Library and Archives Canada Announces $1.5 Million in Funding to Help Local Communities Preserve Canada's Documentary Heritage

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - June 14, 2016) - Library and Archives Canada (LAC)

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) program will provide $1.5 million in funding to 40 projects led by archives, libraries and heritage institutions across Canada. The announcement of the recipients of this second cycle of the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) was made today at the annual meeting of the Association des archivistes du Québec held in Quebec City from June 13 to 15.

The DHCP was created in 2015 to provide financial assistance for activities that augment the visibility of and access to materials held by Canada's local documentary heritage institutions. It also aims to increase the capacity of local institutions to sustainably preserve, promote and showcase the country's documentary heritage. The DHCP provides contributions to eligible applicants across Canada for a variety of projects that will also allow citizens to access and engage with their nation's history like never before.

Funded projects from Northern and Western Canada are:

• Geraldine and Douglas Moodie Collection (Glenbow-Alberta Institute (Glenbow Museum), Calgary, AB;
• Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta Archival Collections Accessibility Project (Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta), Calgary, AB;
• Alberta Audio-Visual Preservation and Access Policy (Archives Society of Alberta), Edmonton, AB;
• Media Digitization and Description: Heiltsuk Traditional Use Studies Audio, Community Photographs (Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre), Bella Bella, BC;
• Windows into Nikkei History (Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre and Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Toronto), Burnaby, BC;
• Archive Back-log Completion Project (Oliver and District Heritage Society), Oliver, BC;
• Digital Preservation Capacity Building in British Columbia (Archives Association of British Colombia), Port Coquitlam, BC;
• Community Archives Regional Training and Development Clinics (Archives Association of British Columbia), Port Coquitlam, BC;
• Collections Accessibility Project - Stage 2 (Bulkley Valley Historical and Museum Society), Smithers, BC;
• Opening Our Collection: Upgrading Our Archival Database (Terrace and District Museum Society), Terrace, BC;
• Temple Sholom Fonds Digitization Project (Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia), Vancouver, BC;
• Vancouver Holocaust Education Processing and Access Project (Vancouver Holocaust Centre Society for Education and Remembrance), Vancouver, BC;
• Building Archival Foundations - Phase Two (Vancouver Police Historical Society), Vancouver, BC;
• Digitization of Slides of Inuit Art from George Swinton Archives (Winnipeg Art Gallery), Winnipeg, MB;
• Digitizing the Union Nationale Saint-Joseph du Manitoba Fonds (La société historique de Saint-Boniface), Winnipeg, MB;
• Building Archival Foundation and Practices (Société historique de la Saskatchewan), Regina, SK;
• Box of Daylight (Knowledge) (Teslin Tlingit Council), Teslin, YT.

Consult the list of the 2016-2017 recipients from Western and Northern Canada and other provinces and territories: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/documentary-heritage-communities-program/Pages/funding-history-2016-2017.aspx.

Quick facts

• Organizations such as archives, privately funded libraries, historical societies, genealogical organizations and societies, museums with an archival component and relevant professional associations, are eligible to apply for funding under the DHCP.
• Applications received by LAC are reviewed by an external advisory committee.
• The deadline to apply for the next funding cycle (2017-18) is January 27, 2017.

Quotes

"Congratulations to all the beneficiaries of the Documentary Heritage Communities Program for 2016-17. This program allows archives and libraries from coast to coast to coast to offer new ways of presenting and distributing pan-Canadian heritage content."

-The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"We are pleased to receive this support which will provide a mechanism to preserve digital information - in French and English - and enhance access and preservation capacity for our documentary history. LAC is an integral partner within the Canadian Archival System and we are pleased, on behalf of all Canadians, to be able to realize these important projects."

- Lara Wilson, Chairperson, Canadian Council of Archives

"We are delighted to be able to make available the transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. These rich historical documents cover a broad range of subjects including science, history, literature and more. People from across Canada and the world will gain access to them thanks to the funding from Library and Archives Canada."

- Barry McCullough, Literary and Historical Society of Quebec

Associated Link

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng

N.B. Contact information for the 2016-2017 recipients is also available from LAC.

About Library and Archives Canada

The mandate of Library and Archives Canada is to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations, and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, thereby contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada. Library and Archives Canada also facilitates co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge, and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. Stay connected with Library and Archives Canada on Twitter (@LibraryArchives), Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.