OTTAWA, June 1, 2009 - On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Dean Del Mastro, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament (Peterborough), today participated in the launch of the Digital Collection Builder, developed by Canadiana.org with funding from the Government of Canada.
The Digital Collection Builder is an open-source software tool that makes it simple for libraries, archives, and other heritage organizations to provide access to their unique digitized collections. It brings their collections together with other Canadian online resources for Canadians and the world.
"Canadians want more online cultural experiences, particularly Canadian museum collections on various platforms," said Minister Moore. "Our Government is proud to support initiatives like these, which, in addition to the improved version of the Virtual Museum of Canada, will ensure the promotion of our culture by inviting Web-surfers from Canada and around the world to visit our collections and discover our arts, culture, and heritage."
"The Internet is so vast that digitizing collections of Canadian content is only the first step. Making them easily findable and accessible is equally important," said Mr. Del Mastro. "This is exactly what the new software will help our libraries, archives, and other heritage organizations do."
"On behalf of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, I thank the Government of Canada for its forward thinking in developing the Canadian Culture Online Program and for making it possible for a collective of not-for-profit organizations to apply for and receive funding for the purpose of making our documentary heritage available to all Canadians and to the world at large," said Ernie Engles, President of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.
"We look forward to a time when Canadian scholars and students, filmmakers and novelists, teachers and pupils and students of Canada everywhere in the world will be able, through a simple search on the Internet, to read the words of the builders of our country from the past and the present and to see the faces and cultural creations of Canadians, in French, in English, and in the other languages that contribute to Canada's culture, whether indigenous or immigrant," said Lynn Copeland, incoming President of Canadiana.org.
The Government of Canada contributed $199,556.40 to the Canadian Association of Research Libraries for the Alouette Canada Metadata Toolkit. This project was the basis of the Digital Collection Builder, now being launched by Canadiana.org. Canadiana.org is a leadership organization in digitizing Canada's documentary heritage.
Deirdra McCracken
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
deirdra.mccracken@pch.gc.ca
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
