On Monday, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Dr. Guy Berthiaume, the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, answered questions people tweeted, using #AskTheLAC or #QuestionauBAC. It was a good initiative, and one that should be repeated next year. With time, the number of questions will increase.
Below is a selection of questions tweeted and Dr. Berthiaume’s responses. (For ease of reading, #AskTheLAC or #QuestionauBAC was edited out.)
Photo: Library and Archives Canada.
Q: The digitized military service files on the LAC website have been a wonderful primary source for our research in profiling the men of C-Company, 105th Battalion. Could you estimate how much longer it will take to complete the project of uploading all the files, i.e to the end of the alphabet?
GB: 81% of CEF files have been digitized. We will be done by November 11, 2018, exactly 100 years after the #FWW. Updates posted monthly on our #blog http://ow.ly/JlhS30h0fes
Q: When the CEF service files project ends what major digitization project, or projects, will LAC pursue?
GB: We are embarking on the digitization of an unprecedented amount of material relevant to the #Indigenous initiative Hear our Voices.
Q: How do I research my Quebecois ancestry when they use “dit” names, please? Even genealogists have not been able to trace my family back to France – au secours s.v.p.!
GB: Check out this blog post: http://ow.ly/ItSN30h0fHC If you have more questions, our genealogy experts can help: http://ow.ly/hjAb30h0fOX
Q: What percentage of the LAC holdings are available in digital format?
GB: We have over 5 petabytes of digital material. http://ow.ly/PRrN30h0eHE
Q: How have archives changed in the last 10 years? Where will they be in another 10 years?
GB: In last 10 years, records are increasingly born digital. In next 10 years, we expect an explosion in social media and new ways to share archival material. @project_naming is an example.
Q: Combien d’archives sont sous la responsabilité d’Archives Canada? (How many archives are under the responsibility of Archives Canada?)
GB: Notre collection renferme, entre autres, 250 km linéaires de documents textuels gouvernementaux et privés, plus de 3 millions de dessins et cartes, et plus de 30 millions de photographies. Et elle s’enrichit constamment! http://ow.ly/pU8Z30h06B7 (Our collection includes, among other things, 250 linear km of government and private textual records, more than 3 million drawings and maps, and more than 30 million photographs. And it constantly becomes richer! http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/about-us/about-collection/Pages/about.aspx)
Q: How does LAC manage the disclosure of sensitive records (diplomatic, intelligence, legal, military, etc.)?
GB: Rules on the disclosure of sensitive records are based on why those records are restricted. We’re bound by the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act. Both contain exemptions and exceptions. You can find details here: http://ow.ly/ibMi30h07a8
Q: Is there a proactive disclosure policy or do all records remain sealed until a FOIA request?
GB: Yes, for a number of years we have proactively opened millions of pages of government documents. http://ow.ly/l5QZ30h0dZk We also welcome requests under ATIP
Q: How is the LAC serving the far flung reaches of Canada?
GB: We digitize as much as we can & share our collection via social media. We support local institutions to give access. http://ow.ly/Vex530h0dmk And, of course, we also have service centres in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Halifax.
Q: Will LAC schedule sessions to inform on-site researchers about planned service changes and receive community feedback?
GB: Great idea! No planned service changes. We try to notify users of short-term service interruptions ASAP. We also have informal consultations w onsite clients twice a year, + hold quarterly meetings w our Services Consultation Committee.
Q: How will the Gatineau 2 Preservation Facility differ from the original now that acquisitions are moving to digital?
GB: Gatineau 2 will house textual records primarily. We are still acquiring records from 20-30 years ago, so there is still a need for analogue storage
Q: What is the oldest item in your collection?!
GB: An incunabulum from 1470 of Flavius Josephus. I answered too fast. One of the oldest items is the “bulle de Nicolas V” from 1453! Here’s what the seal look like! http://ow.ly/O9sW30h0aX2
One of the oldest items held at Library and Archives Canada is the ‘Bulle de Nicolas V’ from 1453.
Q: What was the hardest thing you had to physically archive?
GB: The Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982 required an extremely specialized container to prevent the ink from fading when exposed to light: https://thediscoverblog.com/2017/04/27/guest-curators-j-andrew-ross-and-michael-smith
Q: What does a typical day look like for a Librarian or Archivist at the Library Archive of Canada?
GB: There’s no typical day safeguarding Canada’s history. My time is spent meeting colleagues, stakeholders, and government officials.
Q: What is the most surprising thing you’ve found in the archives?
GB: It’s a serigraph by Warhol of Wayne Gretzky! Coming from @_BAnQ , I did not expect to find such a rich collection of portraits at @LibraryArchives
Q: What is the state of deliberations on federal funding for the proposed joint Ottawa Public Library / LAC facility?
GB: All relevant federal government departments are working together to ensure that a decision is made in the coming few months.
