Providing Access to Archival Information: INTERLENDING AND DOCUMENT SUPPLY AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA

Abstract

Providing access to holdings is central to the work of archives, particularly those institutions which are publicly funded. Recently, questions relating to access have assumed additional importance for archives and other information institutions. To address these concerns, institutions such as the National Archives of Canada have become more aggressive in promoting the use of their holdings. A significant component of this strategy involves the provision, through various means, of copied holdings and information about those holdings. While similar, there are important differences between interlending in libraries and similar activities in archival institutions. These differences stem from the unique nature of archival documents. The National Archives of Canada disseminates information about itself and its holdings, as well as copies of actual holdings, through several programmes. These programmes include inter‐institutional loan of copies, photocopying services, a programme diffusing copies to provincial archives, and a new initiative to provide access to such information at “decentralized access sites” across the country.