The Canadiana collection is expanding with the addition of six new collections from CRKN member institutions.
Selected by CRKN’s Canadiana Content Sub-Committee (CCSC) through the inaugural Call for Canadiana Collection Development Projects, these six collections tell stories from across Canada and span over 150 years of history.
This call is a new initiative which will become a regular part of the Canadiana collection development process. It is intended to evolve how CRKN chooses and adds material to the Canadiana collection, to increase the diversity of content in Canadiana, and to expand access to the rich resources in CRKN member libraries. Project proposals received through call are evaluated and selected by the CCSC according to the Canadiana Collection Development Priorities and the Criteria for Selection and Prioritization of Digitization and Preservation Projects.
This year’s call resulted in 16 outstanding project proposals from 13 institutions, of which six were selected to be added to Canadiana in the upcoming year:
Acadia University: The Athenaeum
CRKN will digitize 286 issues of The Athenaeum, Acadia University’s student newspaper, dating from 1879 to 1930. This project is part of The Athenaeum’s 150th anniversary celebrations and will help maintain access to the fragile older editions of the newspaper, which contain student perspectives on post-secondary education, life in Nova Scotia, and the political and social issues of the time.
Dalhousie University: Wayves/GAEZETTE
Dalhousie University will provide Canadiana with 281 digitized editions of Wayves magazine (originally titled GAEZETTE), a notable Atlantic Canadian LGBTA+ publication. GAEZETTE originated as a newsletter by the Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE), which was founded in the early 1970s. The GAE began publishing GAEZETTE in August 1983 with marking a shift to a more regular publication schedule. This collection will include significant content representing gay, lesbian, and transgender perspectives, documenting the evolution from GAEZETTE to Wayves, which ran as an independent print magazine from 1983 to 2012. This collection will enhance the discoverability and preservation of these important histories within Canadiana’s archives.
McGill University: Ontario Historical County Atlases
Canadiana’s current microfilm scans of Ontario county atlases will be enhanced and expanded with 26 versions newly digitized from the original publications by McGill University. These popular resources, which contribute to our understanding of how Ontario communities developed over time, will be significantly easier to use thanks to this collection.
OurDigitalWorld: The Voice of the Fugitive and The Provincial Freeman
These critical 19th century newspapers, published in Ontario by Black abolitionists Henry Walton Bibb and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, have been digitized from original paper copies by OurDigitalWorld (The Voice of the Fugitive) and Pennsylvania State University (The Provincial Freeman). A total of 161 issues dating from 1852 to 1857 will be provided to Canadiana, expanding our existing collection of abolitionist publications and providing an important resource to those studying Canada’s role in the anti-slavery movement.
University of Alberta: La Survivance
The University of Alberta will provide 1,986 digitized issues of La Survivance, a major Franco-Albertan newspaper and official publication of l'Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta, to Canadiana. Published between 1928–1967, this newspaper will increase representation of the francophone community outside Quebec in Canadiana and in the digital historical record.
Western University: London Advertiser, 1925–1936
CRKN will digitize an additional eleven years of the London Advertiser newspaper from microfilm issues held by Western University, adding to Canadiana’s current collection, which ranges from 1890–1925 (including issues under the London Morning Advertiser and London Evening Advertiser titles). Researchers will benefit from hundreds of additional issues of this popular Ontario newspaper collection.
CRKN and the CCSC are grateful to all those who submitted a proposal to the inaugural Call for Canadiana Collection Development Projects, as well as to those who expressed their interest and support for this initiative. Members are encouraged to stay in touch with CRKN in advance of the next Call for Canadiana Collection Development Projects, anticipated to launch in 2025. We look forward to beginning work on these exciting projects together!
If you have questions about the Call for Canadiana Collection Development Projects, please contact Francesca Brzezicki, Heritage Engagement Officer, at fbrzezicki@crkn.ca.