This statement by Fred Farrell, Provincial Archivist of New-Brunswick & Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada is a summary of Canadian archival activity for 2018-2019.
Looking for the word genea* there is content in the section Access, Outreach & Partnerships
"Genealogy remains a high traffic use of archives. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) marked National Genealogy Week with events at its regional centres and drew almost 300 people to participate in the activities. Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick continue to support such research through making Vital Statistic records available, a sought-after source by genealogists. Nunavut is developing a unique genealogy project based on Inuit families’ history instead of immigration records."For the word digitiz* there is content for Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut as well as LAC.
Unless the statement is overlooking something significant the limited scope of activities is a disappointment. Do achivies ever ask their genealogy clients what projects they would like undertaken?
Below is the total text of the statement.
The year of National, Provincial, and Territorial Archives saw a wide range of activities with many points in common. Collaboration, diffusion, information management, space, legislation, events and anniversaries were just some of the topics that were the touchstones of the past year. Of course, the acquisition and processing of collections were constants throughout the country with a rich and varied array of records brought in to enrich our country’s history. Let us explore some of Canada’s Archival Organizations’ key accomplishments during 2018-2019.
Indigenous People Archives
No single topic was as predominant as archives’ efforts to work with Indigenous communities. Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) initiative to help digitize and preserve culture and language recordings Listen: Hear Our Voices, Yukon’s events focusing on the identification of First Nation individuals in photographs, Manitoba’s scholarship to encourage archival study by Indigenous students, or Northwest Territories (NWT)’s donation agreement with the Gwich’in Tribal Council, are examples of efforts to meet the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions’ recommendations. Of course, such engagement activities do not end there. Alberta is working on making Indigenous content more accessible, British Columbia (BC) is engaged in repatriation consultations, Manitoba is also working at making records more accessible through Hudson Bay Company records and its Name and Knowledge Initiative, while New Brunswick has an Indigenous language exhibit in the planning stages. Efforts to work with Indigenous Peoples continue in all regions of Canada, and we hope they become a recurring practice for all Canadian archival organizations.
Information/Records Management
Information and Records Management is inextricably linked to archival work, whether an Archives is responsible for its management or not. Efforts to improve the management of records and information were highlighted by several jurisdictions. Alberta is aggressively examining its retention schedules with a view to eliminate the option of selective retention and Manitoba has launched a Records and Information Management Framework and associated materials to assist departments in the management of records. LAC is reinvigorating its work with federal departments to strengthen the flow of records. British Columbia, in consultation with a variety of stakeholders, undertook a review of the format and content of government classification and retention schedules, as well as the processes relating to their development and implementation, to identify opportunities for improvement. In addition, provisions of the 2017 Information Management Act came into force by which government bodies are required to have in place an appropriate system for creating and maintaining government information. NWT is also in the process of sourcing a system to manage Government records. Ontario implemented changes to the Archives and Records Act that reinforce the importance of Government records keeping and grant new powers to the Provincial Archivist to proactively develop schedules.
Space
Despite the emergence of the digital society, there are still plenty of analogue records and as a result, space is always an issue for archives. Currently, Yukon and Saskatchewan are consolidating and refining their storage facilities, while NWT and BC are exploring options for purpose-built facilities. Nova Scotia is acquiring compact shelving and Newfoundland and Labrador is reorganizing some of its current space. Prince Edward Island is currently in the midst of a relocation project in conjunction with the refurbishment of its former building. Nunavut is using a newly built storage facility for its substantial volume of departmental and agency records, while selected private archives are maintained in Gatineau with the Canadian Museum of Nature. In the nation’s capital, LAC sets forth with a new co-location with the City of Ottawa Library for its public services, while embarking on the Gatineau II project for additional storage space. Space of course has to do with acquisitions and with those, there is no shortage. Several provinces saw traditional holders of archives, historical societies, art groups, and religious orders close their doors and seek locations for their records. Québec, Alberta, BC, and New Brunswick saw such developments in the past year and no doubt other jurisdictions will experience similar occurrences.
Strategic Planning and Governance
Planning and governance are critical for archives to pursue their mandates. Nova Scotia, BC, and Ontario are looking at or have seen legislative amendments to better function within their jurisdictions, while Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, and LAC are at various stages of their strategic plans.
Access Requests and Electronic Records
A fairly recent development is the need for archives to handle Freedom of Information Request (FOI) or similar types of access requests for semi-active records preserved in digital form. Archives are more and more taking in electronic records directly from departments because there are no “records centres” for semi-active electronic records. Servicing such records for FOI requests or just research on modern issues is very time consuming and requires expertise to parse the records. In a more litigious society and with various investigative commissions and class action lawsuits being established, archives are challenged with Ontario, Alberta, and New Brunswick currently attempting to respond to such requests. LAC is also faced by this challenge, but has been successful in marshaling extra resources to meet the demand. These semi-active electronic records are voluminous and often lacking in structure, making research and dissemination complex due to the presence of personal information, solicitor-client privilege, and various other legal constraints.
Access, Outreach & Partnerships
Of course, access is what archives are all about and finding new ways to make this happen for a wider audience is always relevant. Archives continue to make content available in different ways. Saskatchewan has completed the last of its five videos on the First World War. Nova Scotia with its online exhibit Suffrage in Nova Scotia: Making our Mark and the African Nova Scotian Land Title Clarification Project, BC with oral history repatriation, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s revamping of its website are a few such examples. Saskatchewan’s ongoing digitization of its Court docket books will provide access to these records by a variety of user groups and Manitoba has digitized over 1,100 reels of microfilm through the National Heritage Digitization Strategy. Nunavut is also actively digitizing its collection, including the Douglas Wilkinson media fonds, the Baffin Regional Council records and the Thomas Manning holdings. Québec’s participation in « Libérez le cyberarchiviste en vous » (Free the cyber-archivist in you) to celebrate International Archives day was a more daring effort. This event included involvement in Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource, tools that enable citizens to contribute to archival description. Crowd sourcing is yet another means of engaging the public, while increasing access to holdings. LAC has taken an energetic approach with its Co-Lab initiative to improve and add metadata to the information the public can search.
Genealogy remains a high traffic use of archives. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) marked National Genealogy Week with events at its regional centres and drew almost 300 people to participate in the activities. Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick continue to support such research through making Vital Statistic records available, a sought-after source by genealogists. Nunavut is developing a unique genealogy project based on Inuit families’ history instead of immigration records. Of course, to maintain interest, diversify audience, and spur more research, it is necessary to be diligent in the pursuit of acquisitions. Québec accomplished all those goals through the acquisition of the International Cinema Festival fonds at BAnQ Rouyn-Noranda. Its 10,000 photographs alone will be an eye catcher. However, acquisition alone is insufficient: it is necessary to deliver content to the public. Archives around the country are refreshing their catalogues and online discovery systems: Manitoba continues to add information to the Keystone descriptive database, Ontario is updating its online catalogue, Québec is introducing a brand-new database, BC is testing a holdings location system, and Saskatchewan and Alberta are piloting AtoM (Access to Memory).
Galleries, libraries, archives and museums communities are increasing their collaborative efforts in BC, Ontario and at LAC, sharing initiatives and cultivating a space for future partnerships. Yukon Archives organized film-showing events in partnership with the Alpine Club of Canada. In partnership with the Francophone Secretariat, the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) has established a 5-year plan to make Oblate of Mary Immaculate Alberta Province Records available through a detailed finding aid/publication. NWT Archives are currently working with community partners to identify people on approximately 250,000 photos, as part of the processing of the Native Press photograph collection. The Archives of Saskatchewan will soon work under the same roof as the CBC, which will multiply collaborative opportunities.
Anniversaries
Anniversaries are an opportune occasion to profile documentary heritage and the archives that preserve them. New Brunswick has just completed its 50th anniversary celebrations and LAC is celebrating 15 years since the merge between the National Library and National Archives. Québec and Manitoba are planning to bring awareness to their archives with upcoming anniversaries. The biggest anniversary activity over the past few years is linked to the First World War with many school and research projects throughout Canada. Manitoba has used a multi-faceted approach including social media to draw attention to the centenary of the Armistice. BC is making available the photographs of Ernest Crocker during the period 1914-1919 in Victoria.
2018-2019 Co-Chairs:
Fred Farrell, Provincial Archivist of New-Brunswick & Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
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