National Library News October 1999 Vol. 31, no. 10

Canadian Confederation Digital Project

by Norma Gauld,
Research and Information Services

Did you know that the Canadian Confederation electronic resource was one of the National Library of Canada's first digitization initiatives and the first thematic project in one of the National Library's areas of emphasis, Canadian history?

Sponsored by Bell Canada through Stentor Alliance, the Web site was created in 1995 as a demonstration project of the Jones Educational Network and involved students in two schools (one in Alexandria, Virginia, the other in Sutherland's River, Nova Scotia) who were studying "Canadian Confederation and the American Civil War" (see "The Confederation Project", National Library News, vol. 27, no. 10, October 1995).

Initially, material was selected to bring into focus the influence of the American Civil War on the achievement of Canadian Confederation. Therefore, in addition to "The Path to Confederation", "Confederation, 1867" and "Historical Documents", the site includes a "Timeline: Britain, Canada and the Civil War, 1861-65"; and segments on "Fear of Annexation by the United States", "Raids and Skirmishes", "Confederate Operations in Canada" and "The Blacks, Anti-Slavery and the Underground Railway".

Since 1995, the site has grown with the addition of more Canadian content about Confederation; for example, in 1996 the "Toward Confederation: Lower Canada 1791-1842" segment was added. The project now includes a section on the "Territorial Evolution of Canada". As Canada evolves, so too does the site, which means that additional content on Nunavut is planned.

Material includes historical documents in full text, biographies of some Fathers of Confederation (and Mothers, too), and excerpts and illustrations from the National Library's unique collections of political speeches, brochures, etc. Rounding out material from official sources are little-known stories about the involvement of Canadians in the Civil War, and selections from the National Library's collection of Canadian newspapers. The appeal of the project lies in the range of material which is brought together and made available in one place; it is also due to the written summaries of the various topics and subtopics that provide the context for the multimedia material on the site.

Judging by the number of comments received about it and by the number of reference questions it generates, this thematic, multimedia, electronic publication on Canadian Confederation has proven to be a popular, frequently consulted site.

The level of usage warrants increasing its content, and there are plans to add more material related to the role and contribution of the Maritines and thewestern provinces in Confederation, more biographies, and additional political speeches, newspaper articles, illustrations, and references to the Confederation Debates that took place in each of the colonies. Also, the "Canadian Confederation Bibliography" will be expanded and updated.

This digital initiative is one way in which the National Library is bringing its collections closer to Canadians.

You can visit the Canadian Confederation Web site at < http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/index-e.html>.