Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Canada

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Canada
Name	Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Canada
Established	2004 (merger)
Location	Ottawa, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec
Type	National library and national archives
Collection size	Millions of items (books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, audiovisual)

Contents

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Canada is the Canadian federal institution created by the merger of the National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada, charged with acquiring and preserving the documentary heritage of Canada and serving researchers, legislators, and the public. It functions within the context of Canadian institutions such as the Parliament of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada, and provincial archives like the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and coordinates with international bodies including the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Diet Library, and UNESCO. The institution interacts with cultural organizations such as the Canadian Museum of History, the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Civilization, and the Canadian Heritage portfolio.

History

The institution emerged from the legislative merger influenced by prior entities including the National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada, and was shaped by federal acts debated in the House of Commons of Canada and the Senate of Canada, with participation from ministers like members of the Kingston and the Islands (electoral district) caucus and officials linked to the Privy Council Office. Its development overlapped with archival milestones related to figures such as John A. Macdonald, Wilfrid Laurier, Lester B. Pearson, and repositories preserving materials associated with events like the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and the October Crisis. The institution has engaged with national commissions such as the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences and collaborated on projects referencing the Statute of Westminster 1931 and records tied to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Administratively, the institution reports through ministers associated with Canadian Heritage and interfaces with bodies like the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Public Service Commission of Canada, and agencies including the Library and Archives Canada Advisory Committee. Its governance reflects policies grounded in statutes such as the Library and Archives of Canada Act and requires compliance with instruments like the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It coordinates with provincial bodies including the Archives of Ontario, Archives of Nova Scotia, and Public Archives of Canada successors, and maintains partnerships with academic institutions such as the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Internationally, governance aligns with standards promoted by organizations like the International Council on Archives, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Collections encompass published works, manuscript archives, cartographic materials, sound recordings, and film associated with Canadian personalities like Pierre Trudeau, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Emily Carr, Gabrielle Roy, and Margaret Atwood, as well as corporate archives from entities such as Hudson's Bay Company and records related to events like the Klondike Gold Rush and the North-West Rebellion. Holdings include maps linked to explorers like Alexander Mackenzie, papers of politicians including John Diefenbaker and Jean Chrétien, and materials about Indigenous leaders connected to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 negotiations. The institution preserves audiovisual collections featuring productions from the National Film Board of Canada, radio archives referencing Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts, and music archives tied to artists like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Special collections hold documents related to legal milestones including decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada and treaties such as the Treaty of Ghent that affected Canadian jurisprudence through transatlantic diplomacy.

Services include reference consultations used by scholars working on topics like the War of 1812, the Conscription Crisis of 1944, and studies of figures such as Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Robert Borden, interlibrary loan operations coordinated with the Association of Research Libraries, and outreach programs partnering with institutions such as the Canadian Museums Association and the Association of Canadian Archivists. The institution provides online catalogs used by students at Université Laval and researchers at the National Research Council (Canada), reading rooms that host inquiries about artifacts connected to the Canadian Pacific Railway, and reproduction services for photographers documenting sites like Fortress of Louisbourg. It enforces legal deposit provisions paralleling frameworks in countries like Australia and United Kingdom and manages rights in concert with organizations such as the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

Digitization projects have focused on newspapers including titles contemporaneous with the Red River Rebellion, film restoration with partners such as the Canadian Film Institute and the National Film Board of Canada, and audiovisual preservation aligned with standards from bodies like the International Federation of Film Archives. Collaborations have occurred with the Digital Public Library of America model, university digitization centers at McMaster University and Simon Fraser University, and technology vendors used by institutions including the Harvard Library and the Yale University Library. Conservation labs apply techniques informed by practices at the Conservation Centre for Art and Historic Artifacts and coordinate with museum conservation departments such as those at the Canadian Museum of History and the Royal Ontario Museum. Initiatives address born-digital records related to agencies like Canada Revenue Agency and former administrations including archives from Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien.

Primary facilities are located in Ottawa near landmarks such as Parliament Hill and in Gatineau adjacent to Quebec institutions like the Canadian Museum of History, with storage complexes comparable to designs used by the National Archives of Australia and the Library and Archives of Canada Preservation Centre. Reading rooms and exhibition spaces host items loaned to venues like the Canadian War Museum and the Museum of Civilization, and the institution maintains regional service points that collaborate with provincial archives including Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. The building complexes are served by municipal infrastructure like the Ottawa Transitway and federal precinct planning bodies, and collections have been used in exhibitions at international sites such as the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Libraries of Canada Category:Archives in Canada