Library and Archives Canada services after 2004 - Ex Libris Association timeline

Please note some hyperlinks are no longer active (June 2020)

March-04	An audit of the Canadian Archival Information Network concludes that CAIN is not on track to complete its goal of a comprehensive catalogue of archival descriptions within the original budget or time frames developed. LAC agrees that future initiatives to assist in making archival collections known to a greater number of Canadians will be its primary objective.
May-04	Library and Archives of Canada Act proclaimed. Amongst many provisions it provides for an updated legal deposit regime to include maps and electronic publications, for harvesting from the Web, improved management of government information, and a provision for the support of Canadian libraries to mirror similar support for Canadian archives. A new website is launched to provide a common home page and consistency.
June-04	LAC issues discussion paper Creating a New Kind of Knowledge Institution for consultation.
Mar-05	LAC's Management Board approves a new Collections Development Framework for all types of materials.
Oct-05	LAC initiates a dialogue with stakeholders reflecting the range of interests in the digital field, with the goal of framing a Canadian Digital Information Strategy. However, after five years of work there is little to show for its effort (see Oct. 2007 and March 2012).
Feb-06	Management Board of LAC approved a Digital Collection Development Policy.
Apr-06	Canadian Heritage inaugurates the National Archival Development Program under LAC's auspices with $1.1 million to replace the previous Grants and Contributions Program to support work to better preserve and make accessible archival holdings across Canada. Eligible recipients are provincial or territorial archives councils; associations of archivists across the country; and archival institutions accessible to the public and members of a provincial or territorial archives council. The program also provides funding to the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) to enable it to provide leadership and services. No similar program for Canadian libraries is considered.
May-06	LAC discontinues the Virtual Canadian Union Catalogue (vCuC) project to implement a distributed, linked union catalogue to support all aspects of resource sharing in Canada.
June-06	LAC publishes Directions for Change after consultation. Includes five key new directions: will be a knowledge institution (joining of NL and NA plus museum function to collect and make things known); a national institution that provides leadership and focus; working with others to strengthen the whole of Canada's documentary heritage; a prime learning destination; and a lead institution in government information management.
June-06	LAC suspends works on “The Virtual Gramophone” multimedia website originally begun in 1995 by the previous National Library. The site included thousands of audio files of 78s and cylinders as well as biographies, chronologies, and research links. In 2016, Canada's History Society partnered with LAC to produce podcasts based on this collection, “Sounds Like History.”
Jan-07	Legal deposit is extended to maps and to electronic publications.
Feb-07	LAC issues a report, A Strategy for the LAC Genealogy Program, to improve services through the Canadian Genealogy Centre originally launched in 2003. Partnerships, digitization, public service at 395 Wellington St. on third floor, and funding are key elements.
May-07	LAC and Ancestry.ca (and its parent The Generations Network) announce their collaboration to provide more online genealogy resources for family research (see Nov-08).
Sep-07	LAC attempts cutback in public service hours by about 12.5 hours week but retreats in face of protests such as letters from Can. Library Assn. which states that that more digital access does not replace the need for in-person access to original documents and artefacts.
Sep-07	Council of Federal Libraries (established in 1976) disbanded as LAC develops a new approach required to coordinate activities of federal libraries in government departments, branches and agencies. Federal Libraries Consortium (est. 1995) continued as purchasing agent. LAC Federal Libraries Coordination Secretariat assumes overall direction and control duties. Then, LAC commissions a study, Federal Library e-Readiness, that finds licensing, procurement, and IT issues present problems to co-operative developments.
Oct-07	LAC releases a draft version of its Canadian Digital Information Strategy for public comment. The document drafts three main areas of focus: 1) “Strengthening content so that, over time, Canada's information assets and accumulated knowledge will be in digital form”; 2) “Ensuring preservation so that Canadians will have ongoing access to their country's digital knowledge and information assets, and future generations will have evidence of our intellectual and creative accomplishments”; 3) “Maximizing access and use so that Canadians will have optimal access to Canadian digital information important to their learning, businesses and work, leisure activities, and cultural identity; and Canadian content will be showcased to the world” (see Dec 2010).
Oct-07	LAC forms Services Advisory Board and indicates it will conduct regular public consultations on a continuing basis to address service issues. By March 2008 service hours are restored as follows: 9 am to 4 pm Mon, Wed, and Fri. and 10 am to 5 pm Tues. and Thurs. This board is discontinued after three years (see Oct. 2010).
Oct-07	LAC, with funding of $3 million, begins to coordinate the Initiative for Equitable Library Access (IELA) to develop and cost a strategy for implementing nation-wide partnerships, activities and services to meet the long-term library and information access needs of Canadians with print disabilities (see Feb 2009 and Feb 2012).
Nov-07	LAC discontinues the Virtual Reference Canada service a free, bilingual network of more than 300 libraries, archives, museums, information centres and research institutions.
Dec-07	Distribution of Canadiana CD-ROM, the Canadian national bibliography, is discontinued by LAC.
Apr-08	A bill is introduced in the Senate, S-233, to amend the 2004 Library and Archives Act in order to establish a permanent display in Ottawa for portraits and works from the LAC collection. The permanent display to be called the National Portrait Gallery. However, this bill (and its subsequent reintroductions S-204 and S-201) does not proceed to third reading.
Apr-08	LAC and the Canadian Museum of Civilization announce acquisition of the Lord Elgin Collection pertaining to his term as Governor-in-Chief of the Province of Canada from 1847-1854.
June-08	LAC closes Canadian Book Exchange Centre because it was not appropriately aligned with the priorities of Canadians and with LAC's current core federal responsibilities. CBEC (formerly known as Surplus Exchange Division) operated in Ottawa from 1974-2008.
July-08	LAC begins to upload digital images on Flickr to reach a wider audience through social media, the BiblioArchives. Use by LAC of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to collect and deliver updates also in use for users.
Nov-08	LAC announces Ancestry.ca will digitize and index census records held by LAC (as well as military and immigration records) and make them available first to Ancestry.ca members on a subscription basis. Potentially all records will eventually be available free of charge on the LAC website after a period of time (see June 2009). The partnership is based on four principles: it is non-exclusive, non-perpetual, transparent, and “fair value” for taxpayers.
Nov-08	Announcement of the acquisition of Peter Winkworth art collection which documents more than four centuries of Canadian history. LAC, National Art Gallery, Museum of Civilization, and other departments and private donors raised more than $4 million for this purchase.
Nov-08	Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore, announces Portrait Gallery of Canada will not proceed as planned and it will not be a separate building as originally conceived in 2001. A web portrait portal is envisaged in place of current operations staff, and programs occupying half a floor at 395 Wellington. St. and using its display rooms.
Feb-09	LAC issues report Change, Choice, Hope to update progress made on the IELA project. after a national meeting with organizations is convened in Dec. 2008. in Ottawa by LAC. A national strategy is not adopted and no specific recommendations for action are detailed but further consultation is indicated (see June 2009).
Mar-09	Funding for the Archival Community Digitization Program administered by LAC ends: up to $1 million yearly in lost support to archives across Canada from cancelled Canadian Memory Fund.
April-09	LAC Harvesting from the web stops. Sites harvested and archived included Prime Minister Paul Martin's official site as well as systematic harvests of Government of Canada sites, provinces and territories. At the same time, Roles of National Libraries is prepared as a background paper for LAC by Partners in Access Inc.
April-09	After Ian E. Wilson retires, Dr. Daniel J. Caron is appointed Librarian and Archivist of Canada,although he has neither professional archival or librarian degrees (see May 2013).
May-09	LAC implements an immediate halt to paid acquisitions as part of a review of policies with a moratorium of 10 months and subsequently reduces purchases significantly. However, the moratorium continues for non-government archival records and the private archives section is gradually dismantled.
May-09	LAC expels researchers and editors from the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada because of security concerns. These staff had been given access to the resources of the former Music Division.
June-09	The Treasury Board Secretariat releases a Directive on Recordkeeping to bring all federal agencies into compliance with basic principles by 2015. Based on departmental records identified for core business values, LAC ultimately will only retain significant records that reflect the activities of government agencies in relation to other parts of the government and of Canadian society as a whole (see Dec 2010). Subsequently, LAC's new retention requirements for government archives are updated in November 2009 (see March 2012).
June-09	LAC releases another IELA report, Audiobook and e-Book Publishing in Canada, to provide an overview of the current Canadian market, production of digital editions, and circulation of digital books in libraries without any further comment.
June-09	LAC and Ancestry.ca jointly announce the launch of the Historical Canadian Censuses, 1851-1916, a searchable database of 32 million names available on a subscription basis at Ancestry website.
June-09	The Ministry of Canadian Heritage participates in the launch of the “Digital Collection Builder,” open-source software that makes it simple for heritage organizations to provide access to digitized collections. The toolkit is to be developed by Canadian.org. and Artefactual Systems.
Aug-09	The Canadian Press files a motion in Federal Court seeking the release of sealed documents in the RCMP's security file held by LAC on Tommy Douglas. A CP reporter had originally requested files in Nov. 2005, but an ongoing disagreement about the quantity of documentation LAC withheld for security reasons had not been resolved (see Aug 2011).
Sep-09	LAC announces Portrait Gallery of Canada will continue on a reduced basis under its program services division with its usual travelling exhibits and programs in partnership with museums and galleries.
Sep-09	LAC initiates its Audiovisual Migration Strategy, a ten-year strategy to preserve content on the audio and video recordings in its collections (approximately 530,000 hours). [By September 2012 only 41,000 hours have been migrated to digital format, about 8%.]
Nov-09	Library and Archives Canada's Relationship with Canada's Library Communities is tabled with LAC. Responses and interviews by some 30 associations and individuals to a set of questions highlight four areas: Digital leadership and direction, Communications, Library infrastructure and Partnership, and Collaboration. A similar study in 2010, LAC's Relationship with Canada's Historical and Archival Communities, provides relevant information from archival groups (see March 2011).
Nov-09	LAC issues drafts and discussion papers for a Modernization program for comment that will validate the four guiding principles and the key roles of the Documentary Heritage Management Framework developed by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) during summer and fall 2009. The four principles for collections are: significance of documents; sufficiency of LAC's capacity to fulfill its collecting mandate; sustainability for LAC's capacity to preserve and make materials accessible; and society which emphasizes the broad social context. Other key roles include acquisition, preservation, and resource discovery.
Mar-10	LAC circulates final report on Canadian Digital Information Strategy: Final Report of Consultations with Stakeholder Communities 2005â€“2008 indicating the end of its role as facilitator of this process. Three main goals are strengthening content by developing assets in digital form; ensuring preservation esp. digital content and information assets; and maximizing access and use.
Mar-10	LAC issues Shaping our Continuing Memory Collectively: A Representative Documentary Heritage which outlines how it intends to achieve its modernization objective, namely to generate increased interest and access to its holdings, as allowed by technological progress and the existing legal framework. This process involves updates to the business processes, a re-positioning and re-structuring of the mechanisms used to deliver LAC's mandate as well as a review of policies to enhance clarity and strengthen accountability. The strategy focused on upgrading digital access to all holdings and increasing institutional collaborative agreements.
Mar-10	Announced closing of Learning Centre at LAC. Protests and petitions by the Canadian Teachers' Federation and other organizations on behalf of schools and students is unsuccessful. Onsite school participation for 'Lest We Forget' project is ended but is continued by Canadian War Museum. Additional cessations include children's literature database PIKA and Read Up on It (1993-2006) which promoted English and French children's books.
June-10	LAC issues Evaluation Framework for Modernization, a proposed five year plan to adapt to an environment where there is too much content for one institution to manage alone and where collaboration is essential.
Sep-10	LAC ends displays in its exhibition rooms on first floor 395 Wellington St. which remain mostly empty afterwards the number of exhibition days had dropped drastically.
Oct-10	LAC forms a Stakeholders Forum to replace the previous Services Advisory Board as a more “adaptable approach to shared decision making” (see Oct. 2007).
Nov-10	The Summative Evaluation of the National Archival Development Program report finds that the NADP is a cost-effective means of achieving its intended outcomes. With regards to the recommendation to increase NADP funding â€œLAC acknowledges this recommendation and agrees to explore options to increase funding to the program to cover the expected inflation rate and to cope with the digital environment. LAC will continue to work with the CCA to explore the impact of the digital environment on the archival community and how LAC may further support the archival network.â€ But no announcement for future years or plans is made.
Dec-10	LAC announces most of its services will be provided digitally by 2017. LAC will preserve digital material through a trusted digital repository by 2017 using commercial and networked partners; will only accept digital thesis by 2014; will phase out paper copies of documents by April 2011; double the volume of its on-line content esp. genealogy (e.g. mounting millions of genealogy images on its website in partnership with Ancestry.ca); and work with contributing libraries to identify common digital search tools so that by 2011, Canadians will be able to access the entire contents of the National Union Catalogue, representing more than 30 million entries, using popular on-line search engines. By 2017, LAC will acquire and preserve all digital federal archival records electronically by 2017. LAC's regional service centres will no longer accept non-archival information resources as of 30 June 2013.
Dec-10	LAC suspends building of a Trusted Digital Repository to provide a mechanism for the automated addition of electronic resources, the use of harvested metadata to organize these materials, and long-term preservation and access. For several years, LAC invested about $15 million in this project which was extensively user-tested. Similarly, it shuts down AMICAN, a multi-year project to provide an integrated approach for access to library and archival records. The proposed purchase of an Integrated Library System to replace AMICUS also is shelved.
Jan-11	LAC cancels screening of the film Iranium due to security concerns. However, Minister James Moore reverses this decision and the screening subsequently occurs without problems. Moore states: â€œI am disappointed that Library & Archives Canada chose not to show the film tonight due to threats of violence. . . The Iranian Embassy will not dictate to the Government of Canada which films will or will not be shown in Canada.â€
Mar-11	LAC issues Modernization: Building Relationships for the Future, a response to the earlier reports on unsatisfactory relations with Canadian libraries and archives in 2009-10. LAC also joins the federal Open Data Portal and releases two older data sets – Soldiers of the First World War - CEF and Maps, Plans and Charts of Canada – but further additions are not forthcoming.
May-11	Live chat service suspended (usually 2 hrs a day weekdays at 2 pm) without explanation by LAC.
June-11	LAC's Nitrate Film Preservation Centre opens in Ottawa at an estimated cost of $14.7 million. The centre will house Canada's largest collection of cellulose nitrate film and photographs. LAC begins uploading video to stream at its YouTube site.
Aug-11	A Federal Court judge orders LAC to review its decision to conceal parts of the closed RCMP file on Tommy Douglas and to determine if pages missing are from the dossier (see Dec. 2012).
Aug-11	Shared Services Canada is established by the government to deliver email, data centre and telecommunication services to federal departments and agencies, including LAC which transfers $3.8 million to this agency in 2011-12.
Sept-11	LAC ceases to provide infrastructure to host Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Oct-11	Government announces long-term plan to charge community groups market rental rates at 395 Wellington St. and require groups to seek permission to use meeting space and auditorium from Public Works
Nov-11	LAC convenes members to Pan-Canadian Heritage Documentary Network, a new group to work collaboratively on challenges regarding acquisition, preservation, and access to resources. As well, LAC launches a blog service for tips and tools to help discover its resources and navigate its website, and begins developing aseparate corporate website to provide information on LAC's role as a government department as well as providing a searchable, accessible collections website on LAC holdings for the public.
Nov-11	The Canadian Association of University Teachers unveils a website to launch a national campaign to Save Library and Archives Canada. CAUT calls for amendments to the LAC Act to more clearly specify LAC's obligation to maintain a comprehensive collection of Canada's documentary heritage and as stresses the need for the funding required to fulfill this obligation; Restoration of LAC's comprehensive acquisition of published material and archival Records; Restoration of public services, including access to archivists and librarians; access to the general reference collection; and re-establishment of specialist archivist positions; End fragmentation of collections resulting from decentralization.
Jan-12	LAC closes its Preservation Collection (original copies of all Canadian published materials) to public access while it prepares to transfer items to a new storage facility in 2013.
Jan-12	Public Works and Government Services assumes control of the ground floor at 395 Wellington. The main lobby, auditorium, foyer, and two board rooms are still available for non-government groups to rent subject to new guidelines; however, the previous three exhibitions rooms are no longer publicly available or used for displays. As part of this space rationalization, LAC receives $2.4 million from Public Works.
Feb-12	The results of the 2011 Public Service Employee Survey are released. LAC receives an overall acceptable score; however, to the question “I am satisfied with my department or agency” positive responses drop from 59% in 2008 to 45% in 2011. Both years' scores are lower than the average reported for the entire public service sector.
Feb-12	The Coalition of Organizations of Blind, Deaf-blind, and Partially-Sighted Rights Holders of Canada (the CBRC) writes to LAC inquiring why no report on a national plan for making library services more accessible to Canadians with print disabilities (the IELA launched in 2007 by LAC) has not been released.
Feb-12	LAC announces major service approach policy change using mostly electronic means. Effective April basic orientation and genealogy services will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday; access to experts, including for genealogy inquiries, will be through reference by appointment only, provided between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday; and, all reference services will be offered by appointment only. 'Walk-in' reference service, reduced to 11 am to 2 pm earlier in February, is discontinued. LAC develops a Twitter account to post news.
Feb-12	Ex Libris writes to Minister James Moore re: support for CAUT campaign to “save” LAC; the need for a thorough review of LAC's mandate and organization; and opposition to proposed budget cuts. A second letter is sent in May after cutbacks of up to 20% are formally announced.
Mar-12	Government of Canada announces budget cuts to LAC of $9.6 million over three years, 2012-13-14 ($3.5 million in 2012-13, $3.1 million in 2013-14 and $3.0 million in 2014-15).
Mar-12	LAC's New Service Model for retention of government records of enduring value commences with a schedule for records removal from regional resources centres, closure of some centres (e.g., Montreal and Toronto), and ultimate acceptance of “digital only” by 2017.
April-12	The federal Publishing and Depository Services, part of Public Works and Government Services Canada, announces that beginning in 2014, it will no longer publish government information in print format, thereby aligning its program with the government's greening initiatives. Creation of a Virtual Library over three years is proposed as an online searchable repository of government publications through Canada's Action Plan on Open Government. However, no long term government strategy to deal with digital integrity, access, or preservation of these volatile resources is announced nor does LAC offer a plan or assistance.
May-12	LAC indicates that the current inter-library loan service will end February 2013 although it deals with about 30,000 items and requests annually. This includes the layoff of many people in ILL who handled the most difficult requests for libraries across Canada. This includes termination of requests from international libraries; end of loan requests, location searches, and ILL-related photocopying services; and end of renewals. With current annual requests in the range of 30,000 LAC continues to facilitate ILL activities among other institutions by using the ILL form in AMICUS, and through ongoing administration of Canadian Library Symbols. (see Oct. 2012)
May-12	LAC archivists, librarians, and assistants are to be significantly reduced in 'non-government areas' such as social/cultural, political, music, literary and audio-visual. Archivists (20 positions) to 37 people; librarians (23 positions) to 26 people; assistants (53 positions) to 62 people. Eventually, approximately 200 positions to be trimmed. LAC eliminated positions include loans and exhibitions coordinator, mangers for microfilm preservation and imaging, library standards, digital preservation, senior reference librarians, and a preservation registrar.
May-12	The LAC staff resource centre (its former departmental library) is to be closed. LAC digitization staffing is being reduced significantly. LAC conservation staffing is being reduced significantly for all media. As well, LAC is ceasing active collection of provincial and territorial government documents and transfers lending copies to other Canadian libraries. The Foreign and International publications collection is boxed up and shipped to offsite storage.
May-12	Termination of the National Archival Development Program ($1.7 million) results in cancellation of 90 archival projects for 2012-13 across Canada and suspension of operations in several provincial offices that coordinate archival training and preservation assistance in local communities. Program termination comes without a notice period or warning and includes termination of LAC infrastructure support for the Canadian Archival Information Network, a national gateway to holdings in repositories across Canada.
May-12	AMICUS, Canada's online national catalogue containing 30 million items, will be retained but many experienced cataloguing librarians and acquisitions staff at LAC will be terminated. LAC circulation staff for 'analogue' (newspeak for non-digital items) holdings is being reduced 50%.
May-12	At its annual general meeting the Quebec Library Association declares its strong support for the national role played by LAC and deplores recently announced staff and budget cuts that will reduce the quality of collections and services benefiting all Canadians. It supports recommendations previously issued by CAUT.
May-12	British Columbia Library Assn. passes resolution: “Changes have been implemented at LAC that have far-reaching implications including reduced public access, decentralization of the national collection, elimination of specialist positions, and reduced acquisitions. Action proposed: Support the CAUT campaign to save LAC and encourage BCLA members to write letters to restore funding and mandate to LAC.”
May-12	Daniel J. Caron's speech about LAC's new direction and activities at the Canadian Library Association's annual meeting at Ottawa underwhelms his audience. Later, he cancels his appearance at the Association of Canadian Archivists conference in Whitehorse and skips the UNESCO international conference on digitization and preservation in Vancouver.
June-12	Association of Canadian Archivists confirms its withdrawal from LAC Pan-Canadian Heritage Documentary Network due to sporadic timetable, controlled agendas, and failure of “meaningful dialogue.” The Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists adopts a resolution to encourage open communication between the Council and the Librarian and Archivist of Canada towards a re-examination of funding support for Canada's archival system (and the essential role of the Canadian Council of Archives) in ensuring the continued sustainability of a true Canadian archival network.
June-12	LAC 'launches' its Portrait Portal, a showcase of about 15,000 digital images from many works acquired since the 1880s that includes paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, caricatures, medals and other works. However, many of these images were also available when the previous National Archives (pre-2004) launched its ArchiviaNet online and made as many as 5,000 images available by 2001. LAC began to phase out ArchiviaNet after 2007. “Out of the Trenches,” a pilot digital project of the Pan-Canadian Heritage partnership, is released via video, report, and metadata resources.
July-12	The president of Canadian Association of Law Libraries sends a letter to Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore, articulating concerns about the impact ongoing cuts to programs and services at the LAC will have on our legal documentary heritage. The members pass a resolution to endorse CAUT's Save Library and Archives Canada campaign at the annual general meeting in Toronto in May.
July-12	LAC releases a report, State of Holdings, on the state of 20 million items it holds in expectation of moving to its new $34 million high-density Collection Storage Facility in 2014 in Gatineau. Transfers include its entire national newspaper collection and records of WWII veterans.
July-12	LAC introduces a new website redesigned to comply with new Government of Canada web design protocols following the Treasury Board Secretariat's Standard on Web Usability announced in 2011. Older web pages are consolidated into the new framework or archived according to new standards.
Aug-12	LAC confirms it will withdraw its membership from the Assn. of Research Libraries.
Aug-12	The Bibliographical Society of Canada issues a letter to MPs concerning the decline of LAC services and offering to provide its services for a meeting to review the situation.
Oct-12	LAC accelerates the termination of its Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services by announcing it will end in Dec. 2012. LAC's new dates are Nov. 13, 2012: end of loan requests from international libraries; Nov. 16, 2012: end of renewals (all items loaned after this date will be non-renewable); Dec. 11, 2012: end of loan requests, location searches, and ILL-related copying services. LAC will continue to facilitate ILL activities among other institutions through its ILL form in AMICUS, and through ongoing administration of Canadian Library Symbols. LAC will emphasize increased digital access to high-demand content. An advisory group is formed to seek input on a policy of â€œlender of last resortâ€ for materials other Canadian libraries do not possess.
Nov-12	LAC ceases funding support for the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing, an advisory group on national cataloguing and bibliographic control representing Canada on the Joint Steering Committee for the Development of RDA (Resource Description and Access), an international body that sets guidelines and instructions on formulating data for resource discovery.
Dec-12	LAC's Facebook site, set up in May 2012, reaches almost 400 likes. Its YouTube site attains just more than 50 subscribers.
Dec-12	LAC discontinues the Canadian Library Gateway, a national web portal to Canadian libraries of all types that records catalogues, websites, collections, and resources. LAC's ILL listserv (CANRES-L) is archived.
Dec-12	The Canadian Press appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada to settle the issue of its ongoing efforts to release documentation on Tommy Douglas held by LAC based on historic value vs. national security.
Jan-13	Meeting Challenges of the Future: from Reflection to Action LAC statement argues the general case for modernization and major services changes at LAC that are criticized by many organizations.
Jan-13	An Ontario Superior Court judge rules that the federal government is obliged to turn over all relevant documents on Indian residential schools to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in an organized fashion including those archived at LAC. LAC estimates that locating and digitizing materials could cost about $40 million and take 10 years (see June 13).
Feb-13	Following the federal government's adoption of the “Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector” that came into force in April 2012, LAC adopts a more restrictive code of conduct indicating “high risk” to LAC by employees in their professional capacity speaking at conferences (or using social media), etc. and requiring approval for attendance. The code is criticized by many library and archival groups, the Writer's Union of Canada, and is queried in Parliament. The Information Commissioner of Canada is requested to review the code by the New Democratic Party.
Feb-13	In response to a letter by the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians for the Auditor General to audit LAC regarding the Initiative for Equitable Library Access Project (IELA), the request is forwarded to the A-G LAC audit team for consideration in the planning of future reviews.
Feb-13	New Public Works cost recovery fees for room and equipment rentals at 395 Wellington evoke public outcry from groups and lead to event cancellations.
Feb-13	Ex Libris releases its first Statement about its numerous concerns about LAC and the principles that ELA believes LAC should be adhere to. It ends with a call to support efforts to have a committee of Parliament review LAC's failings (and few successes) since 2004 in order to confirm its comprehensive mandate to collecting and public services and to examine its leadership role.
Mar-13	Questions about the partnership between LAC and Ancestry.ca resurface five years after this agreement was signed. Concerns are raised about the realization of free availability of records on the LAC website, the extent of data being digitized, personal privacy issues regarding voter information as recent as 1980, and the value Canadian taxpayers receive for paid subscription access through libraries or home usage (see Aug. 2013) for public data.
May-13	Hervé Déry , Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy and Collaboration, is appointed as interim head of LAC. A Toronto Star editorial appears on 21 May, indicating need to appoint a professional and a host of groups issue a joint statement to the government on the qualities required for the new Deputy Head.
June-13	Ex Libris releases its second statement with a current assessment and recommendations regarding LAC's future direction. Some recommendations include: (1) appointment of an Advisory Council to bring sustained expert opinion into LAC; (2) LAC recommence collecting on a comprehensive basis;(3) LAC redouble its efforts to digitize its Canadian materials; (4) national government funding to encourage local digitization efforts in archives and libraries be established; (5) LAC reinstate its support for library and archival communities and federal government libraries; and (6) a new federal agency, or a sub-agency of LAC, should be established to deal specifically with government records.
June-13	Minister James Moore states in the House of Commons debates that a proposed plan to digitize LAC's holdings by Canadiana.org will be reviewed when a new Deputy Head is appointed for LAC. He also indicates a preference for free access to archives. A preliminary catalogue for the proposed Heritage project is published by Canadiana.org on a new section of its website : images will be available on a free basis immediately and indexed data searching made available for free public use by LAC on a delayed three year basis. The Minister also indicates he will request the new Deputy Head to review reinstatement of the NADP later in the year.
June-13	In one of its few major purchased acquisitions since 2008, LAC and the Canadian Museum of Civilization acquire the Sherbrooke Collection, the most complete collection of War of 1812 documentation which was held privately by the Sherbrooke family for the last 200 years.
June-13	The federal government hires a director based at LAC to oversee the work of identifying records pertaining to Indian residential schools and to try and expedite the process of disclosing these to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
June-13	Although LAC's Discovery Blog had announced in March that it “is committed to making the 1921 Census' rich and complex information accessible and available to all Canadians, no matter where they live, in the next few weeks,” it fails to meet the statutory release date in June and offers no explanation (see Aug. 2013).
June-13	Cafeteria on 5th floor at 395 Wellington St. closes: cuisine restricted to drinks and snacks at first floor machines. Public restrooms still available on first, second and third floors.
July-13	Shelly Glover is appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages which includes oversight of LAC.
Aug-13	Images of the Canadian 1921 census are released at the Ancestry.ca website after Canadian Heritage gives LAC approval to proceed with its agreement to have indexing of 8.8 million records done by this private partner. After three years LAC will provide free public access to images and indexed data.
Sept-13	In order to clear backlogs dating to 2009 and comply with a court order to provide documentation for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, LAC advertises for the hiring of more than a dozen temporary archivists to replace positions that were gutted during the staff terminations in 2012.
Nov-13	After some delays, LAC reinstitutes ILL with a new policy of 'lender of last resort“ after year-long consultations and a promise to continue dialogue about this service. Various restrictions are imposed to reduce LAC's burden.
Nov-13	The Auditor General report on Access to Online Services finds that the government has not significantly expanded its online service offerings since 2005. The integration of service delivery and the sharing of information among departments is limited and Canadians find roadblocks to submitting and finding information online. Further, there is no government-wide strategy to guide departments on how online services should be delivered. LAC's performance is not included in this assessment; instead, a fall 2014 by the A-G on “Preserving Canadian Documentary Heritage” is slated.
Dec-13	After the public outcry about restrictions on LAC employees earlier in the year, LAC administration reviews its values and ethics code (Feb -13) and issues a revised code that reduces restrictions on employees' professional development activities and removes references to discipline for personal opinions expressed in limited access forums. However, employees will continue to be able to eport on their colleagues for failure to comply with the revised code.
Jan-14	LAC announces the digitization of 640,000 personnel service files of the First World War’s Canadian Expeditionary Force expected to be completed by the end of 2015 [later adjusted to spring 2018].
Feb-14	LAC and the National Film Board of Canada agree to formalize their partnership to improve knowledge of Canada's heritage.
March-14	LAC issues an advance contract notice to outsource AMICUS, Canada's aging national union library catalogue, to the private sector after years of attempts within the library fail to replace it. The proposal identifies the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)–an American company–for this project. OCLC's member libraries cooperatively maintain WorldCat.
April-14	Guy Berthiaume is appointed as Librarian and Archivist of Canada for a term of five years, effective June 23, 2014.
May-14	The federal Competition Bureau files criminal charges against 1 company and 6 people (former administrators in LAC) for their alleged roles in a bid-rigging conspiracy relating to federal government contracts to supply information technology (IT) services to LAC worth a total of $3.5 million.
May-14	On May 21st LAC marks the tenth anniversary of the merger of the older National Library and National Archives. To mark this occasion, LAC releases a video highlighting its Gatineau Preservation Centre, a facility opened in 1997–seven years before the amalgamation and managerial integration undertaken after 2004. In its Plans and Priorities for 2014-15 released earlier this year, LAC continues to document its serious spending and staffing reductions after 2012.
Sept-14	LAC upgrades its website to make it easier to use.
Nov-14	In response to theRoyal Society of Canada report “The Future Now: Canada's Libraries, Archives, and Public Memory,” LAC agrees that it (1) should be more service oriented for its clients; (2) be a leader in new technologies; (3) be more proactive with national and international networks; (4) be more visible to the public.
Nov-14	An audit by the Auditor General concludes that LAC does not adequately acquire and provide access to government records. Further, a backlog of 98,000 boxes of archival records exists and there is no approved plan to eliminate this backlog. Although LAC had frequently stated it expects to receive an increasing amount of digital records, it has no corporate digital strategy or program in place to manage the anticipated increase ofelectronic transfers and storage of digital information before 2017, the original date for “going digital.” The audit also reveals that LAC inexplicitedly abandoned its original custom-built trusted digital repository after spending more than $15 million on it between 2006-11.
Jan-15	LAC announces its plan to digitize 640,000 personnel service files of the First World War’s Canadian Expeditionary Force by end of 2015 [later revised to spring 2018].
Feb-15	Despite LAC's stated intention to be more visible, provide better services, etc., Government estimates tabled show another decease in funding for 2015-16–a continuing, troubling trend since LAC's unfortunate reorganization in 2004. For 2015-16, the reduction is estimated to be a decrease of $2.9 million due to a decrease of $3.1 million for the conversion of a commercial building in Gatineau into a collection storage facility with a high-density shelving system.
Feb-15	A LAC news post welcomes the release of the Council of Canadian Academies’ report entitled “Leading in the Digital World: Opportunities for Canada’s Memory Institutions” which Daniel Caron had commissioned before his departure. The report emphasizes Canadian opportunities and a need for leadership even though LAC has lagged behind other foreign national institutions in this regard. This latest report states that “Canada is falling behind,and vast amounts of digital information are at risk of being lost because many traditional tools are no longer adequate in the digital age.” Further collaboration, e.g. Canadian.org, is encouraged by news agencies. Canadiana.org launches its "Be curious" website to promote digital content of libraries and archives.
March-15	The Canadian Library Association submits questions regarding LAC's plans to replace the AMICUS catalogue with a commercial OCLC option. Issues includes transparency, access, Canadian standards, LAC policies and ownership of records.
April-15	LAC announces a major acquisition of art for the Winkworth Collection sold by Christie’s in London using $75 K from the Department of Canadian Heritage, $20 K fromFriends of Library and Archives Canada, and $80 K from its own budget following its November 2008 addition.
June-15	Guy Berthiaume address the Canadian Library Association to reiterate his committment to have LAC meet the challenges of the future by a more collaborative approach to planning. He also addresses the Association of Canadian Archivists emphasizing future programs and a committment to digitization.
June-15	In response to the fall Auditor General's report on backlogs, LAC announces considerable progress in eliminating this key area of work.
June-15	LAC announces resumption of annual grants program of $1.7 million for archival activity, similar to discontinued National Archival Development Plan (May-12), but with reductions on eligible applicants in the public sector. The new program, Documentary Heritage Communities Program, to be vetted by an appointed committee recommending funding to LAC and aimed at assisting organizations without regular sources of funding for a five-year period.Unlike the previous program, public institutions are not eligible which draws some criticism.
July-15	LAC joins Pinterest.
Oct-15	Guy Berthiaume declares that public exhibits are once again an important part of LAC's presence starting with an exhibit on hockey players during the First World War.
Nov-15	The Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians sends a letter to the new Heritage Minister, Mélanie Joly, outlining the need for additional funding for LAC after years of declining budgets and the need to renergize library and archival programs which the federal government supports.
Dec-15	LAC announces the awarding of $1.5 M for the Documentary Heritage Communities Program for 65 projects.
June-16	LAC announces new National Heritage Digital Strategy to preserve and make accessible published and unpublished analogue material of national, regional and local significance. This initiative to involve collections of public and private archives, libraries, museums, galleries, and associations, and other institutions.
Oct-16	A National Heritage Digital Strategy Steering Committee is formed to develop a draft action plan and engage more community members in the implementation of a national strategy.
Feb-17	LAC announces it will continue to participate with Ottawa Public Library's plans to develop a new central main library in the LeBreton Flats area. A final decision on LAC's position to enhance its public access in the city may be made by the federal government in spring 2017.
March-17	LAC announces the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.) will provide technical infrastructure for its acquisitions, cataloguing, serials control, public access, circulation, loans to other institutions and will assume responsibility for the management of Canada's National Union Catalogue. The OCLC system will cost about $5 million and be phased in over two years as a replacement for the aging AMICUS system in use for two decades. See Dec-10 and May-14.
June-17	LAC opens an eastern service point in the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax.
Nov-17	LAC opens a second service in Vancouver Public Library.
Feb-18	The federal government announces in its 2018 budget an infusion of $73.3 million over six years, beginning in 2018-19, with $4.0 million per year ongoing to support the construction and ongoing operations of a new joint facility to house the Library and Archives Canada and the Ottawa Public Library. The new facility will be constructed in LeBreton Flats area on Wellington Street and is scheduled to open in 2023.
Feb-18	LAC launches Voilà, its new National Union Catalogue, to replace the aging system, AMICUS. The new service is a single point of access to the collections of libraries across Canada. LAC partnered with OCLC, an international nonprofit library cooperative, to provide this service.
April-18	LAC releases its 2018-19 departmental plan and budget forecasts. Plans include continued digitalization and projections that would return LAC's budget to the $120-$150 million dollar range that it had originally attained a decade earlier before budget cuts reduced its capabilities. After almost fifteen years of operations, 2004-18, LAC continues to be an underfunded federal cultural organization with Facebook postings attracting almost 46,000 likes and its YouTube site reaching 3,200 subscribers since 2012.
Aug-19	Leslie Weir is appointed as Librarian and Archvist Canada
Jan-20	Architectural designs for a $192 million building, Ādisōke, the new Ottawa Public Library—Library and Archives Canada joint facility, are unveiled. The building and is scheduled to open in 2023. Further information on the project authored by ELA member, Barbara Clubb, is available on the Ex Libris website at this link.
June-21	LAC staff begin to discover and remove “offensive content” from its official website after it was revealed some website pages deliberately excluded Indigenous peoples and non-white perspectives.
Oct-21	The Canadian Press reports that Library and Archives Canada service cuts are hindering research during COVID-19 according to complaints from historians and the Canadian Historical Association.
April-22	In a Special Report to Parliament, the Information Commissioner of Canada issues a highly critical report on LAC’s non-compliance with deadlines set out in the Access to Information Act. The report outlines ten recommendations for LAC to better handle access to information requests.
July-22	LAC opens its new Preservation Storage Facility in Gatineau, Quebec. It is connected with the 1997 Preservation Centre by a short walkway.
Aug-22	LAC announces the launch of its new website URL, library-archives.canada.ca. The new site aims to improve navigation, provide simpler organization, and be more accessible.
Nov-22	LAC releases its strategic plan, Vision 2030, defining the institution’s goals until 2030 and the measures through which it is planning to accomplish them. There are four key elements in the plan: (1) invite users to discover the collections and make them better known and accessible; (2) acquire collections that reflect a diverse and inclusive society; (3) engage communities and develop partnerships; (4) support LAC staff who are sustaining Canadian heritage.
March-23	The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, announces the reappointment of Leslie Weir as Librarian and Archivist of Canada for a four-year term, effective August 30, 2023.
April-24	The website, ActiveHistory.ca, publishes a blog by a historian criticizing LAC's new strategic plan for potentially making it more difficult to examine collections in their basic integrity and structure. As well, depleted professional staffing since 2004 and chronic underfunding by the federal government is pinpointed as a serious problem.