Library and Archives Canada Partners with Ancestry.ca

Partnership allows unprecedented online access to Canadian historical records

Ottawa, November 10, 2008 – Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with Canada’s leading online family history website, Ancestry.ca, which will allow the two organizations to provide unprecedented online access to the most comprehensive collection of Canadian historical records available.

As part of the agreement, Ancestry.ca will digitize and index microfilm and original records held by LAC and make these available to Ancestry.ca members. All of the digitized records will eventually be available free of charge to users of the LAC website.

Mr. Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, comments: "Library and Archives Canada is pleased to be part of this collaborative agreement with Ancestry.ca, which will allow our institution to offer our users access to many of our important collections, some of which have not been previously accessible online.

“It will truly enhance Canadians' ability to fully explore their documentary heritage and will also be of great interest to those around the world with ancestors who immigrated to or visited Canada.”

Josh Hanna, Senior VP, Ancestry International, comments: “This is a win-win relationship for Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry.ca as the partnership will enable Ancestry to offer a wide range of Canadian collections to its members and in turn LAC will receive the expertise, experience and person hours that are required for imaging and indexing these records.

“The partnership will create a seamless flow for digitizing and indexing vast Canadian records and will be a huge benefit to family history researchers in Canada who will soon have the opportunity to access more collections than ever before.”

Library and Archives Canada is the holder of an unparalleled and inestimable collection of Canadian published materials and archival records. This collection is accessible both online and in its facilities in Ottawa. Ancestry.ca offers access to both Canadian and worldwide genealogy records—seven billion in total—as well as family-tree building tools and community sharing applications.

Ancestry.ca recently launched more than 70 years of fully indexed Canadian Passenger Lists to its members and these records will also be available on the Library and Archives Canada website (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca) in the next year.