical orientation, etc.). Learn more about these activities<https://ottawa.ca/en/news/inspire-design-new-ottawa-public-library-and-library-and-archives-canada-joint-facility>.
Canadian Prime Ministers
There's a new display in the sunken lobby on the ground floor of LAC — a panel with a portrait of each Prime Minister and a short bio. If you happen to be in the building with up to five minutes to spare it's worth the detour.
Thanks to LAC Staff
While at 395 Wellington I had occasion to go to the registration and reference desks on the 2nd floor, the document order and retrieval area and genealogy desk on the 3rd. In each location I found the ladies pleasant and helpful -- thank you. If only they could find a way to teleport materials from remote storage to 395!
While I now live in BC, I'm Ottawa born and bred. Worked at LAC for a summer as a student and quite excited by the prospect of a joint library. Goodness knows, both facilities are nearing the end of their useful life (and OPL Central is so ugly!) Unless they start moving quickly, I foresee it will be at least another decade, though...but I remain hopeful...
ReplyDelete