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National Library News |
by Iris Winston,
Marketing and Publishing
 National Archives Preservation Centre in Gatineau. |
Close to 2000 visitors have been given new views of the National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada during the last few months as part of the "Destination 395 Wellington campaign" pilot project. In May 1998, the two institutions launched a cooperative campaign to develop the building that the two institutions share as a tourist destination point. Visitors are offered a variety of customized, guided tours that may take them into the depths of the stacks in Ottawa or off to the Archives’ new building in Gatineau, Quebec.
The tours are organized for various publics: tourists interested in a general overview of the buildings and artwork; special-interest groups who want to view the latest exhibition; or professionals who seek to learn more about specific collections.
"People seem to enjoy the tours and find them very instructive," says National Library Tour Coordinator Lucien Goulet. "For first-time visitors, it is an ideal opportunity to learn that we house much more than books at the Library."
Most tours run for about 90 minutes. As visitors pass through the main public areas of the 13-storey building, they hear some of its history. Opened on June 20, 1967, by then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the huge granite structure overlooks the Ottawa River. As the centre of the nation’s published heritage and collective memory, it houses many of the National Library’s collections on some 160 kilometres of steel shelving and is also the home of some impressive artwork.
The Archives’ media records and some textual records are now stored in the Preservation Centre which also hosts regular tours.
"Tours of the Preservation Centre have been very popular since it opened in June 1997," says National Archives Tour Coordinator Suzanne Pagé-Dazé. "We are often booked up to three months in advance."
 Hutton etching of Samuel de Champlain. |
Back at 395 Wellington, visitors see a series of impressive glass panels celebrating writers who have contributed to the world’s literary heritage, the work of New Zealand-born artist John Hutton. They view Henry Moore’s Three Way Piece-Points. The bronze sculpture was a gift from the British government. They see Dante Alighieri, a three-quarter length bronze of the Italian poet by Angelo Biancini, a gift to the National Library from the Dante Society.
 Glenn Gould's piano chair. |
Before they climb the central staircase, they pause in front of Glenn Gould’s piano — a reminder that the Library houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of his recordings and papers. They may also visit the current National Library and National Archives exhibitions before heading to the Library’s reference and reading areas on the second floor — possibly also visiting the Jacob M. Lowy Collection of Incunabula, Hebraica and Judaica — and the equivalent Archives’ facilities on the third floor, where, at the touch of a button, visitors are likely to find an ancestor. The Canadian Expeditionary Force index is very popular. The "collective memory of the nation and of the Canadian government" is here in "millions of documents that give life to the past." After visiting this section, visitors move up to the fourth floor, which houses such special National Library collections as Rare Books, Literary Manuscripts and the Music Division. Tours geared to professional visitors are conducted by area specialists.
"We do our best to provide visitors with all the information they need," says Mr. Goulet, who estimates that more than 30 tours visit 395 Wellington each week during the summer months.
At the Preservation Centre, Ms. Pagé-Dazé says that the average is one tour per week. "Many people come because they are very interested in the building itself," she says.
All tour groups are offered details of the National Library’s and National Archives’ services and collections, hours of operation and current exhibitions and provided with print material for future reference. Virtual tours are also available on the Web at <www.nlc-bnc.ca>.
For further information or to book tours, contact:
Lucien Goulet
Tour Coordinator
National Library of Canada
Telephone: (613) 943-7915
Fax: (613) 991-9871
E-mail: lucien.goulet@nlc-bnc.ca
or
Suzanne Pagé-Gazé
Tour Coordinator
National Archives of Canada
Telephone: (613) 992-9359
Fax: (613) 995-0919
E-mail: spage-daze@archives.ca