Collaboration north of the (U.S.) border

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Canada presents an interesting case study of collaboration in the cultural heritage sector. It features a large geographic area combined with a small population, strong national pride, and linguistic diversity, all of which either strongly promote or require institutions working together. Economic considerations are at issue in these partnerships – obtaining grant funding, achieving economies of scale, or accomplishing something one institution would not have the capacity to do on its own. Despite economic challenges, including a devalued Canadian dollar, the cultural heritage sector is strong in terms of value to citizens. Grant funding for heritage institutions at the federal level is more specialized and at a smaller scale in Canada relative to its U.S. counterparts. Consortia and professional associations are numerous, providing natural homes for cross-institution collaboration. Not surprisingly, collaborations that arise from these affinities enjoy a greater likelihood of success, while institutions forced together for austerity reasons face a more difficult path. Successes from Canadian collaborative initiatives are myriad. Both the museum and archives communities have developed federated search tools for collections across the country. Early projects to bring together Canadian digital content across institutions led to solid technical infrastructure and sustainable governance models. University library collaborations have been especially effective, with an established cooperative for e-content licensing, an innovative provincial e-books platform, and regional shared print initiatives. The Francophone community in Canada is tight-knit and has driven high-impact collaborative initiatives such as a French-language subject vocabulary for cataloging and the French translation of Resource Description and Access (RDA). Most Canadian international collaborations in the cultural heritage sector are driven by the search for grant funding. Institutional missions for heritage organizations are expanding with new types of digital content and evolving user expectations, and it is through partnerships that we will effectively face these challenges.