Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is planning to digitise 640,000 personnel service files of members of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The records were transferred to the LAC twenty years ago. The digitisation project is taking place to mark the Centennial of the First World War.
The records are the LAC’s most heavily consulted collection, amounting to about 3,300 requests each year.
The LAC has stated that it is “imperative” that it takes action to preserve the “rich resource”. Making sure that the records are accessible to all Canadians is also a motivation behind the digitisation.
As part of the First World War commemorations, Canadians will be able to research high-quality digital copies of all service files, “anytime and anywhere”, by 2015.
The records will be uploaded to the LAC’s website as they become available.
Source: Library and Archives Canada press release
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News