Archives Canada Research Articles

“What Is Labour’s Stake?”

Although counterintuitive for many academics and lay people alike, the Canadian environmental movement has long included significant engagement from organized labour. More surprising, perhaps, the most dedicated labour environmentalists came from unions representing workers in the auto, steel, mining, chemical, and oil industries. This was certainly the case in Alberta during the 1970s. There, the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers (ocaw) used their outsized influence within the Alberta Federation of Labour (afl) to conjoin growing concern about occupational health and safety with developing awareness about air and water pollution beyond the workplace. Drawing on fonds at the University of Calgary Glenbow Archives, Provincial Archives of Alberta, and Library and Archives Canada, this article chronicles and assesses efforts by ocaw officials within the afl to introduce and sustain a labour environmentalist agenda. It also makes an argument for historians interested in the origins and evolution of the Canadian environmental movement to pay closer attention to organized labour.

"The inalienable right to know"

In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the government of Canada compelled Library and Archives Canada to better facilitate Indigenous archival access. Yet, Indigenous peoples continue to face a variety of barriers to archival access and document retrieval. This paper argues that there are still many problems of Indigenous access to the archive and that the best remedy to these problems is to fundamentally change long-standing colonial ideas of record keeping. For true access and collaboration to begin, archivists must be enabled to act beyond traditional archival structures and policies. The paper begins by outlining the archival responses to the TRC’s report, addressing Indigenous rights to knowledge and continuing barriers to archival access, and offering suggestions to mitigate issues of access. In addition, this paper advocates that Indigenous considerations be reworked in existing archives and that Indigenous community archives be better supported.

Digitally Mapping the Indian Day Schools and the RG10 School Files Series in Canada


 
 
 This article explores the process of creating a digital history resource on the topic of the Indian Day School system in Canada. It provides an overview of how the website www.indiandayschools.org was created by a team of history educators who built on the work and legacy of Indigenous activist Raymond Mason. The new open-access, inquiry-based resource displays all 699 recognized Indian Day Schools on an interactive map and integrates thousands of optimized files from Library and Archives Canada’s RG10 School File Series. This article details the challenges we encountered while undertaking this project and how digital Indigenous history can be a powerful tool for reconciliation.
 
 

Probing a Dark Decade1

At the end of the Second World War, the Indian Affairs Branch (IAB) launched a significant administrative renovation. As a result, during the first post-war decade, it introduced a number of notable changes in the manner in which records were managed both at headquarters in Ottawa and in the wide network of field offices. These achievements are documented in the archival record available today at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). What is less well understood is the records management environment out of which these changes emerged. This study describes aspects of the challenges that faced the IAB’s records staff during the later years of the Great Depression and those of the Second World War. Its centrepiece is a file that provides a chronicle, in the form of monthly reports, of recordkeeping in the headquarters central registry office of the Indian Affairs Branch during the years 1937–1947. This record shines additional light on the information management activities of the branch during a particularly difficult decade in the administration’s history.

Hungarian Studies Review: The Beginnings of the Journal in the Historical Context of the 1970s

Abstract This short article tells the story of the beginnings, in 1974, of the Hungarian Studies Review, then published as Canadian-American Review of Hungarian Studies, based on archival material from the Nándor Dreisziger Fond at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. It also provides a brief historical context which explains the political background of the creation of the journal.

Pain management in indigenous and tribal peoples: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionEffective and culturally safe pain management can facilitate analgesia and improve the quality of life. Individualised, multimodal and multidisciplinary approaches are highly recommended. There exist gaps in the knowledge on...

Minarets on the horizon: Muslim pioneers in Canada By MurrayHogben, Toronto: Mawenzi House. 2021. 316 pages. $34.95 (paperback). ISBN: 9781774150320

Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennesEarly View BOOK REVIEW / COMPTE RENDU DE LIVRE Minarets on the horizon: Muslim pioneers in Canada By Murray Hogben (Ed.), Toronto: Mawenzi House. 2021. pp. 316. $34.95 paperback (ISBN 978-1774150320) Pasha M. Khan, Pasha M. Khan orcid.org/0000-0001-7182-1947 Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author Pasha M. Khan, Pasha M. Khan orcid.org/0000-0001-7182-1947 Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12865Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. REFERENCES Baker, P. (1976). Memoirs of an Arctic Arab: A free trader in the Canadian north—the years 1907– 1927. Yellowknife Publishing Company. Cook, K. P. (2016). Forbidden passages: Muslims and Moriscos in colonial Spanish America. University of Pennsylvania Press. T. Cromwell (Ed.) (2015). Mosque One: Home of Toronto's first Muslims [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm6OaXwGM8k Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1921. Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Library and Archives Canada. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1921 Metcalf, B. D. (1982). Islamic revival in British India: Deoband, 1860– 1900. Princeton University Press. Sanyal, U. (1996). Devotional Islam and politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and his movement, 1870– 1920. Oxford University Press. Sirriyeh, E. (1999). Sufis and anti-Sufis: The defense, rethinking and rejection of Sufism in the modern world. Curzon. Toronto Star. (1971, 21 January). Locked-out Moslems pray in the snow. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue ReferencesRelatedInformation

Access to information research in the digital era

Access to information research in the digital era

Building the future of Library and Archives Canada : Assessing readiness for transformational projects

As Canada’s pre-eminent memory institution, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has the legislative mandate to collect, preserve and make accessible Canada’s priceless documentary heritage. This unique role as public caretaker for a vital, ever-growing collection brings considerable challenges to LAC as a corporate real estate (CRE) organisation. Added to this complexity is LAC’s relatively recent assignment as custodian of its own portfolio of special purpose real property, which represents a fundamental change to the institution’s role and responsibilities. Transfer of custody, which coincided with commencement of two of the Government of Canada’s most innovative major capital construction projects, has touched off a period of significant transformation within LAC. This paper will provide important background and context with respect to LAC’s unique mandate, history and evolution as a federal real property custodian; elaborate on the complexity of CRE management in this context; detail the two major projects; and highlight the guiding principles driving delivery through this transformative time. Lastly, this paper will offer actionable insights for others contemplating organisational readiness to undertake high-profile capital projects.

Gospel Selections: The First Book in Inuktitut Syllabics

The syllabic writing system invented for the Cree was first introduced to Inuit in 1855 by Rev. Edwin A. Watkins (1827–1907) at Fort George and Little Whale River on the James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts, respectively. That same year at Fort George, Watkins prepared a small book of gospel selections in Inuktitut syllabics with the help of a young Inuk, Peter Okakterook (circa 1836–1858), and sent it to Rev. John Horden (1828–1893) in Moose Factory, who printed it on the press he had acquired for his mission. This small book is one of the earliest items printed on Horden’s press, and the only one printed in Inuktitut. Only one copy is known to have survived, at Library and Archives Canada, where it is catalogued under the title Selections from the Gospels in the Dialect of the Inuit of Little Whale River. The small volume of eight pages, transliterated into syllabics from Moravian publications prepared in the roman orthography used for Inuttut on the Labrador coast in present-day Nunatsiavut, was intended for use by Inuit in Nunavik. Although printed in syllabics using what are today seen as western Cree syllable-final symbols, the text is readable by and understandable to modern Inuit readers. This paper examines early missionary efforts to develop literacy for mission purposes among Inuit, including the printing and distribution of this small volume.

“A Noble Dream” renewed: reflections on the origins of Library and Archives Canada

“A Noble Dream” renewed: reflections on the origins of Library and Archives Canada

Colonialism, Computerized

This article argues for the incorporation of a transdisciplinary approach to cartographic materials in archives, especially in relation to archival description and preservation. Delving into the theoretical foundations and developments in the fields of archival studies and cartography, it explores the creation of cartographic materials and focuses on their processing by archives (i.e., their appraisal, arrangement, description, and preservation and the means of making them available to archival researchers). The lag between theoretical developments and practical applications is illustrated through the creation and management of the Canada Land Inventory (CLI) and Canada Geographic Information System (CGIS) materials held by Library and Archives Canada. An analysis of the creation and ongoing management of these materials highlights the role of cartography and archives in the formation of Canada as a modern colonial state and in the ongoing dispossession of Indigenous Peoples.

Newly Available Archival Records at Library and Archives Canada

Newly Available Archival Records at Library and Archives Canada

Archival Interventions and Disentangling Legacy Records

Appraisal and disposition of government records at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) focuses primarily on acquiring the “right” records to best document a given function of the Government of Canada. Once records pass into LAC’s care, access is provided through an inconsistent approach of online descriptive records and on-site finding aids, often with minimal or incorrect contextualizing information that hinders their overall discoverability and use. Through a study of both the legacy photographic records in the National Film Board of Canada Fonds and the recontextualization project currently underway at LAC, the author examines the history of the record, from recordkeeping practices to the transfer to LAC, and some of the interventions by the archives to describe and shape these records over several generations of custodial care. All of these various actions have had a hidden impact on the use and understanding of both the individual records and the larger collection. This article provides a case study in how rearrangement based on research into creators, organizational recordkeeping systems, and archival custodial practices can draw out complex, multiple provenances and provide researchers with a fuller contextual history of the record.

Effectiveness of different health delivery agents of parenting stimulation interventions on child development outcomes among children aged 0 to 36 months: a systematic review protocol.

This review will evaluate the effectiveness of different health delivery agents of parenting stimulation interventions versus usual care, no intervention, or a different type of delivery agent on child development outcomes among children aged 0 to 36 months. Stimulation interventions vary in terms of implementation. While some interventions are delivered by professionals, most are delivered by non-professionals. Several prior systematic reviews on this topic have been conducted; however, no known study has evaluated the effectiveness of stimulation interventions on child development by type of delivery agent. This review will consider randomized controlled trials assessing parenting stimulation interventions delivered by different health delivery agents. These will be compared to usual care, no intervention, or a different delivery agent, targeted at caregiver-child dyads of children aged 0 to 36 months. The outcomes will include motor, language, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. The review will exclude studies including children with specific characteristics, interventions that do not focus on parenting, and protocols of randomized clinical trials. The review will include both published and unpublished studies. The key information sources to be searched are: MEDLINE, APA (PsycNet), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, VHL Regional Portal, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Theses Canada Portal, and Library and Archives Canada. Studies in English, Spanish, and Portuguese will be included. Critical appraisal and data extraction will be conducted using standardized tools. Quantitative data, where possible, will be pooled in statistical meta-analysis, or if statistical pooling is not possible, the findings will be reported narratively. PROSPERO CRD42021245245.

Overview of Canada's energy storage related research activities: A perspective

Overview of Canada's energy storage related research activities: A perspective

Development on Indigenous Homelands and the Need to Get Back to Basics with Scoping: Is there Still "Unceded" Land in Northern Ontario, Canada, with Respect to Treaty No. 9 and its Adhesions?

Scoping includes the establishment of unambiguous spatial boundaries for a proposed development project (e.g., a treaty) and is especially important with respect to development on Indigenous homelands. Improper scoping leads to a flawed product, such as a flawed treaty or environmental impact assessment, by excluding stakeholders from the process. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to gather (and collate) printed and online material in relation to Treaty No. 9 and its Adhesions, as well as the Line-AB. We searched academic databases as well as the Library and Archives Canada. The examination of Treaty No. 9 and its Adhesions revealed that there is unceded land in each of four separate scenarios, which are related to the Line-AB and/or emergent land in Northern Ontario, Canada. Lastly, we present lessons learned from our case study. However, since each development initiative and each Indigenous Nation is unique, these suggestions should be taken as a bare minimum or starting point for the scoping process in relation to development projects on Indigenous homelands.

Settler colonialism’s container technologies: photographing crates in the Canadian Arctic (1926–1953)

ABSTRACT Wooden crates are a recurring subject in the visual archive of settler colonialism in Canada’s Arctic, appearing on the shores of eastern Baffin Island throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Reading some of the hundreds of photographs that appear in the holdings of Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, this essay charts the symbolic and political work that crates performed in the settler colonial imaginary. It draws on David L. Eng’s call to examine the ‘colonial object relations’ that have split Indigenous subjects into ‘good and bad objects’ in the liberal imaginary to propose that wooden crates are symptomatic of settler colonialism’s unconscious drive to make and unmake Inuit subjects into citizens in response to the demands of national and transnational political events. Tracing the intersection of crates, photography and ballot boxes in the archive, the essay examines the settler colonial state’s attempts at imposing and consolidating power, but also points to the practices of continuity and resistance enacted by Inuit subjects.

Practice of Preserving Collections in the Library and Archives Canada

The Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) is Federal department of Canada established by the Parliament of Canada in 2004 to integrate services and functions of the National library and the National Archives of Canada; and currently it is the fourth-largest library in the world. The article discusses the experience of the Library and Archives Canada in creating modern centres for preserving documentary heritage, organizing the work of collections management, their conservation and restoration, ensuring openness and accessibility of collections. The main sources were materials published on the LAC website, primarily planning, reporting and financial documentation of the institution, as well as publications in the Canadian periodical press. Special attention is paid to the buildings and premises of the LAC storage facilities. The author describes the concept of the project of the Gatineau Preservation Centre, GPC. The complex, opened in 1997, is one of the top architectural objects constructed in Canada in the 20th century and one of the most secure library storage facilities in the world. The article considers organization of collections storage in the GPC and the work of restoration laboratories located in it. The author shows that GPC provides the most favourable storage conditions for the most valuable and vulnerable LAC collections. The paper gives information about the storage facility in the main LAC building in Ottawa on Wellington Street (built in 1967; modernized in the early 2000s), as well as storage facilities in Gatineau, Renfrew and Winnipeg.The author characterizes the new version of the LAC Collections Preservation Program (2018) which defines the strategic objectives of the institution in this area, both for the nearest future and for the long term. The paper presents results of a large-scale study of the state of the collections storage in LAC (2016—2018) and outlines the most acute problems identified in this study. There is emphasized the importance of the construction of the new Gatineau-2 complex, launched in 2019 (Project cost is 330 million Canadian dollars). According to experts, Gatineau-2 will become one of the largest, technologically equipped and environmental centres for the conservation and restoration of library collections in the world, as well as the first zero-energy storage facility in North America. In Canada, special attention is paid to the construction of modern centres for the preservation of documentary heritage, which create all the necessary conditions for long-term security of collections, conservation and restoration work. Implementation of such projects is impossible without government support, without understanding by authorities of the leading role of libraries and archives in the preservation and promotion of the national cultural heritage. The experience of LAC may be of interest to Russia, taking into account the tasks set in the document “The main directions of development of activities to preserve library collections in the Russian Federation for 2011—2020” and elaboration of long-term programs in this area.

Ammonia‐based energy solutions and research and development efforts in Canada: A perspective

Ammonia‐based energy solutions and research and development efforts in Canada: A perspective