Comments for ActiveHistory.ca

Comment on The Development of the Route 1812 by Bill Young

Bill Young — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:26:25 +0000

I was enlightened my your article. Remembering the War of 1812 should take a more prominate place in our country. Battles have rarely been fought on our soil and we have not done a goood job of ensuring the current generations have a real grasp of the suffering that took place on the battlefields. The War of 1812 route should help to educate the population. The important role of the native soldiers also needs to be told along this route. Keep writing on important issues.

Comment on The Smokescreen of ‘Modernization’ at Library and Archives Canada by Arhivele canadiene « Bogdan’s Archival Blog

Arhivele canadiene « Bogdan’s Archival Blog — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:30:20 +0000

[...] The Smokescreen of ‘Modernization’ at Library and Archives Canada [...]

Comment on The Smokescreen of ‘Modernization’ at Library and Archives Canada by A. Roy-Desjardins

A. Roy-Desjardins — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:58:40 +0000

Thank you for this piece, Ian. It sparks a thought of my own:

LAC’s spokespersons have been repeating the statement that online consultations are consistently increasing and that in-person visits are “declining slowly but steadily”. I wish they would elaborate on this. While I don’t doubt that online visits are increasingly numerous, I can’t help but suspect that the decline that is being observed in in-person visits has a lot to do *WITH THE FACT THAT LAC HAS BEEN CUTTING BACK ITS SERVICE HOURS, AND THAT IT HAS STOPPED EXHIBITING MATERIAL ON ITS GROUND FLOOR*.

The logic, then, is rather circular: we cut on-site offerings, so people don’t come, so we cut on-site offerings. Are LAC policymakers and spokespeople being sloppy, or are they being disingenuous?

A.R.D.

Comment on The Smokescreen of ‘Modernization’ at Library and Archives Canada by Tina Loo

Tina Loo — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:25:40 +0000

Nice post Ian. I’d also add that the cuts to LAC’s budget include a 50% reduction in its digitization staff. While I agree that we should call them out on digitization, I am also concerned that there are many many records that will never be digitized. The papers that get digitized first are those for which there is a demand and those deemed to raise the profile of the institution (like the Prime Ministers’ papers), which can be used to leverage good publicity – and more funds. The stuff lots of us look at has no such cachet. For instance, I’ve looked at lots of correspondence from minor functionaries about caribou populations and engineering reports about soils and geology which has been important for my work but which I doubt will ever be digitized given the priorities of and pressures on the institution. And I, personally, am fine with that – as long as the institution continues to have an adequate budget to fulfil its mandate; a budget that includes money for collection, for Inter Library Loan (which has been cut), and for on-site reference services, etc. It does not, and that concerns me. Digitization is great, but Interlibrary Loan was also an effective way of getting materials to people who don’t happen to live in central Canada, materials that are unique and can’t be accessed from other institutions (like historical newspapers, collections of archival documents, small press books and journals, etc). The loss of that service alone is a loss of basic research infrastructure that will affect graduate students, undergraduates, and faculty.

Comment on Mad Men and Wonder Years: history, nostalgia, and life in The Sixties by Monday’s Link Roundup. | Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian

Monday’s Link Roundup. | Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:10:49 +0000

[...] If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email. Rate this: Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditStumbleUponDiggPrintEmailLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in Monday's Link Roundup and tagged Alzheimer's patients, America, Arts, biography, Canberra, colossal camera, critique, Dan Dennett, documentaries, Galen Strawson, Jean Luc-Godard, Ken Burns, life writing, link roundup, memories, Monday, personal histories, Philosopher, stories, storytelling, therapeutic, United States, Vanashing Cultures, well-read cities, wisdom, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. ← Encore! 30 Sites That Will Boost Your Personal History Performance. [...]

Comment on (Re)imaging 9/11: A Reflection on Photographic Representation and the Politics of Memory by rip

rip — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:43:49 +0000

i totlaly agree um…Kaleigh Bradley. yeh thats ya name

Comment on (Re)imaging 9/11: A Reflection on Photographic Representation and the Politics of Memory by rip

rip — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:42:52 +0000

nice point sos ill be going then

Comment on (Re)imaging 9/11: A Reflection on Photographic Representation and the Politics of Memory by rip

rip — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:42:18 +0000

what?
dont get ye?

Comment on Seizing Canada’s Past: Politics and the Reinvention of Canadian History by Bill Bell

Bill Bell — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:31:49 +0000

Can we all spell t-o-t-a-l-i-t-a-r-i-a-n-i-s-m?

Comment on Seizing Canada’s Past: Politics and the Reinvention of Canadian History by Sean Kheraj

Sean Kheraj — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:26:46 +0000

Or ask the folks on the former National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1178907–tim-harper-stephen-harper-eliminates-the-radical-centre-of-environment-debate