Ken McKinlay doesn’t post often to his Family Tree Knots blog. When he does, it’s always worth a look. This time, it’s News about Canada’s National Registration File of 1940.
A collection of about 1532 unique films has been transferred from Statistics Canada to the care of LAC, but is fragile 16 mm cellulose acetate film in poor condition. They will need to be kept in cold storage and digitized for public access. Will a third party be involved in the digitization?
LAC’s post Preserving the National Registration File mentions “We will be updating this page with new information as it becomes available, so please check back regularly.” Expect a lengthy wait. While that’s frustrating, we can appreciate that careful handling is needed to ensure the collection’s long-term survival and eventual accessibility for many future generations.
Wouldn’t it be welcome if LAC recognized the significance of this collection for genealogists, still the largest single client category, gave it priority and posted updates on the home page, rather than burying it under the sequence Canada.ca > Library and Archives Canada Collections access and research help > Research guides and tools > Military history > Second World War.
When we do get access, what will the registration form look like? Here’s a blog post with a sample.