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JACK JEDWAB has been with the Association for Canadian Studies since 1998, first as Executive Director and now as Executive Vice-President. Holding a Ph.D. in Canadian History from Concordia University, he taught at Université du Québec à Montréal and McGill University. He taught courses on the history of immigration in Quebec, on ethnic minorities in Quebec, on official language minorities in Canada and on sport in Canada. He also wrote essays for books, journals and newspapers across the country, in addition to being the author of various publications and government reports on issues of immigration, multiculturalism, human rights and official languages.
INTRODUCTION
What does the public think of Library and Archives Canada (LAC)? Over the past decade three national surveys have been conducted that provide insight into this question. Such surveys tend to be a litmus test for such issues as the importance attributed to the preservation of our records as well as how and by whom it should be done. Documenting a country's historic record is widely considered to be essential in the transmission of its national identity to future generations. Officially mandated with preserving our documented heritage, the LAC has positioned itself as a key government institution that supports that goal and hence not just a collector of the nation's historic records that is located in its national capital.
The important level of public support for digitizing our legacy invites reflection around what the portability of our records implies for the country's central physical repository. Not only have rapid advances in technology transformed the means by which institutions preserve our documented heritage but they have also changed the manner in which individuals seek access. Digitizing key government documents means far fewer trips to the LAC for researchers residing outside the National Capital Region. But this by no means is the major issue in a broad multidimensional discussion about how best to document our national heritage and the place of national archives in the changing archival landscape.
That which follows will review findings from Canadian public opinion surveys around the preservation of our heritage, views around State support for Canada's Library and Archives and the kinds of things that Canadians collect. Three of the surveys were commissioned by the LAC and another...