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As the custodian of our distant past and recent history, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a key resource for all Canadians who wish to gain a better understanding of who they are, individually and collectively. LAC acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to our documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) combines the holdings, services and staff of both the former National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada. As outlined in the Preamble to the Library and Archives of Canada Act, LAC’s mandate is as follows:
- 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.
OF NOTE: Ancestry and its many subsidiaries engaged in related endeavours related to human history have digitized and indexed MANY Canadian documents, sources, and holdings from this records custodian.
As a result, many sources seeming to be cited as coming from Ancestry will cross-reference this original source.
One example of this, and likely the object of references leading to this repository, is the 1926 Canada Census.
LAC's mandate for the collection, care, and maintenance of materials such as these, and constant efforts aimed at improving access to them for archivists, academic researchers, the Canadian public, and people around the world will mean this online service may well exceed the Ancestry version of the same records over time.
OF NOTE: This is but one part of a vast collection, assembled over the past 140+ years, that includes the following:
- some 20 million books published in various languages, from rare artists' books and first editions to literary classics and popular fiction;
- 250 linear kilometres of government and private textual records;
- more than 3 million architectural drawings, plans and maps, some dating back to the early 16th century;
- about 5 billion megabytes of information in electronic format, including thousands of Canadian theses, periodicals and books available online;
- nearly 30 million photographic images, including prints, negatives, slides and digital photos;
- more than 90,000 films, including short and full-length films, documentaries and silent films, dating as far back as 1897;
- more than 550,000 hours of audio and video recordings;
- over 425,000 works of art, including watercolours, oil paintings, sketches, caricatures and miniatures, some dating back to the 1600s; as well as medals, seals, posters and coats of arms;
- approximately 550,000 items constituting the largest collection of Canadian sheet music in the world; documentation related to music in Canada; and recordings on disks and records of all formats, including piano rolls, reels and spools, and eight-track tapes;
- the Canadian Postal Archives;
- textual archives for various individuals and groups who have contributed to Canada's cultural, social, economic and political development;
- national newspapers from across Canada, from dailies to student newspapers, and from Aboriginal magazines to ethnic community newsletters
Your host invites you to explore this public resource of enormous value in the conduct of and and all family history research efforts relating to people who have lived in Canada, even if only for a short time.
This part of their website is suggested by way of an introduction to this wealth of information.
As another way of learning to appreciate the depth and breadth of the resources LAC makes available to family history researchers and professional genealogists, your host invites you to review the list of links available on this "Ancestor Search" page of their website.
Your host invites you to explore this public resource of enormous value in the conduct of and and all family history research efforts relating to people who have lived in Canada, even if only for a short time.
This part of their website is suggested as a way to ease into this wealth of information.
This large and complex government department operates a number of offices in cities acroCanada. Some of them are specialized.
This page on their website offers an overview of them and a variety of ways by which to make contact in order to pursue your information requests.
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Rick Dondo's Family Tree