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Weir(d?) Times at Library and Archives Canada

  • LAC Attempted Hack
    On October 1, CBC, Reuters, Global News and other outlets reported that the AI research firm Transluce said AI agents attempted to access an LAC website/search service on May 28 and June 9, 2026. The reported goal was to retrieve Canadian divorce records from roughly 1905–1911; the agents reportedly queried an LAC database hundreds of times. The tactics resembled prior activity attributed to OpenAI which was reported to be reviewing the claim. According to government sources there was no indication that systems had been compromised.
  • Shannon Lecture
    A reminder that  Preserving Unremarkable Videogames with Dany Guay-Bélanger is scheduled for next Tuesday, 13 October at 7 PM. It’s live in the Pallerin Room at LAC and online. More information here.
  • What’s in Collection Search?
    As of 6 October there are 7,952,178 (7,944,445 on 29 September) items in the Archives section of Collection Search, 8,227,688  (no change) in the Genealogy section, 4,440,715 (4,439,575) in Library, including 54,334 theses, and 353,360 (352,754) in Images.
    Since I started  monitoring these changes on 5 September:Archives experienced the highest volume of growth, consistently adding new items every week for a total increase of over 21,000 items.
    Library content grew steadily by over 16,000 items,
    Images saw minor but consistent weekly growth, adding nearly 700 new items over the month.
    Genealogy remained completely stagnant, fluctuating by only a single item and showing zero growth during the latter half of September and early October.
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This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

Choose from these selected free online events. All times are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Registration may be required in advance—please check the links to avoid disappointment. For many more events, mainly in the U.S., visit https://conferencekeeper.org/virtual/.

Tuesday, 6 October

Wednesday, 7 October

Thursday, 8 October

  • 6:30 PM: Putting the History in Our Family Histories, by Curt Witcher, for the ACPL Genealogy Center (free virtual presentation exploring ancestral community histories).

  • 7:00 PM: Postcard Analysis: Telling Stories Through a WWI Postcard, by Nolan Forsyth for the OGS Essex & Kent Branches.
    Free Registration via OGS Essex Branch

  • All Day: All About That Place Day 2 presentations stream free via the Society of Genealogists.

Friday, 9 October

Saturday, 10 October

 

 

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Norton Issues?

Two people tell me that Norton Antivirus is identifying this blog as a potential virus problem. I’ve only heard this from Norton users.

A couple of virus checkers found no problem with the site; maybe I angered the Norton God!

Please do me a favour and let me know if you have the same problem, whether with Norton or any other anti-virus utility. Thanks.

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Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

All About That Place?
“Running over 10 days from Wednesday 7th to Friday 16th October, and FREE, All About That Place is packed with almost 200 recorded 10-minute talks by over 150 speakers on genealogy and local history. You’ll learn research techniques, social history, tools, websites, archives, record keeping tips, ways of creating and sharing your findings… and much, much more!”  The lead organizer is the Society of Genealogists.

Canada’s population clock
StatsCan displays a real-time estimate population clock. Watch as the model shows births, deaths and migration by province. Did you know the population of Ontario exceeds the total for all the other provinces, except British Columbia and Quebec. The combined populations of those two is less than that of Ontario.

Caveat Emptor: Canada, Mounted Police Records, 1873-1914
This new title at Ancestry, drawn for the LAC collection., was already mentioned yesterday. Could it really be that Martin Monroe Steele, born in 1780, engaged with the Mounted Police in 1890 and was discharged in January 1808? Did he serve in an episode of Dr. Who?
I checked a few others and found numerous cases where the sequence of events doesn’t make sense, even though it’s a fair reading of the original record.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines
A new statement on the use of AI within BIFHSGO is being finalized, with details to follow. The main points are:
  • Authors are allowed to use AI at their discretion
  • Significant use of AI must be acknowledged by the author
  • All AI-generated references must be checked

The author remains responsible for all content, regardless of source.They strike a balance between embracing new tools and maintaining historical rigour. It would be helpful if the details addressed what constitutes “significant use.” It would be helpful to include cautions about inadvertantly feeding personal information of living relatives into public AI models when editing using AI,  and  respect for copyrighted material that may have been inadvertantly incorporated into AI databases.

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips: Ann Burns, Anonymous, Gail, Glenn Wright, Maria Laty, Teresa, Unknown.

 

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MyHeritage adds United Kingdom & Commonwealth, World War I Prisoners of War, 1914-1918

New to MyHeritage, 1,301,873 Great War POW records indexed from files originally compiled by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The RC traced captured and missing servicemen on behalf of their families throughout the war. Alongside the main British Army and Commonwealth file, the collection includes a separate file for servicemen reported missing at Gallipoli and the Dardanelles.

Entries typically include the name of the soldier, date and place of birth, place of residence, date and place of capture, and the camp or place of internment, along with rank, regiment, service number, and next of kin where available.

Checking for a man I know was a POW, MyHeritage found 11 entries for him in the collection, which added “captured near Zonnebeke, 8th Canadians” to what I already knew.  I hoped to find camp, exchange, and repatriation information. No luck.

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Findmypast Weekly Update

Military Medals Awarded to Foreigners by the British Government, 1914-1920

This new WW1-era set comprises 7,144 medal records. Expect to find Name, Rank, Regiment (when available), Publication, Publication Date, Event year, Section, Army, and Medal type.

Distinguished Medal Roll Awarded to Foreigners by the British Government, 1914-1920

A second new WW1-era title, with 4,235 records, includes similar information to the collection above.

Newspapers

261,688 new pages joined the newspaper archive this week, with five new mostly 19th century titles added and updates made to 44 existing publications from the late 19th century to the 21st. None are especially long runs.

New titles:

  • Ceylon Observer, 1892–1897, 1900–1917, 1919–1921
  • Hereford Mercury, 1877, 1879
  • Madras Male Asylum Herald, 1833–1836
  • Manchester Observer, 1818–1820
  • Theatrical Times, 1883–1884

Updated titles:

  • Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 2005
  • Birmingham Weekly Mercury, 2000
  • Black Country Bugle, 2002, 2005
  • Brecon County Times, 1898
  • Chester Chronicle (Frodsham & Helsby Edition), 2005
  • Cornish Evening Tidings, 1882–1883, 1885, 1890, 1900
  • Dumbarton Herald and County Advertiser, 1891
  • Dungannon News, 1907–1915
  • East Ham Recorder, 1913, 1916–1917, 1925
  • Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, 1891
  • Haddingtonshire Courier, 1884, 1889, 1891
  • Haltemprice & East Yorkshire Advertiser, 2002
  • Hamilton Herald and Lanarkshire Weekly News, 1914–1915
  • Iron Trade Circular (Rylands’) and Hardware Weekly Messenger, 1890
  • Ironbridge Weekly Journal and Borough of Wenlock Advertiser, 1876
  • Jarrow Guardian and Tyneside Reporter, 1889
  • Kidderminster Shuttle, 1875
  • Lichfield Post, 2005
  • Lincoln Target, 2005
  • Llanelli Star, 2000
  • Llanelly Mercury, 1893, 1912
  • Manchester Evening News, 2000
  • Mansfield & North Nottinghamshire Chronicle-Advertiser, 1988
  • Munster News, 1906
  • North Cumberland Reformer, 1897
  • North Wales Weekly News, 2001, 2003
  • Offaly Independent, 1894–1896, 1912–1913, 1919
  • Plymouth Herald and Devonshire Freeholder, 1866–1867
  • Rochdale Times, 1924
  • Scottish Press, 1858
  • Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, 2000, 2002
  • Smethwick Telephone, 1910
  • South Durham Herald & Post, 2002
  • Stafford Post, 2003
  • Staines Leader, 2000
  • The Record, 1830–1837, 1881
  • Times of Ceylon, 1945–1949
  • Times of India, 1958–1961
  • Wakefield Free Press, 1893
  • Westerham Herald, 1891
  • Widnes Weekly News and District Reporter, 2003–2004
  • Woking Informer, 2000, 2002
  • Y Dydd, 1885
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BIFHSGO October Monthly Meeting: RECOMMENDED

Join in person at Ottawa’s  Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) or online by registering here.

Preserving Family Archives/ 9 a.m. EDT

Presenter: Kyla Ubbink

Family documents, photographs, clippings, works of art, diaries, bibles, trinkets and treasures are the physical evidence that tell the stories of our ancestors. As genealogists, many of these pieces of history wind up in your care and knowing how to preserve them is paramount to ensuring their longevity. Kyla Ubbink will advise on implementing archival principles of preservation to the care of family memorabilia. Current and up to date practices for storing archival materials, how to detect processes of deterioration, and methods of intervention will be shared within the context of practical ‘at home’ application. Topics include proper boxes and enclosures, the use of albums, shelving, climate control, pest and mould prevention, basic cleaning and repair, and introduction to digitization.

Operating a private conservation studio since 2002, Kyla Ubbink began her career through an internship with the Library and Archives Canada’s conservation laboratories in 2000 and subsequent contract positions through to 2005. Her private practice, Ubbink Book & Paper Conservation, provides professional conservation, restoration and preservation consultation services to institutions, galleries, antiquities dealers, collectors, researchers and genealogists. Kyla’s work has been integral to the collections of the Canadian War Museum, Canadian Museum of Natural History, Parks Canada, Bank of Canada, Global Affairs, Crown and Indigenous Affairs, and numerous University, archive, rare book, and art gallery collections.

Kyla was a part time professor of Cultural Preservation for Algonquin College’s Archives and Records Management Program from 2007 through 2019. She has several publications in professional periodicals, is a regular presenter at conservation conferences, and provides workshops and lectures for community groups and heritage professionals. Kyla recently served on a Canadian Standards Review Board to assess and update the standard for “Permanence of Paper for Records, Books and Other Documents”. She has also fulfilled the role of treasurer and secretary for the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property’s Board of Directors.
https://bookandpaperconservation.com/

Casting the Past: Historical Storytelling / 10 a.m. EDT

Presenter: Pierre Brault

How do playwrights research their historical theatre productions? Ottawa actor/playwright Pierre Brault will describe the process he used to discover background information for his historical works featuring Patrick Whelan, Thomas MacKay and Colonel By, the central figures in three of his plays. Pierre will explain how he uses this information to animate their lives on the stage and will read from some of his most well-known works.

Pierre Brault is a multi-award winning actor/ playwright/ comedian whose solo works have been performed across the globe.
http://www.pierrebrault.com/

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The Family History AI Show: Episode 34

The outline for the latest episode was posted on 24 September.

I particularly appreciated Mark Thompson’s explanation of “setting up a scheduled agent that checks Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Library and Archives Canada, and other repositories each week for newly released records in the places he researches, and compares how Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini handle the job.” That looks like a way of helping with my more routine blog posts,

Toward the end Mark and co-host Steve Little had an informative discussion on calls to slow down AI development, separating real risks from headlines.

Here’s the complete outline

00:06 Family History AI Show Academy: Advanced Family History AI Course

01:35 Trends from the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference: Adoption Goes Mainstream

05:46 Today’s Headlines: A Preview of the Episode

In the News

07:18 New Features at Ancestry: Document Transcription and AI Stories

11:18 Artificial Intelligence Model News: Claude Fable 5.1, GPT-6 Astra, and Navier-Stokes

20:34 Another Round of Simplification: Claude Merges Chat and Cowork, Custom GPTs Retire

Tip of the Week

30:05 Scheduling Your Artificial Intelligence Agent: Weekly Checks for New Record Collections

RapidFire

42:56 Claude Memory: Editable, Project-Aware, and Worth Checking

49:50 Apple’s Smarter Siri (Again): Google Gemini Under the Hood

54:03 Calls to Slow Down Artificial Intelligence: Separating Real Risks from Headlines

Final Thoughts

1:16:53 Episode Wrap

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TheGenealogist adds centuries of Lincolnshire history for Lincolnshire Day

TheGenealogist is marking Lincolnshire Day, 1 October, with the release of new parish registers, marriage licences and local history
publications spanning the Tudor period to the early 20th century.

The newly released Lincolnshire publications include:
● The Registers of Coleby, Lincolnshire, 1561–1812
● The Parish Registers of Alford & Rigsby, 1538–1680
● The Parish Registers of Bourne, 1562–1650
● The Parish Registers of Gainsborough, Volume I, 1564–1640
● The Parish Registers of St Margaret in the Close, Lincoln, 1538–1837
● Lincoln Marriage Licences, 1598–1628
● Notices of the History and Antiquities of Spalding
● The Lincoln Pocket Guide (1880)
● Guide to Lincoln Castle (1924)
● J. Charles Cox’s Lincolnshire

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Weir(d?) Times at Library and Archives Canada

  • Lake Ontario
    “Library of Congress recently updated the Library of Congress Subject Heading term representing Lake Ontario to reflect the new name, “Lake America” designated to the lake by presidential executive order.
    Because this is a geographic region that largely exists within the boundaries of Canada, and to best reflect known Canadian terminology for the area, Library and Archives Canada has established Canadian Subject Heading (CSH) “Ontario, Lake (N.Y. and Ont.)”. This will ensure that libraries can continue to assign subject headings for the area using the Canadian name for the lake.”
  • Collection data export tool.
    Data nerds will love LAC’s new capability for downloading Canadian census data. Complete datasets are in CSV format, presently for 16 censuses from 1825 to 1931. You need to agree that the copy will be used for research and private study purposes only.  I can see this being useful for demographic studies.
    The 1901 census for Ontario, Part 1, has 500,000 rows, each for a person. The data is arranged in alphabetical order by last name, then first name. Strangely, the last name is in column EE, the first in column BA.
  • Shannon Lectures in History
    In a departure from long-standing routine, the Shannon lectures are being held at LAC this year rather than on the Carleton U campus. The first has already happened. The next, a hybrid event on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 7:00 pm, is Preserving Unremarkable Videogames with Dany Guay-Bélanger.
  • What’s in Collection Search?
    As of 29 September, there are 7,944,445 (7,942,117 on 22 September) items in the Archives section of Collection Search, 8,227,688 (unchanged) in the Genealogy section, 4,439,575 (4,438,807) in Library, including 827,605 theses, and 352,754 (352,748) in Images.
  • Maps
    LAC’s A to Z research guides and tools still has no entry for the map collection, and just four niche entries mentioning maps in the guide description. LAC can do better!

  • LAC Records New on Ancestry
    Canada, Mounted Police Records, 1873-1914, 6,624 entries
    Canada, Citizenship Registrations, 1857-1916, 8,416 entries
    These appear to be extracts from existing LAC databases. Gail Dever has a post with more details on her Genealogy à la carte blog.
  • Ādisōke Summer 2026 Update

https://childthemewp.com