Greetings Grandpa and Grandpa

Although I never knew him, every day when I walk through the main hallway of Province House in Nova Scotia, I can greet my great-great-grandfather James McDonald. He served as the federal Minister of Justice and features prominently in a composite photograph commemorating the 1878 installation of the Marquis of Lorne as Governor General of Canada. In another room, he’s featured with another of my great-great-grandfathers, Samuel Leonard Shannon.

James McDonald was born in Bridgeville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 1828 to a poor Scottish farming family. In beginning his legal career, James articled under the very conservative Martin Isaac Wilkins. He must have held his mentor in high regard; not only did he change his political stripes, but he also married Wilkins’ stepdaughter. Moreover, he disregarded highland Scot tradition and named his first-born son after his father-in-law instead of his father. James successfully stood for election in 1863 as a Liberal Conservative and was appointed the Railway Commissioner in Charles Tupper’s government. James fought for the government to build a railway from Truro to Pictou; he did win that fight, but only after he became the financial secretary in 1864 and appropriated the necessary funds.

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A Focus on Parliamentary Libraries

Article 2 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

A Focus on Parliamentary Libraries

In an age when information is at your finger tips, when answers to a query are a quick Google search away, and when the number of print publications and the need for physical copies of books is in decline, should we be asking the question: whither the library?

In this theme issue on parliamentary libraries, the Canadian Parliamentary Review provides some answers, and finds that while their role has shifted over the years, parliamentary libraries remain an important resource for the people and institutions they serve.

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Legislative and Parliamentary Libraries in Canada: Two Hundred Years of Service, Support and Information

Article 3 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Legislative and Parliamentary Libraries in Canada: Two Hundred Years of Service, Support and Information

Legislative and parliamentary libraries have come a long way from their humble (and sometimes informal) beginnings. In this article, the authors trace their history, outline their roles and functions, discuss some challenges they face, and look to future development. While each legislative and parliamentary library is unique, reflecting local needs and histories, they also share common responsibilities to parliamentarians and legislative staff as they do the work of parliamentary democracy. The authors note how the founding of the Association of Parliamentary Libraries in Canada/L’Association des bibliothécaires parlementaires du Canada (APLIC/ABPAC) has permitted the country’s parliamentary libraries to work together to identify and share best practices. They conclude by suggesting that these libraries will continue to monitor trends, evolve and adapt to new technology as they look to the future.

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Parliamentary Libraries, Trusted Allies in the Fight Against Fake News

Article 4 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Parliamentary Libraries, Trusted Allies in the Fight Against Fake News

Parliamentary libraries are stewards of objectivity and truth for their clients; they were combatting fake news long before that term hit the headlines. In this article, the author explores the concept of fake news, outlines how parliamentary libraries across the country have undertaken initiatives designed to educate their clients and the public about disinformation, and lists some of the procedures researchers in these libraries have adopted to ensure they provide objective and non-partisan information for their communities.

Carolyne Ménard
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Controlling the language used to describe the topics raised in the Parliament of Canada: A political and linguistic challenge

Article 5 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Controlling the language used to describe the topics raised in the Parliament of Canada: A political and linguistic challenge

Words matter – especially in a bilingual environment where there are political sensitivities. As an impartial resource for Canadian parliamentarians (and others) that produces and collects many documents, the Library of Parliament maintains a controlled vocabulary internally to facilitate access. In this article, the author outlines the Library of Parliament Subject Taxonomy and discusses two challenges related to its development: language neutrality and the interlinguistic equivalence of concepts between English and French.

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Research Librarians at the Library of Parliament

Article 6 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Research Librarians at the Library of Parliament

When you have questions, the Library of Parliament’s research librarians can help you find answers. As a part of the Library’s Parliamentary Information and Research Service (PIRS), some of these research librarians are embedded in its multidisciplinary sections while others are based in the Library’s five branches. In this article, the authors trace the emergence of research librarians back to the early days of widespread Internet use, explain how their role has evolved, and offer examples of how they collaborate with the library’s analysts to provide information products and training. They conclude by noting this organizational structure provides librarians with opportunities to develop expertise in a given subject area and provides analysts with the support they need to serve individual parliamentarians and parliamentary committees and associations.

Michael Dewing and Meghan Laidlaw
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Parliamentarians Discuss Parliamentary Libraries

Article 7 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Parliamentarians Discuss Parliamentary Libraries

As one of the principal clients of Parliamentary Libraries, many parliamentarians see the inherent value in these institutions – even if their own jurisdiction doesn’t have one. In this modified roundtable discussion, the Canadian Parliamentary Review has compiled interviews with four parliamentarians discussing how and why they use their Parliamentary Library, or what they do when they don’t have access to one.

Participants: Shane Getson, MLA, Liz Hanson, MLA, Nathan Neudorf, MLA and Kevin O’Reilly, MLA
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Legislative Libraries in a Consensus Government: Familiarity within the Distinct

Article 8 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Legislative Libraries in a Consensus Government: Familiarity within the Distinct

Two of Canada’s three northern territories use a Consensus government model in their legislative assemblies. Some of the unique features of this system are visible in how their parliamentary libraries are situated and used. In this article, the authors outline how parliamentarians and other clients in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut access the libraries’ resources in a way that reflects the openness and the cooperation associated with this method of governance.

Gerry Burla and Riel Gallant
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Specialized Resources for Parliamentary Libraries

Article 9 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Specialized Resources for Parliamentary Libraries

Parliamentary libraries are specialized environments, requiring dedicated and unique resources to support their client-centered reference service. Staff add value to collections and information sources using their knowledge and understanding of the local parliamentary context. Examples provided from Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador highlight the customized products and tools developed by these libraries to meet the needs of parliamentary library clients.

Heather Close and Andrea Hyde

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Treasures of the Library of Parliament

Article 10 / 15 , Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Treasures of the Library of Parliament

The Treasures of the Library of Parliament include items from its rare books, art and artefacts collections, as well as the architecture and fixtures of the Library building itself. This article, which highlights each of these four facets, was compiled from submissions written by the Library of Parliament’s Preservation Group for the Library’s Treasures web page.

Compiled by Lane Lamb, Janet Bennett, Josée Gagnon, and Dominique Parent
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