Hello Gentle Reader
The Library and Archives of Canada mandate is the following:
- To preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations;
- To be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada as a free and democratic society;
- To facilitate in Canada co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge;
- To serve as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
As of right now though, the Library and Archives of Canada finds itself in hot water. First and foremost, because the Minster of Heritage James Moore, most recent appointees were economists. These two men – the first being Doctor Daniel Caron; who resigned earlier in May, and his replacement so far Hervé Déry. Daniel Caron had a difficult time, being the National Archivist and Liberian of Canada. First and foremost he was not well liked by his staff; there was constant scoffing and disapproval of his appointment. Many felt that the job should go to someone who had worked in the field of Archive and Library sciences. Many want someone like the former National Archivist and Liberian of Canada, to be like Ian Wilson. They want someone who has had experience managing and working within the environment. Wilson has held positions at Queen University as the University Archivist and as a provincial Archivist for the Province of Saskatchewan. Many believe that James Moore’s decisions are a complete mistake. Concerned citizens of Canada, people in the cultural community, authors, researchers, scientists, Archivists and Liberians all feel a sense of disappointment in the governments, in ability to take the needs of Canada’s Heritage seriously. A good example would be Daniel Caron who used funds to learn Spanish and to travel to Europe and meet with other archivists there.
Of course this all comes after a scandal of a thirty party, deal cloaked in secrecy was found out. The Library and Archives of Canada, was going to allow a third party organization, to digitalize the works held in the institution. Which is not a problem. But it appears that the deal may end up costing Canadian citizens, because it sounds like the organization would then ‘re-sell,’ the works digitalized back to the institute. What many do see though is that the institute is no longer being treated as a secular institute, or a third part mandate of its own. It is not being treated as a government department.
Michael Peterman, professor emeritus at Trent University, published a column in the Peterborough Examiner, that sums up what people are thinking about the mismanagement of the Library and Archives of Canada:
“Caron (did great damage) at the LAC, an institution of extraordinary national significance and of daily importance to historians of all stripes, be they academics, genealogists or private citizens. His job was no less than to oversee the preservation of Canada’s documentary heritage in a responsible and proactive way. But his approach was arrogant, slaphappy and counter-productive. In the name of budget austerity and faced with the need to cut several millions of dollars from his operating budget, he authorized, for example, the termination of vital programs like Interlibrary Loans, reduced access hours for researchers, and eliminated LAC’s standard duty of acquiring newly available archival material and published books. He claimed to be committed to digitalizing the archival collection, but, year after year, he offered little evidence of progress in that regard and provided only marginal information about the processes involved. He did little to consult with the country’s librarians and dismissed any queries or criticisms as merely petty and vexatious. And all that time he was improving his Spanish and allegedly traveling to undertake discussions with leading archivists in Europe while stonewalling their Canadian contemporaries.
[ . . . ]
Given the recent “resignation” of Daniel Caron, my worry continues to be that LAC will remain in a troubled and crippled condition. Will his replacement be a knowledgeable and informed leader with appropriate library credentials and expertise or simply another power-wielding bureaucrat like Caron? Once the smoke of 2012-13 has cleared, my fear is that Canada’s new head librarian will again be encouraged — with cleaner hands (for the moment) — to continue to disembowel one of our most important cultural and historical institutions.
Few archivists dispute the need for digitization and preservation of archival collections — it is the buzz of the twenty-first century. But institutions like LAC need not only ministerial protection and understanding but also an appropriate level of funding if they are to advance toward the future in a way that will address Canada’s best interests and the preservation and development of its archival heritage.
I hope that there will be enlightened consultation in Ottawa and that we will see a much better appointment than Daniel Caron, someone who will be able to restore LAC to its former reputation and significance while providing the wise leadership the institution so dearly needs.”
Gentle Reader, I do apologize for this. I am not a political person – at least not with this blog. But it does bug me, when a government pushes aside its cultural heritage and historical importance; and mocks and disrespects the profession of Liberians and Archivists. That is why I post this. For it is in the defense of the gatekeepers of literature and the preservers of knowledge.
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
*And Remember: Downloading Books Illegally is Thievery and Wrong.*
M. Mary
