News Release

2000-04

Digital Library of Canada: New Initiative at the National Library of Canada

Ottawa, May 9, 2000 - Roch Carrier, National Librarian, announced today the establishment of a new group within the Library, a group dedicated to building the Digital Library of Canada on the Web site of the National Library of Canada.

"An important aspect of our mandate is to make the national collection of Canadiana available to the citizens of Canada," said Mr. Carrier. "As they do not all live in Ottawa, the Digital Library of Canada will provide them with an easy, free and entertaining way to access the rich treasure of Canadian information held within the vast collection of the National Library of Canada."

The Digital Library of Canada Task Force will ensure the production of a rich, national multimedia resource documenting Canadian heritage and culture by digitizing content in both official languages, as well as in the other languages spoken by Canadians. The group will develop strategic partnerships with other content providers and will provide outreach for educators in the use of these Canadian digital resources.

Leigh Swain, who has been named director of the Task Force, stated, "While we are continuing to build the national collection of print Canadiana, we are thrilled at the opportunity and ready to meet the challenge of directing NLC's transformation into a digital library for Canada."

Watch for the Digital Library to develop quickly at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca>.

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For further information, please contact

Leigh Swain
Director
Digital Library of Canada Task Force