Discover Library and Archives Canada

Curling could be considered the unofficial national sport of Canada. In this episode, we will explore the game’s evolution, its development as an organized sport, and the creation of a Canadian curling culture. We will also let you know about the extensive collection of materials at Library and Archives Canada related to the history and the development of curling in Canada. Our guest for this epis...

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada? Since 2013, as part of an ongoing partnership between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the National Gallery, items from LAC’s collection are being exhibited on the walls of the National Gallery. In this episode we speak to LAC curator Jennifer Roger and Head Conservator of...

In this episode we explore the story of Yousuf Karsh who came to Canada as a teenager and pursued his dream to become an internationally renowned photographer. We are joined by Karsh expert Dr. Robert Evans and LAC photo archivist Jill Delaney. They will speak to us about who Yousuf Karsh was, what makes his photographs so unique and appealing, why he’s important to Canadians and what is included...

You don’t have to go far to see the influence that comic books have had on contemporary culture, but you might be surprised to learn that Library and Archives Canada holds an extensive collection of comic books and related material within its vaults. In this episode, we speak with comic book historians Hope Nicholson and Rachel Richey about their work and LAC’s role in it. We also talk to special...

The poem, In Flanders Fields—which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year—is considered to be the most popular poem from the First World War. In this episode, we are joined by LAC archivist Emily Monks-Leeson who will guide us through the life of John McCrae, the Canadian soldier who penned the poem. She will help us understand the conditions from which he drew inspiration, how and why the...

Many Canadians have a growing interest in discovering their family heritage. Their quest can be simple in the beginning, but often it becomes the work of a lifetime. In this episode, genealogy consultants Sara Chatfield and Richard Lelièvre from Library and Archives Canada join us to discuss genealogy research. We explore what genealogy is, what is involved, how to start, suggest resources to use...

Discover the story of Celia Franca, a woman who introduced Canada to world-class dance performances, pioneered the internationally famous National Ballet of Canada and devoted her entire life to dance. In this episode we are joined by LAC archivists Michel Guénette, Théo Martin and assistant archivist Judith Enright-Smith who will speak to us about who Celia Franca was, and the dance-related resou...

Our flag, with its distinctive maple leaf and bold red-and-white colour scheme has become such a potent symbol for our country that it’s hard to believe it has only been around for 50 years. On February 15, 1965, the new flag flew for the first time on Parliament Hill for all to see, but unveiling the new design was anything but easy. In this episode, we speak to retired LAC archivist Glenn Wright...

In this episode, retired Collections Manager of Artworks Gilbert Gignac and Art Archivist Mary Margaret Johnston-Miller, both from Library and Archives, join us to discuss William Hind, an artist who played a key role in the development of art in Canadian society. We explore who William Hind is, his unique contributions to art in Canada, and what is included in Library and Archives Canada’s Willia...

When you hear the words "rare book”, you might think of an old, valuable book that’s hard to find, but there is much more to rare books than that. In this episode, we explore rare books and the collection held at Library and Archives Canada that has grown from relatively modest beginnings into one of the finest collections of rare printed material in the country. Joining us today from Library and...

Over 640,000 men and women enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War as soldiers, nurses and chaplains. In this episode, we will look at the service files of these men and women to find out the types of documents that are found in them, their research value and how they ended up at Library and Archives Canada. Joining us today from Library and Archives Canada ar...

In this episode, Art Archivist Geneviève Morin and Conservator Lynn Curry from Library and Archives Canada join us to discuss the William Redver Stark fonds. We explore his background, look at his time as a soldier during the First World War and the artwork he produced, specifically the 14 sketchbooks included in his fonds.

In this episode, we discuss LAC’s sheet music collection. We will explore what sheet music is, what is in LAC’s collection and how it came about. We’ll also talk about the historical value of sheet music and why it’s still relevant today. Joining us today from LAC is archival assistant Gilles Leclerc.

Canada has a rich maritime history filled with many tragedies, from small boats lost in the Great Lakes, to the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence River, to Sir John Franklin’s doomed expeditions in the Arctic. The shipwrecks capture our imaginations and evoke images of tragedy, heroism, mystery and discovery. 2014 also marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress o...

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is releasing its latest podcast episode: The Virtual Gramophone: Early Canadian sound recordings. LAC’s Virtual Gramophone is a multimedia website devoted to the early days of Canadian recorded sound, providing an overview of the 78-rpm era in Canada. Gilles Leclerc, Archival Assistant, and Gilles St-Laurent, Head Audio Conservator from LAC join us to explore LAC’...

In this episode, we explore our unique and one of the very few known collections of Canadian pulp magazines that Library and Archives Canada started to acquire in 1996, and their rise and fall in the 1940s and into the early 1950s. Our guests today are Ian Driscoll, author and contributor of Library and Archives Canada’s website Tales from the Vault!, and joining us by phone from Australia, Dr. Ca...

The invention of photography in the early 1800s revolutionized the way humans communicate and share information. And while it’s hard for us to imagine not having a device with a camera at our side at all times, photography has only recently become available to the masses. In this episode, we explore the evolution of photography using Library and Archives Canada’s extensive photographic collection...

Few things define what it is to be Canadian more than our love of hockey—“Canada’s Royal Winter Game”. In this episode, author and hockey expert Paul Kitchen joins us to discuss the origins of hockey, the evolution of the game, and what our love of hockey says about the Canadian character. Mr. Kitchen also speaks to us about the wealth of hockey-related resources held by Library and Archives Canad...

Between 1869 and the late 1930’s approximately 100,000 children were brought to Canada from Great Britain. Predominantly motivated by social and economic forces, a number of religious and philanthropic organizations encouraged the child migration movement for many abandoned and poor children to begin a new life in Canada. In this episode, Library and Archives Canada’s Marthe Séguin-Muntz and John...

This year, Canada is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, a unique opportunity for all Canadians to take pride in our traditions, and our shared history. Therefore, Library and Archives Canada has developed the exhibition, Faces of 1812, which features a number of collection items related to the war. In this episode, Professor Michael Eamon joins us to discuss his work as curato...

Rebel, imposter, knitter, and heartthrob—these are words not typically associated with figures from Canadian history. Get up close and personal with some of Canada’s most prominent men and women in Library and Archives Canada’s Double Take exhibition; discover how they dispel the stereotype of Canadians as mild-mannered and self-effacing.

In this episode, we consult a panel of experts about the massive immigration of Irish settlers to Quebec in the 1800s, the journey they undertook to establish their new lives on foreign soil, and the cultural bond that formed between the Irish and the Québécois.

In this episode we’ll examine the Lest We Forget project. Since 2001, Library and Archives Canada has been supporting the initiative to connect youth to Canada’s history by making military service files available in person and online. Each year, on Remembrance Day, we reflect on the sacrifices made by our veterans in order to preserve our values and freedoms. What better way to acknowledge the sac...

Have you ever wondered about the unknown people in your old family photographs? What if an entire community of people was photographed and never identified? This is what happened in Canada's North in the last century. Today we'll introduce you to Project Naming, a community-engagement and photo-identification project launched by Library and Archives Canada in 2004.