| The following is reposted from Arcan-L.  I think a few letters to the 
editor
| in rebuttal to Dr. Caron's letter would be warranted.  I would like to 
know
| how Dr. Caron believes the "partners, including the 2,000 libraries and 
800
| archives, " he mentions are going to do all this when he seems to be
| systematically breaking up the partnership and archival network across
| Canada.    If this is how partners are treated I would not want to be a
| business rival or an enemy.
|
| Iona McCraith
| Preservation Consultant
| Tel: (705) 277-1309  Fax: (705) 277-2091
| Email: [log in to unmask]
| (my own comments not those of my employer)
| ************************************************************
|
| Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2012 14:19:17 -0400
| From: "Dorothy McCord" <[log in to unmask]>
| To: <[log in to unmask]>
| Subject: [Arcan-l] D Caron's letter in Canada's History Magazine
|
| I just received my copy of Canada's History magazine (formerly The 
Beaver),
| and see the following letter from Daniel Caron - it certainly demands a
| rebuttal in the magazine, and I will write one, but thought it should be
| brought to the attention of those of you with the most experience as well
| .Dorothy McCord
|
| " As the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, I would like to provide some
| insight into Library and Archives Canada (LAC)'s direction. LAC is today
| expanding services to meet the evolving expectations of Canadians, 
offering
| enhanced, modern access to its materials from coast to coast to coast. New
| digital service delivery mechanisms allow Canadians to discover, engage
| with, and share LAC's content when, where, and how they want it.
| Though in-person services are still being maintained, changes are 
necessary
| in light of how most people use information these days, and to responsibly
| allocate resources based on observable decreases and increases in demand.
| Researchers now have the opportunity to register, order material, and make
| preparations with LAC in advance. Digitization of finding aids means 
records
| can be located without having to be on-site. LAC is also introducing
| reference by appointment and video conferencing tools like Skype. Clients
| can now book appointments with experts on-site in Ottawa,or interact via
| Skype or telephone. In short, LAC is now offering a more personalized
| service that is accessible to all Canadians.
| With respect to archival "decentralization," LAC has always been and will
| continue to be part of a large cross-Canada network of public and private
| archives, collectively responsible for our documentary heritage.
| The idea of a "comprehensive" or "total" Canadian library and archives in 
a
| single location is a myth, as the country is far too diverse for one
| institution to play this role. The difference now is that LAC and its
| partners are working together in greater synergy than ever before.
| While it is entirely true that LAC has two core programs (Legal Deposit 
and
| Government of Canada records) under the Library and Archives Canada Act, 
it
| is also mandated to acquire and preserve what is valuable to Canadian
| society. As a result, LAC continues to acquire material from private 
donors.
| Just this year, LAC acquired close to eighty new fonds from private donors
| representing hundreds of items (such as Lynn Johnston's famous comic strip
| For Better or For Worse). For fiscal 2011-12, donor tax receipts issued by
| LAC will total approximately $4 million.
| That said, the manner in which we carry out our mandate is changing, given
| the evolution of technology, documentary production, and writing and 
reading
| habits. Our future work will be increasingly technology-driven and done in
| cooperation with the LAC partners that are Canada's memory institutions
| (some two thousand libraries and eight hundred archives).
| With the recent creation of a formal, LAC-hosted Pan-Canadian Documentary
| Heritage Network, one can safely say that given the current digital
| environment, the country's historical record has perhaps never been in
| better hands than it is today.
|
| Daniel J. Caron, Ph.D. Deputy Head and Librarian and Archivist of Canada"
|