[1]Library and Archives Canada [2], the Canadian Urban Libraries Council [3], and the Canadian War Museum [4] have officially announced a collaborative agreement for the delivery of Lest We Forget [5] workshops across Canada. These workshops allow students to consult and research primary source documents by looking through the military service files of Canadian soldiers, doctors or nurses who served in the First World War or who were killed in action in the Second World War.
Under the terms of the collaboration, librarians and other trained individuals across Canada will be able to organize and deliver Lest We Forget workshops using the online tools provided by Library and Archives Canada.
The workshops will be held in four libraries across the country as well as at the Canadian War Museum [4]. Current collaborating libraries include the Burlington Public Library [6], the Fraser Valley Regional Library [7], the Winnipeg Public Library [8], and the Toronto Public Library [9].
“We are delighted to see that our Lest We Forget project is being expanded,” said Dr. Daniel J. Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. “This new collaboration with the Canadian Urban Libraries Council and the Canadian War Museum will allow students from across Canada to experience a Lest We Forget workshop with a trained facilitator.”
“The opportunity to bring the popular Lest We Forget workshops and have access to these historical files in our buildings is one we are most excited about,” notes Carole Laguë, Chair of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council.
“Educating museum visitors and students about the service and sacrifice of Canada’s servicemen and women is a vital part of our mandate,” stated Mark O’Neill, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “We are pleased to be part of this collaboration, and to make our resources available to the Lest We Forget project.”
Plans are already under way to expand the workshops to other public libraries and to school boards that wish to participate in the Lest We Forget project.
The general public can visit Library and Archives Canada to access or to request copies of the military service files of Canadians who served in the First World War. Library and Archives Canada is in the process of forming collaborative agreements to digitize the remaining military service files and to enhance the overall accessibility of these documents for the general public.