Notices about the collections

Read details about the most common notices related to the collections.

Historical language advisory

Certain parts of the collections held by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) contain historical language and content that may be considered offensive or potentially harmful, such as language used to refer to racial, ethnic and cultural groups. The items in the collections, their content and descriptions reflect the period in which they were created and the views of their creators.

These items retain their original descriptions to ensure that attitudes and perspectives are not erased from the historical record. LAC does, however, provide additional descriptive information to offer more context on the records. This is an ongoing process.

If you see records with inappropriate language or content that you think LAC should review, please contact us: reference@bac-lac.gc.ca. Please include as much detail as possible about the language or content that requires our attention, such as the archival reference number or permalink to the record. Also, please include “Description review” in the subject line of your email.

Harmful content advisory

We acknowledge that archives can be sites of trauma for Indigenous peoples. Working with historical records that document experiences of genocide, assimilation, and oppression, as well as the inherent anti-Indigenous bias and offensive language in these records, can create feelings of distress, grief, and pain for researchers.

We encourage researchers to be informed and to place their well-being first.

Find support

National Indian Residential School Crisis Line 1-866-925-4419
Hope for Wellness Hotline 1-855-242-3310
Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society 1-888-403-3123
Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) 1-800-721-0066 (reception@irsss.ca)

Accessibility

LAC's Access Policy Framework helps people access documents related to Canada's heritage.

We are working on eliminating barriers that limit access to collections, as well as on improving descriptions and accessibility features.

Given the depth and breadth of the digital collections held at LAC, meeting web accessibility standards in an efficient and cost-effective manner is an ongoing challenge.

If you have any difficulty accessing the documents, please contact us: reference@bac-lac.gc.ca.

Official languages

In accordance with our professional standards, digitized documents are presented and described in the language in which they were created.

LAC is the custodian of documentary collections created by others. As such, we must:

maintain the original form of publications and archives
protect their descriptive information
preserve their accuracy, reliability, authoritativeness and authenticity

There is a delicate balance between improving discoverability and respecting original documents. Some metadata is not translated, depending on document type and context.