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News Release99-02 The National Library of Canada Celebrates Canada Book Day with Opening of New ExhibitionOttawa, April 23, 1999 -- The National Library of Canada announced today that it will open its major exhibition, "Impressions: 250 Years of Printing in the Lives of Canadians", at 6:00 p.m., on Friday, April 23, in celebration of Canada Book Day. "We are putting on display a range of printed material that reflects both the growth of our country and the development of our own publishing industry," says National Librarian Marianne Scott. "Print, as this exhibition demonstrates, has always been of paramount importance in our lives. In our electronic age, it is a pleasure to become re-acquainted with the texts, manuals and guides that have helped to bring us to where we are today." The exhibition, which features more than 200 items drawn entirely from the Library's extensive collection, shows how books reach into every corner of our lives. The books and broadsides on display -- many with annotations -- give evidence of frequent use by their previous owners. These often-handled texts are the printed items that have played a role in Canadian life for 250 years. Magazines and newspapers, a 200-year-old lottery ticket, and advertising broadsides are also on display. The exhibition, which is scheduled to run until January 7, 2000, was conceived and developed by Michel Brisebois, the Library's Rare Book Curator. His extensive knowledge of the history of printing and publishing in Canada informs every aspect of the exhibition. The National Library of Canada is home to Canada's published heritage. Its role is to acquire, preserve and promote the most comprehensive collection of Canadiana -- currently comprising more than 16 million books, sound recordings, manuscripts, magazines and newspapers, in print and electronic formats -- for all Canadians, now and in the future. The Library serves researchers, libraries, publishers, and the general public. The exhibition is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the National Library of Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa. Admission is free. Group tours may be arranged. -30- For further information, please contact Michel Brisebois Media Relations Line Ménard |