Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada preserves and makes accessible Canada’s documentary heritage. En français: https://www.facebook.com/BiblioArchives

We collect and preserve Canada’s documentary heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. Our collection contains materials, in all types of formats, from across Canada and the world of interest to Canadians. We are a source of enduring knowledge and serve as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. Suivez-nous en français: https://www.facebook.com/BiblioArchives

Terms and conditions: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/terms-conditions.html

Photography enthusiasts: it’s World Photography Day!We’re delighted to celebrate a day that is especially meaningful to ...
08/19/2026

Photography enthusiasts: it’s World Photography Day!

We’re delighted to celebrate a day that is especially meaningful to us.

Today, digital cameras and smartphones allow us to capture everyday moments like never before. But did you know that modern cameras trace their origins to the camera obscura?

Known for centuries, this optical phenomenon projects an inverted image of a scene through a small opening onto a surface inside a darkened space. For many years, artists used this technique as a drawing aid. It wasn’t until the 19th century that these images could be permanently captured.

Every day, the thousands of photographs preserved in our collections help us learn more about our history and its defining moments. Each photo tells the story of a person, a place or an event. These images allow us to look back in time, gain a deeper understanding of our past, and better appreciate our cultural heritage.

Explore the many cameras featured in our Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/albums/72157711368558723/

What do you think photo albums will look like 100 years from now?

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Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe, also known as Operation Jubilee.Reflecting on its legacy, Lord Loui...
08/19/2026

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe, also known as Operation Jubilee.

Reflecting on its legacy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations Headquarters under Winston Churchill, once said: “I have no doubt that the Battle of Normandy was won on the beaches of Dieppe. For every man who died in Dieppe at least 10 more must have been spared in Normandy in 1944.”

Learn more about the operation and its lasting impact in Alex Comber’s article on our blog: https://thediscoverblog.com/2017/08/19/the-raid-on-dieppe-france-august-19-1942/

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Don't miss the latest episode of our Unscripted podcast series, featuring a conversation about the forced exile of Japan...
08/18/2026

Don't miss the latest episode of our Unscripted podcast series, featuring a conversation about the forced exile of Japanese Canadians following the Second World War.

Join Eric M. Adams and Jordan Stanger-Ross, authors of the book Challenging Exile: Japanese Canadians and the Wartime Constitution, for an insightful discussion on the meaning of citizenship in postwar Canada and how the injustices of internment, dispossession and forced exile continue to resonate today.

Episode 2 of Unscripted available now: https://pod.link/500275904

In honour of National Acadian Day, we're spotlighting the longest-running Acadian newspaper, which began as a small week...
08/15/2026

In honour of National Acadian Day, we're spotlighting the longest-running Acadian newspaper, which began as a small weekly in Digby, Nova Scotia.

Founded by Valentin Landry in 1887, L'Évangéline gave Acadians a powerful voice. After moving to Weymouth, Nova Scotia, and later to Moncton, New Brunswick, it became a daily newspaper in 1949 and remained a cornerstone of Acadian journalism until it ceased publication in 1982.

Our bound volumes of L'Évangéline came from the Senate reading room, where parliamentarians and their staff consulted newspapers from across Canada to stay informed about regional news.

Today, our book conservator, Manise Young, is carefully treating an 1890 bound volume. She has created a custom mount to safely support the volume and is carrying out minor repairs to its fragile pages. Nineteenth-century newsprint was made using acidic processes that cause the paper to discolour, become brittle, and break into tiny fragments over time. Conserving it is a painstaking process—much like assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

This piece will be featured in our first exhibition at Ādisōke when it opens.

Interested in exploring historic newspapers in our collections? Check out our newspaper search guide: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/newspapers/guide.html

On this day in 2003, the lights suddenly went out for about 50 million people during the historic Northeast blackout of ...
08/14/2026

On this day in 2003, the lights suddenly went out for about 50 million people during the historic Northeast blackout of 2003.

Although the root cause of the failure originated in Ohio, the impact was felt across much of Ontario, with power gradually restored over the days that followed.

More than two decades later, the event remains one of the most significant power outages in North American history; and our library has a wealth of resources documenting what happened. Go to Aurora to have a look!

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/discovery?lang=en

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Canadian television news veteran Lloyd Robertson passed away on August 4, 2026. A defining figure in Canadian broadcasti...
08/13/2026

Canadian television news veteran Lloyd Robertson passed away on August 4, 2026. A defining figure in Canadian broadcasting, he was a trusted and highly respected news anchor whose remarkable career spanned more than six decades.

Lloyd Roberston’s career began in 1952 at CJCS Radio, a local radio station in Stratford, Ontario. In 1970, he joined CBC, where he anchored the flagship television news program The National. In 1976, he moved to CTV, where he continued his outstanding career as a news anchor for 35 years. He retired in 2011 after 41 years of anchoring national television news.

Beyond his broadcasting career, Mr. Robertson was a dedicated supporter of numerous charities and hosted several telethons. He received many honours throughout his lifetime, including becoming the first journalist inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2007. In 1998, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Our collections hold a variety of documents highlighting Lloyd Robertson’s distinguished career. Explore them here: https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng

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At LAC, young people have a voice! 💬Our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) brings together young people aged 16 to 25 from acr...
08/12/2026

At LAC, young people have a voice! 💬

Our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) brings together young people aged 16 to 25 from across Canada. By sharing their ideas and perspectives, they help shape our projects, services and initiatives for future generations.

Since the beginning of their term, members of the 2025–2026 cohort have taken part in consultations on the LAC Awards, highlighting the importance of innovation and youth inclusion. They have also participated in discussions on intellectual freedom with our staff and exchanged ideas with our specialists on research tools and access to documentary heritage.

Their ideas matter. Their voices make a difference.

Learn more about our YAC:
https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/corporate/about-us/partners/youth-advisory-council.html

Happy International Youth Day!

As Pride Season continues, we are pleased to announce that we have recently published a new research guide that can help...
08/11/2026

As Pride Season continues, we are pleased to announce that we have recently published a new research guide that can help you explore the vast and diverse history of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada, from the legal battles for recognition to expressions of identity through art and media.

2SLGBTQIA+ people have always been present in society, even if their lived experiences have not always been documented thoroughly or positively. The acronym 2SLGBTQIA+—which stands for Two-Spirit, Le***an, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Q***r, Intersex, Asexual, Plus—is an evolving term meant to include a wide range of identities.

Our understanding of sexual and gender identity is a journey of ongoing reflection and refinement. As Canada’s memory institution, LAC’s role is to help researchers explore and better understand this journey to date.

This is why, at LAC, we are proud to offer this support document to help researchers explore the histories of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities. In addition to guidance on how to conduct this research, it includes links to resources in our collections, other government documents, works by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and creators, and community memory institutions for further research.

Read the research guide: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/social-history/2slgbtqia-communities-guide.html

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