Preservation Collection of Canadiana

On February 22, 1988, the National Library of Canada announced an important step towards saving the nation's literary and musical heritage by creating a formal preservation collection. The Preservation Collection of Canadiana consists of one original copy of all Canadiana materials held by the Library. This collection will be preserved for as long as practically possible through restricted access and the use of appropriate conservation measures such as deacidification and separate housing under special environmental conditions. The establishment of the Preservation Collection is intended to strengthen the National Library's role in preserving the published heritage of the nation for the benefit of all Canadians. It is an extension of setting aside for preservation one of the two copies of materials received from Canadian publishers under legal deposit.

The Preservation Collection is a restricted use collection. Preservation copies are not available for interlibrary loan nor for photocopy. A preservation copy may only be consulted if the circulating copy or microform edition is not available or if staff have a special request, and under the following controlled conditions preservation copies:

• must be used only in the Reading Room in a designated area until 4:30 p.m.;
• must not be taken to employees' offices;
• will not normally be mailed to Les Terrasses de la Chaudière for cataloguing purposes;
• will not be left on the Circulation Desk with other materials. A circulation clerk will hand the copy to the requestor;
• must be returned to the Circulation Desk in person and not left on the return shelves;
• must be kept in their dust jackets;
• must be handled with care at all times;
• must not be left on Reading Room table when user leaves the Reading Room.

Should you have any questions regarding the Preservation Collection of Canadiana, please contact: