About Canadiana.org

Canada's libraries, museums, archives, and government agencies possess numerous rich digital collections containing our nation’s documentary heritage. These collections are continually expanding and include many different types of content including books, journals, newspapers, government documents, photographs, maps, post cards, sheet music, audio and video broadcasts.

Canadiana.org (also referred to simply as Canadiana) works together with partners to strengthen our collective ability to present Canada's documentary heritage content online. The organization acts as a coordinator, facilitator and advocate for digitization initiatives, along with providing access services and preservation infrastructures.

Canadiana is a membership alliance governed by an active, volunteer Board of Directors made up of distinguished scholars and representatives of major memory institutions from across Canada. The organization is pan-Canadian in outlook and governance and aims to represent the interests of many stakeholder constituencies including content creators, content holders, and users of cultural heritage and research resources.

The mission of Canadiana.org is to support enduring access to Canada’s digital documentary heritage for  Canadians and the world.

Guiding Principles

Canada's digital documentary heritage is as open as possible with minimum requirements for the transfer of content ownership or rights, including free and open access to public domain and public sector content.

The Canadian public has maximum access to their digital documentary heritage within a framework of respect for copyright.

Pan-Canadian collaborations will enhance the value and accessibility of Canada’s documentary heritage.

Canada's digital documentary heritage reflects Canada’s fundamental values of bilingualism, multiculturalism, inclusiveness, and equity.

Objectives

To promote the use of best practices, standards, policies, and processes for the digitization, dissemination, and preservation of digital content.

To provide a venue for sharing expertise, tools and capacity in the area of digitization.

To consolidate the delivery of digital heritage content in order to realize economies of scale, reduce duplication and cost, and convert content faster.

To support the widest possible access to and use of digital heritage content in Canada, through the development of a pan-Canadian portal.

To advocate and raise funds for the digitization, dissemination, and preservation of Canada’s documentary heritage.

Current Activities

Canadiana.org represents a vibrant community of memory institutions including libraries, archives, museums, government departments, galleries, local history societies, genealogical societies as well as like-minded individuals committed to digitizing, preserving, and providing access to Canada's documentary heritage online. Canadiana provides support for this community through a number of key services such as Early Canadiana Online and Canadiana Discovery Portal as well as tools and projects.

Learn more about the history of Canadiana.org