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National Library News |
The collections of the National Library of Canada are a source of immense pride for me. In the 15 years since my appointment, I have seen unprecedented growth in the National Library’s holdings, growth which can be measured not only in sheer numbers, but also in forms and formats. The most recent and striking development, of course, is electronic publishing. With the advent of videos, CDs, CD-ROMs, CD-interactives, and on-line electronic publications, the National Library’s collection has changed in complexion and most certainly in complexity. Throughout this period of growth and change, the National Library’s mandate has remained constant: to help Canadians, and those interested in Canada, to understand the country and its development as a society, through access to its published heritage; and to facilitate access to international sources of information. The September and October issues of National Library News are dedicated to the theme of access to our heritage: the myriad ways – traditional and innovative – that the staff of the National Library describe, interpret and put into context the immense and rich collections to make them accessible and give them immediacy, and meaning.
To mark the reopening of the auditorium, the emphasis in this issue is on public programming. Since 1984, the National Library’s public programs have welcomed hundreds of Canada’s poets, playwrights, novelists, historians, translators, musicians, illustrators, and composers, whose creative efforts form the collections of the National Library. They came on-site to read, to lecture, and to perform.
It has been my privilege to meet them and to provide a venue where we Canadians can see and hear, as well as study and read, the country’s publications. And, in closing, it is my pleasure to offer you, in this issue of the National Library News, an opportunity to acquaint, or reacquaint, yourself with the many and diverse means by which the National Library of Canada ensures access to the nation’s published heritage.
Marianne Scott,
National Librarian