Official Language Minority Communities

Library and Archives Canada helps to promote the documentary heritage of official language minority communities (OLMCs).

According to the Official Languages Act, Library and Archives Canada must promote the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. Specifically, it must take positive measures to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and support and assist their development. For this purpose, it established an internal advisory committee and two networks in 2019:

• the OLMC Archival Network
• the OLMC Library Network

Both networks cover a large part of the country and enable effective consultations with key players in the documentary heritage community. They also foster discussions on needs and programs, both at Library and Archives Canada and in member organizations. Additionally, they facilitate the creation of partnerships for various projects.

Completed or ongoing projects

• Providing support for training, mentoring and collaboration to increase expertise sharing
• Holding regular meetings as well as thematic workshops
• Producing the newsletter Documentary Heritage and Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)
• Carrying out research to assist, equip and better inform OLMCs, including
  • putting forward the concept of vitality of memory as a conceptual basis
  • analysis of provincial and territorial measures governing official languages in libraries in Canada
• Holding a national conference on the role of archives and libraries serving OLMCs, and on the challenges they face (2021)

• Members of the OLMC Archival Network

  Alberta

  Marcelle and Louis Desrochers Institute for Heritage Studies and Transdisciplinary Research on Francophonies, Saint-Jean Campus, University of Alberta

  Société historique francophone de l’Alberta

  British Columbia

  Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique

  Manitoba

  Centre du patrimoine, Société historique de Saint-Boniface

  New Brunswick

  Centre d’études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson, University of Moncton

  Nova Scotia

  Centre acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

  Ontario

  Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française, University of Ottawa

  Quebec

  Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network, Concordia University

  Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network

  Stanstead Historical Society

  Saskatchewan

  Société historique de la Saskatchewan

  Yukon

  Société d'histoire francophone du Yukon

Visit the OLMC Archival Network website for more information.

• Members of the OLMC Library Network

  Alberta

  Bibliothèque Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean Campus, University of Alberta

  Canada

  Commissariat aux langues officielles

  Manitoba

  Bibliothèque Alfred-Monnin, Université de Saint-Boniface

  Bibliothèque de Saint-Boniface (Winnipeg Public Library)

  Direction des ressources éducatives françaises, Ministry of Education of Manitoba

  New Brunswick

  Service des bibliothèques publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick

  Centre d’études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson, University of Moncton

  Nova Scotia

  Bibliothèque Louis-R.-Comeau, Université Sainte-Anne

  Ontario

  ABO-Franco

  Faculté de l’information, Université de Toronto

  Quebec

  Morrin Centre, Literary and Historical Society of Quebec

  Saskatchewan

  Le Lien – Centre fransaskois de ressources culturelles et pédagogiques, Collège Mathieu

Contact us

bac.closm-olmc.lac@bac-lac.gc.ca