collections spéciales à bac special collections at lac présentation à / presentation to carl...

Collections spéciales à BAC Special Collections at LAC

Présentation à / Presentation to

CARLJune 2010

par / by

Doug RimmerSous Ministre Adjoint, Secteur des acquisitionsAssistant Deputy Minister, Acquisitions Sector

Collections spéciales à BAC - Special Collections at LAC 2010.04.dd

Purpose of the Presentation

To present our thinking to date with goal of receiving feedback and advice from colleague institutions.

To provoke discussion and feedback

To identify alternate approaches, issues, and areas for further thinking

Note: This presentation does not represent a final LAC policy position.


General context of LAC Collection

Mandate:The Library and Archives of Canada Act establishes a wide-ranging mandate related to acquiring, preserving and making known Canada’s collective memory. A key element is “to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations.”

Collection Composition: • brings together the collections of the former National Archives of Canada

(established in 1872) and the former National Library of Canada (established in 1953).

• three main sources for the material collected, regardless of format:– transfers from GoC departments and agencies of their documents of

anticipated business or historic value;– copies of material published in Canada sent by the Canadian publishers to

meet the legislated requirements of Legal Deposit;– Donations, gifts and exchanges received, purchases of items, and material

collected from the Internet


General context of LAC Collection

Collection depth and breath1 :– 20 million books, periodicals, newspapers, microfilms, literary texts

and government publications– 167,000 meters of government and private textual records– 3 million architectural drawings, maps and plans– 24 million photographs– 350,000 hours of film, video and sound recordings– Canada’s portrait collection, which includes 20,000 works of art and

thousands of caricatures– 547,000 musical items– 365,500 items from the documentary art collection, including

watercolours, sketches, miniatures and oil paintings– More than a billion megabytes of digital content

1 Source: Library and Archives Canada 2009-2010, Report on Plans and Priorities


The Concept of “Special Collections”

“In library science, special collections […] is the name applied to a specific repository or department, usually within a library, which stores materials of a "special" nature,

including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts.”

The concept of special collections resonates also with the ideas of:• specialized reference services and collection development;• special outreach initiatives and resource discovery targeting specific clienteles; and• holdings that often have strict security measures while remaining accessible.

In many libraries throughout the world, “special collections” also refer to thematically grouped materials which encompass archival records and artifacts.

Includes material that meets one or more of the following criteria:

a. unpublished (archival, manuscripts, etc)b. rare and/or uniquec. over-represented relative to the collection as a whole


Special Collections at LAC

Among our collecting streams, there are a number of areas that could constitute “Special Collections”:

1. Literary Archives (archival fonds and collections of national importance)

2. Music (musical Canadiana with print, recorded sound and video components)

3. Children (Children’s literature collection)

4. Rare books (focus on pre-Confederation Canadiana, printed in Canada or about Canada)

5. Jacob M. Lowy collection (Judaica and Hebraica which reflects the history of all Jewish people)

6. Maps (many references to “the National Map Collection”)

7. Stamps, art, portraits . . . . ?

And, according to the definitions: Preservation collection of Canadiana, all archival records?.. The list goes on.


Special Collections in the Digital Environment

The information and information technology evolution has brought about (a) the explosion of information and (b) a paradigm shift in the discovery and use of information in knowledge-based societies around the world:

1. The boundary between published and unpublished records and artefacts has become less relevant from the eyes of information consumers

2. Information is being discovered, mined, refined, aggregated from different sources for consumption to turn into knowledge; the wider/more varied the reach, the better.

3. Although the authority and authenticity of information always remain relevant (if not more relevant), the media and the formats of information have become less important in the digital world

4. Information holdings are increasingly being connected between organizations as well as within organizations (unique/rare/hidden collections must become less so).


The emergent LAC Concept of “Special Collections”

LAC has evolved its conceptualization of “Special Collections” to

(a) increasingly treat its own collection in a wholistic fashion without “special” subsets from an acquisition perspective,

(b) position the LAC collection as a “special” component of the overall documentary heritage held by all memory institutions in Canada

(c) Present the collection in a way that is guided by user need/discovery.

The entire LAC Collection is a “Special Collection”, integrated into to overall national collection, which also includes many other ‘special’ components, and which collectively provides Canadians with the information that they require.


Future Implementation

The entire LAC Collection is a “Special Collection”. The focus of its development will shift over time in response to dynamics of the environment. Its composition will always be fluid. Resource Discovery must support

improved access across all of the collection.

Application of the guiding principles (Significance, Sufficiency, Sustainability, and Society) and key roles (Foundation building, Collaboration, Program, and Transfer)

• Horizontal integration under the three LAC pillars / sectors of Acquisition, Resource Discovery and Collection Management :

ACQUISITION RESOURCE DISCOVERY COLLECTION MANAGEMENT

LAC Collection

(all components)

• Integration of all collecting areas• Thematic approach to collection management (one documentation strategy)• Collaboration with other Canadian memory institutions (national context)• Accountability and transparency of acquisition practices• Advice from external stakeholders

• Onsite access and reference• Bringing the collection to Canadians• Harmonized description• User contributed content• Web presence and virtual space building (incl. social networks)• Digitization initiatives

• Sufficiency• Sustainability• Stewardship of the collection• Space management (analogue and digital)


Future Implementation

Application of the guiding principles (Significance, Sufficiency, Sustainability, and Society) and key roles (Foundation building, Collaboration, Program, and Transfer)

• Determine significance through thematic “chunking” of the Canadian experience and apply any and all tools to acquire – LAC acquisition strategies. Opportunity for national strategies?

• Identify themes or sub-themes where sufficiency has been reached (pathfinder project on private archives – report to be released shortly)

• Sustainability and Society - enable “best fit” for collections in terms of preservation and use – transfers via long-term loans, “use the walls of others”

• Connect our “special” collection to related collections across the nation

• Use iterative, “emergent” strategies and tactics to deliver based on collaboration and continuous consultation with key communities and stakeholders (this means you!)

collections spéciales à bac special collections at lac présentation à / presentation to carl...

Documents