LAC Celebrates Sir Arthur Doughty

Library and Archives Canada honored Sir Arthur Doughty on Monday morning with the reinstallation and of his  renovated statue at the LAC Preservation Centre in Gatineau. Doughty served as Canada’s second National Archivist and remains the most celebrated figure to hold that position.

Librarian and Archivist Leslie Weir opened the event, then invited Ian Wilson to speak about Doughty’s legacy. Wilson, who served as Librarian and Archivist from 2004 to 2009, has conducted extensive research on Doughty’s contributions. During his remarks, Wilson suggested updating Canada’s 1921 Coat of Arms to recognize Indigenous heritage, a proposal worth considering as the country continues reconciliation efforts.

Attendees learned about the technical challenges involved in restoring the statue and watched footage of its relocation from behind 395 Wellington Street to its new home. Weir acknowledged everyone who contributed to the project’s completion and gathered those of them in attendance for a group photograph.

The event provided an opportunity to ask about Adisoke, the new joint facility with the Ottawa Public Library scheduled to open in 2026. Most research facilities currently at 395 Wellington will transfer to the new location. Some present open-access resources will have limited availability. An instance is the magnificant directories collection. While many city directories are now digitized, those needing to research extensive date ranges may still need to visit 395 Wellington by arrangement.

A recent survey has prompted LAC to accelerate digitization work. This is welcome news for researchers, particularly those away from LAC’s physical locations. Can we hope for accelerated access to the 1940 National Registration records recently transferred from Statistics Canada. (The National Registration was a census-like survey that documented every Canadian, making it valuable for genealogical research.)

However, government-wide budget cuts are affecting LAC. These reductions inevitably impact staff morale as the organization balances preservation, digitization, and public service with fewer resources.