Report and Recommendations of the Consultation on Aboriginal Resources and Services - (continued)

Roles of Library and Archives Canada and Regional Representatives

During one of the last breakout sessions, participants were divided into three groups and asked to identify potential roles that LAC and regional representatives can play in building collaborative relationships with Aboriginal communities.

Group One talked about LAC roles and suggested that national, provincial and local centres all maintain their own collections and be given funding support. Mentoring, job secondments and international collaboration were also seen as important. Clients were seen as universal; partners included government departments and programs, umbrella organizations, professional associations, corporations and municipal libraries.

Group Two saw LAC's roles as coordinating research, and identifying and bringing together partners. Among clients listed were young Aboriginal students, Aboriginal scholars, and international organizations and researchers. Partners could be casinos, sports organizations, private corporations and publishing companies.

Group Three said that LAC should "lend everything," and act as advocates, with regional representatives as fundamental partners. It was suggested that training should be of different lengths and on different topics, and there ought to be information sessions on ISBN, Copyright and Legal Deposit. Standards should be set for libraries. Clients would include international clients, tourists and future clients (seventh generation, future historians). Partners would be the same as those named by Group Two.

The groups noted the following suggestions and comments:

Roles of LAC

• Promotion, outreach
• Facilitation of networking
• Mentoring and job secondments
• Advocacy "lead" taken nationally
• National overview of resources and services
• "Total archive"-network of national and provincial archives, local and corporate archives
• Survey of First Nations library services and follow-up
• Promotion for and coordination of media coverage for events such as "First Nations Public Library Week"
• Collections-lending of everything
• Information sessions on ISBN, Copyright, Legal Deposit
• Setting of standards for libraries
• Coordination of research and development
• Development of a Library Technician Trainee Program and an Archival Trainee Program for Aboriginal people
• One-stop shopping
• Involvement by LAC in procedures now in place by INAC for band records

Regional Representative Roles

• Sharing ideas, projects that worked
• Transfer what has been done, where applicable, to national level

Existing and Future Clients and Partners

• Decision makers
• Staff
• Researchers
• Young Aboriginal students
• Aboriginal scholars
• International clients
• Tourists
• Tribal councils
• Lawyers
• Artists/producers/filmmakers
• Government departments and programs
• Donors
• Journalists
• Speech writers
• Authors
• Schools
• Universities and other academic institutions
• Children and youth
• Seventh generation
• Future researchers and historians
• Aboriginal peoples
• National Métis organizations
• Aboriginal organizations
• Casinos
• Sports organizations
• Private corporations
• Publishing companies
• Umbrella organizations
• Municipalities-community libraries
• NAC and AFN libraries
• Friendship centres
• Aboriginal peoples' associations

Appendix A
Presentation Highlights-National Library of Canada

Donna-Lyn Kent
Collections Librarian, Selection and Searching Section, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services

• Since 1991, the National Library of Canada has had an Aboriginal Collections librarian on staff to ensure the most comprehensive collection of Canadian Aboriginal-related materials in the world.
• Publishers provide two copies of their works to LAC, one for preservation and one for public use.
• LAC collects materials in all types of formats and on all subjects.
• LAC also acquires federal and provincial government publications, as well as over 50 Canadian Aboriginal newspapers, music and non-music audio, and publications from school divisions, cultural associations and other small organizations.
• The LAC collection includes non-Canadiana, such as material by and about Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

Emilie Lowenberg
Chief, Union Catalogue Division, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services

• The Union Catalogue (UC) was established in 1950 and has been online since 1980.
• Aboriginal materials are contained in all types of libraries listed in the UC.
• There is an inclusive principle behind the UC, but its single limitation is that it cannot handle material in non-Roman script, such as syllabics.
• There is a need for Aboriginal sources, for an infrastructure to help handle material from across the country; the UC Division is also aware of the deficiency of subject headings.
• Aboriginal communities are encouraged to contact, work with, and express their needs to LAC.

Nina Milner
Reference Librarian, Reference and Information Services

• Reference and Information Services (RIS) of LAC operates a Web site and provides reference services to on-site and off-site clients.
• RIS responds to questions received by e-mail, fax, telephone, letter, or in person.
• A demonstration on how to access the Guide to Services for Researchers on the Web was presented and a related handout was provided.
• Advanced registration procedures, Index of Library Listings and searching on AMICUS were explained.
• Some major reference sources, genealogy sources, Aboriginal newspapers, and Web sites were mentioned, all related to Aboriginal Studies (illustrated with a handout by Reference Librarian Deborah Lee).
• A note was also made with respect to the Savoir Faire series of public programs held at LAC, which included a talk on Aboriginal poetry on April 16, 2003, by Armand Garnet Ruffo, Aboriginal writer and poet.

Franceen Gaudet
Senior Project Officer, Government Online Task Force, Virtual Reference Canada

• Virtual Reference Canada (VRC) is a bilingual, uniquely Canadian service that comprises an electronic network of libraries, information centres and research organizations.
• It provides knowledge and information services through a national digital network of information providers in cultural and learning institutions.
• Libraries, archives, museums, consortiums and information centres can become members and can receive free, bilingual, quality service.
• An explanation of how VRC works was given, and contact information and the Web site address were provided.
• VRC uses a question-and-answer system and minimal equipment; the software picks out the topic and finds the institution that can best respond.
• VRC meets the needs of all types of communities because of the flexible nature of its design.
• Members can be individuals who have in-depth knowledge in a particular field or unique resources that they wish to share.

George Murray
Library Network Specialist, Digital Library of Canada Task Force

• The Digital Library of Canada Task Force (DLTF) is now in its fourth year.
• The DLTF has had some projects of interest to Aboriginal peoples. The projects are based on collections, are collaborative, and emerge from multiple sources.
• The Aboriginal Resources and Services Web site was presented, which pulls together resources from the LAC Web site; archival resources are also included and, in the future, no distinction will be made between the two sources. ArchiviaNet will be equivalent to AMICUS.
• Resources include Indian Affairs Annual Reports, Jesuit Relations, Images Canada and Métis scrip records.
• Future projects include Métis Broadsides and a Naskapi Lexicon, using Unicode.

Appendix B
Presentation Highlights-National Archives of Canada

Normand Laplante is the Director of Social and Cultural Archives at LAC. He stated that the National Archives has worked with Aboriginal communities, and the strategy for 2003 is to improve its collection practices and develop its tools. He added that the National Archives was missing an integrated cross-functional approach and that LAC is working to fill this gap. He then introduced five presentations by staff of LAC.

Caroline Forcier Holloway
Archivist, Audio-Visual Archives

• The definition of oral history, according to the Canadian Oral History Association (COHA), was provided: "recorded interviews with individuals about the past, or first-person reminiscences."
• Three main categories of oral history were further identified: interviews, narratives and storytelling.
• At present, in the context of LAC and the COHA, the creators and users of oral history include historians, educators, archivists and journalists, among many others.
• LAC has more than 325 collections of oral history and over 7,500 interviews dating from 1940 to 1991 in its archival holdings. However, oral histories relating to Aboriginal people and issues are under-represented. The lack of funding and resources for translation is an issue.
• Responsibilities of the audio-visual archivist include acquisition and description of moving image and sound documents for governmental departments and agencies, private broadcasting collections, amateur film, and French-language social/cultural fonds. The archivist also acts as a liaison representative of the federal government and as an oral history archival advisor.
• LAC is looking into the possibility of scanning the Guide to Oral History Collections in Canada (COHA, 1993), which provides an overview of the participating archival repositories in Canada that hold oral history collections, including provincial institutions that have such holdings relating to Aboriginal peoples and issues. Preservation of oral history has been discussed with Algonquin Elders.
• LAC needs to develop an oral history program to encourage Aboriginal communities to donate their stories so they can be preserved, with copies of originals returned to the communities. Future activities would include improving visibility of the Aboriginal community, to help foster beneficial relationships.

JoAnne Stober
Photo Archivist

• The role of the photo archivist is to work with government archivists and other archival institutions, to see if the best place for a particular archives is within a community.
• The strategy is to focus on the 1960s and move forward.
• There is a move to focus on outreach to keep from losing touch with communities.
• The focus is not only on professionals but all those who document a community and show the archivist items they have found.
• It is difficult to gain access to relevant photos.
• The turnaround time to get back a copy of originals could be two years.
• If the process is well organized, it is quicker.

Jennifer Devine
Art Archivist

• The role of the art archivist is to obtain the unique record, catalogue and describe it, and put it online.
• Records include 200,000 prints, as well as portraits and medals.
• Reference inquiries on records relating to Aboriginal peoples are the most popular.
• LAC rarely receives transfers of large collections, but the Winkworth Collection has records of Aboriginal peoples.
• If a record goes to a gallery or museum, it has to document life in Canada, not just aesthetics.
• LAC does not collect three-dimensional objects.
• LAC does not have exhibition space in Gatineau, but materials are loaned all over the world.
• Because of space and time constraints, no exhibition of Aboriginal material is planned except for that in the Winkworth Collection.
• Aboriginal pieces are not all indexed in the same way.
• If people want to know about a particular image, they must send in a reference question or search the Web site.
• LAC does not duplicate oral histories; these stay in their communities. There may be a general description in ArchiviaNet.
• One copy of each video documentary is submitted to LAC.

Sean Darcy
Archivist, Government Archives

• Aspects of the archivist's role include identification of the records that are most relevant to the way decisions were made, and awareness that litigation drives much of what is being used.
• INAC has a mandate to transfer records to LAC from government departments to document decision making.
• Records are well organized, finding aids can go down to a file level, and can be very specific. Regional records stay in regions.
• Many proper finding aids are not automated.
• A geographically based arrangement tree gives agencies and successor agencies.
• There are responsibility codes, such as one for residential schools.
• Departments can take back records that have not been made permanent or have not been accessioned.

Art Grenke
Archivist, Social and Cultural Archives

• The Canadian Archives Branch (CAB) strategy relating to records on Aboriginal Canadians focuses on three areas: disseminating information on their holdings relating to Aboriginal peoples; expanding contacts; and acquiring such records.
• A major priority is to prepare a guide listing references to Aboriginal peoples in the different collections held by CAB.
• An important objective is to identify institutions that hold archival material relating to Aboriginal peoples and to link them to facilitate sharing of resources.
• When expanding contacts, CAB would also prepare a list of people who are working in the area of archives or museums, to guide their acquisitions strategy and to help identify people in the Aboriginal community who could be encouraged in their training.
• Currently, CAB considers starting acquisitions work with national organizations in the Aboriginal community to help them organize their records and to prepare finding aids, as well as to give them the opportunity to place their records in LAC's collections. CAB is interested in contacting some 40 organizations, and would also actively identify other nationally significant Aboriginal Canadian organizations and individuals to help preserve their voices. It would also contact territorially based Aboriginal archives to help assure that their holdings will be preserved for and accessible to future generations.