Access to Knowledge in Canada
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 6:00 am
The Internet Archive Canada asked Lila Bailey to report on the policy landscape for digital libraries in Canada. This is a summary of her report: Looking good.
On September 30th, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind transferred accessible books in audio format to Australia through the book service of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC). This transfer occurred without the legal obligation to request permission from the copyright owners. This effort was made possible by the Marrakesh Treaty, which creates exceptions in copyright law for the print-disabled. As we previously noted, Canada was the 20th signatory to the treaty, triggering it to enter into force.
Canada has made great strides towards increasing access to human knowledge telegram data in recent years. Judicial and legislative developments have brought balance into the law, ushering in more opportunities for public access and use of copyright protected works. And now, with the Marrakesh Treaty entering into effect, it seems a good a time to highlight Canada’s contributions to the world’s accessible digital heritage.
Our sister organization, Internet Archive Canada, has digitized more than 530,000 books, microreproductions, archival fonds, and maps. Libraries and institutions that have collaborated with, financially supported, and contributed material to IAC stretch across the entire country, from Memorial University in Newfoundland to University of Victoria in British Columbia. Internet Archive Canada has been working on accessibility projects, and has digitized more than 10,000 texts in partnership with the Accessible Content E-Portal. To date, this material has only been available to students and scholars within Ontario’s university system. Joining the Marrakesh Treaty now makes it possible for accessible versions of works to be shared more broadly within Canada, and with the other countries that have ratified the treaty.
Canadiana is another group that has helped to advance access to knowledge in Canada. Initially created by Canadian Universities in 1978 to microform National Library collections, Canadiana has more recently worked to digitize Canadian heritage with a focus mainly on public domain printed materials. The University of Toronto Library has also developed full-text digital collections, primarily consisting of public domain materials. These special collections contain a wide variety of items, including over 200,000 books, over 600 archived versions of local government websites, Canadian pamphlets and broadsides, and a fine art repository among many other materials. Similarly, the University of Alberta has developed an open access digital portal called Peel’s Prairie Provinces – a collection containing both an online bibliography of books, pamphlets and other materials related to the settlement and development of the Canadian West, as well as a searchable full-text collection of digital version of many of these materials. The portal allows access to a diverse collection that includes approximately 7,500 digitized books, over 66,000 newspaper issues, 16,000 postcards and 1,000 maps.
The above are just a few examples of Canadian efforts to bring analog materials into digital form to allow increased access to knowledge. Many more such projects can be found via the Canadian National Digital Heritage Index (CNDHI). Supported by funding from Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, CNDHI is designed to increase awareness of, and access to digital heritage collections in Canada, to support the academic research enterprise and to facilitate information sharing within the Canadian documentary heritage community.
On September 30th, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind transferred accessible books in audio format to Australia through the book service of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC). This transfer occurred without the legal obligation to request permission from the copyright owners. This effort was made possible by the Marrakesh Treaty, which creates exceptions in copyright law for the print-disabled. As we previously noted, Canada was the 20th signatory to the treaty, triggering it to enter into force.
Canada has made great strides towards increasing access to human knowledge telegram data in recent years. Judicial and legislative developments have brought balance into the law, ushering in more opportunities for public access and use of copyright protected works. And now, with the Marrakesh Treaty entering into effect, it seems a good a time to highlight Canada’s contributions to the world’s accessible digital heritage.
Our sister organization, Internet Archive Canada, has digitized more than 530,000 books, microreproductions, archival fonds, and maps. Libraries and institutions that have collaborated with, financially supported, and contributed material to IAC stretch across the entire country, from Memorial University in Newfoundland to University of Victoria in British Columbia. Internet Archive Canada has been working on accessibility projects, and has digitized more than 10,000 texts in partnership with the Accessible Content E-Portal. To date, this material has only been available to students and scholars within Ontario’s university system. Joining the Marrakesh Treaty now makes it possible for accessible versions of works to be shared more broadly within Canada, and with the other countries that have ratified the treaty.
Canadiana is another group that has helped to advance access to knowledge in Canada. Initially created by Canadian Universities in 1978 to microform National Library collections, Canadiana has more recently worked to digitize Canadian heritage with a focus mainly on public domain printed materials. The University of Toronto Library has also developed full-text digital collections, primarily consisting of public domain materials. These special collections contain a wide variety of items, including over 200,000 books, over 600 archived versions of local government websites, Canadian pamphlets and broadsides, and a fine art repository among many other materials. Similarly, the University of Alberta has developed an open access digital portal called Peel’s Prairie Provinces – a collection containing both an online bibliography of books, pamphlets and other materials related to the settlement and development of the Canadian West, as well as a searchable full-text collection of digital version of many of these materials. The portal allows access to a diverse collection that includes approximately 7,500 digitized books, over 66,000 newspaper issues, 16,000 postcards and 1,000 maps.
The above are just a few examples of Canadian efforts to bring analog materials into digital form to allow increased access to knowledge. Many more such projects can be found via the Canadian National Digital Heritage Index (CNDHI). Supported by funding from Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, CNDHI is designed to increase awareness of, and access to digital heritage collections in Canada, to support the academic research enterprise and to facilitate information sharing within the Canadian documentary heritage community.