Digitization, Preservation, Access

Canada has a vibrant community of memory institutions including university, public and government libraries and archives, museums, galleries, local history societies, genealogical societies and like-minded organizations as well individuals committed to Digitize, to Preserve, and to provide online Access (DPA) to Canadian content. Several digitization, preservation and facilitated access projects are already finished, underway or planned by Canadian memory institutions.

The risk of permanent loss of Canada’s knowledge content is real and increasing. A strong collaborative methodology continues to evolve across Canada. Major memory institutions are developing strategies to collaborate at national and regional levels to share mass digitization and preservation platforms.

The Canadiana.org Mission states:

It is vital to have a Canadian vision to present our cultural and scientific heritage in its bilingual and multicultural variety to our citizens and to the world, and to develop a comprehensive plan to provide Canadian Society with enduring digital access to that heritage. This is the mission of Canadiana.org.

Under its Digitization, Preservation and Access (DPA) programme, Canadiana.org undertakes open source projects to advance the social and economic benefits of making Canada’s knowledge content accessible online.

DPA Technical Committee

Terms of Reference and Membership

The Technical Committee reports to the Canadiana.org Board through the Chair, appointed by the Board. This committee primarily has an oversight role. Task Groups are struck when needed and will perform project work.

Terms of Reference

1. Seek and provide advice to the Board on technical issues relating to Canadiana.org projects and initiatives.
2. Identify technical issues and initiatives which may be of interest to Canadiana.org and provide advice and recommendations to the Board.
3. Create Task Groups to provide oversight and advice on particular technical initiatives to the Technical Committee.
4. Host an annual meeting of technical personnel associated with Canadiana.org member institutions, usually in conjunction with another national meeting such as Access.

Committee Membership

• Representative of the Canadiana.org Board as Chair of Technical Committee.
• Canadiana.org systems representative.
• Four systems representatives from Canadiana.org member organizations chosen by Canadiana.org Board.
• Canadiana.org Board member.
• Two directors from Canadiana.org member organizations chosen by Canadiana.org Board.

DPA Projects

Digital Collections Builder

The Digital Collection Builder (DCB) is an open-source software tool that makes it simple for libraries, archives, and other heritage organizations to provide access to their unique digitized collections; it brings their collections together with other Canadian online resources for Canadians and the world. The DCB greatly facilitates even the smallest institution’s ability to describe its digital content in a structured way so that it can be discovered through the Canadiana.org or other search portals.