I like poking around in HC. There's the thrill of discovery - what will I find today - but once I find something, I automatically want to know more about it. This is when we need to find our way back to LAC. There are other ways to search LAC - by collection title or mikan number to name two - but using the reel number gives more targeted results. Multiple results for a single reel reference number means there are multiple collections on one reel.
Tag: LAC-Library and Archives Canada
Don’t overlook free digital records with my Library and Archives Canada / Heritage Canadiana hack, part 1
This weekend, I noticed more than one reel digitized at HC with no indication at LAC. Maybe at some point in the future, LAC will sync seamlessly with HC and the two will work simultaneously. Until that happens, check for the "secret" reels.
Get ready to visit Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa
I had the pleasure of three days of research at the BC archives last August. It was my second visit there and I was much better prepared. I don't know when next I'll visit Ottawa so I mean to make the most of it. Already I know I won't see all that I want to see, nor will I have the capacity to spent eight hours/day reading microfilm. I'm planning a week when I need a month - every minute will be precious!
Explore the new Library and Archives Canada site (Oct 2022)
... Before, you went to Library Archives Canada's site, and then you went to the siloed databases. Like if you wanted "Immigrants before 1865," you search there. And then if you wanted "Russian Immigrants," you'd search there. So it was extremely difficult to find anything at Library and Archives Canada. And what was missing was a central collection search. Well, guess what, there is now a central collection search...
First and Second World War Files at LAC and Ancestry
On Remembrance Day I share my two most recent posts on the World Wars, PLUS Ancestry's free military collection offer, good to Nov 12th.
Requesting Second World War Files from LAC in Oct 2021: what you need to know now
In this post I share my experience in a recent application for a Second World War military service file, and then look at the surprising depth of military files online at Library and Archives Canada
Exploring First World War Files online at LAC: A Top 10 List
In this two part series, I begin exploring military files at Library and Archives Canada, beginning with the First World War.
Finding Mrs. Yip Sang: a case study of the General Register of Chinese Immigration 1885-1949 (Canada)
A case study for finding people on the General Register of Chinese Immigration 1885-1949
Order-in-Council PC 2115: When immigration met the X-ray machine
In this post I look at the follow up to the Chinese Immigration Act and share a startling period in Canadian immigration: the use of X-rays to determine the chronological age of Chinese teenagers and young adults. Put simply, X-rays were used to measure bone formation, called ossification, and by comparing the measurements of bone… Continue reading Order-in-Council PC 2115: When immigration met the X-ray machine
The prisoners of Kingston Pen, 1843-1890
I found a surprising cache of documents this week: historic prisoner records for Kingston Penitentiary. In this post, I'll share two finding techniques for prisoner records at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and at sister site Héritage Canadiana (Héritage). As noted in previous posts, the two sites share information, but I'm still working out their… Continue reading The prisoners of Kingston Pen, 1843-1890