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Launch of Book History Databases
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the launch of five major databases which catalogue thousands of publications on the history of print culture in Canada from its beginnings in the sixteenth century to the twenty-first century.
These scholarly electronic resources, which have been available through the Internet via Dalhousie University's website since 2003, were originally funded in 2000 by a Major Collaborative Research Initiative Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Not only were they developed to support the preparation of publishing six volumes (three in English, three in French) chronicling the history of print culture in Canada, but also to establish important resources for advancing the field when the project concluded.
A national network of scholars and research students, headed by Bertrum MacDonald at Dalhousie University, worked together to create the following databases: Bibliography of the History of the Book in Canada, Canadian Book Catalogues, Canadian Book Trade and Library Index, Canadian Imprints and Canadian Textbooks.
Through papers and reports given by members of the editorial team at conferences throughout North America and Europe, the databases have received international attention, and numerous inquiries about designing such resources. Recognizing the value of this rich suite of databases for Canadian scholarship, Library and Archives Canada has agreed to receive and relaunch the databases, so that they will continue to be publicly accessible and will grow in importance as new records are added and thus contribute to Canadian studies and History of the Book scholarship in significant ways.
Visit the Web site at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/hbic/index-e.html
About Library and Archives Canada
The mandate of Library and Archives Canada is to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, thereby contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada. Library and Archives Canada also facilitates co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge, and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
