November / December 2001 Vol. 33, no. 6

Canada Place Portal

On July 24, 25 and 26 of this year, the National Library of Canada hosted the first general meeting of the departments, agencies and private companies that are participating in the development of a portal for Canadian cultural information. Chaired by Jamshed Merchant, Director General, Government On-Line, Canadian Heritage, the meeting brought together representatives from Canadian Heritage and its portfolio agencies (the National Library of Canada, National Arts Centre and National Archives of Canada) with Infertek/IBM, the Centre for Collaborative Government, the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Learning through the Arts Program, Historica, the publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia and others.

The meeting provided the first opportunity for everyone involved in the Cultural Portal project to meet face to face and discuss their contributions. The National Library’s CIBS (Canadian Information by Subject) and Images Canada will be available through the Portal, as will the full text of The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Portal will also have a digital commons for discussion and learning initiatives by groups with common interests, e.g., genealogists.

During the animated discussion, participants were able gain a better understanding of the various initiatives and technologies integral to the Portal and to see where they fit within its overall structure. At the end of the meeting, agreement had been reached on the key priorities to ensure a successful launch and a work plan had been developed to see it through its various stages of development.

The National Library is playing a key role in this initiative, which helps Canadians access information about themselves and their heritage.