Letter

64 The following letter, signed by twelve members of the staff of the University of Alberta (including the Provincial Librarian of Alberta and the President of the University) urges the National Library of Canada to undertake a comprehensive reprint program of Canadian materials in both English and French. Readers of the Journal who support the proposal are invited to let the National Librarian know of their interest. January 12, 1970 The Librarian The National Library of Canada Dear Mr. Sylvestre: The undersigned write to urge the National Library of Canada to initiate and implement a comprehensive programme of reprinting scarce written materials of Canadian interest in fullsize facsimiles, or micro-print, or both, so as to make such materials available to Libraries wherever. As to this Canadian programme we argue: a) that there is a great need. We submit, appended , a list of some Canadian titles for which there is a strong demand. b) that there is a fresh and valuable kind of Canadian consciousness or sense of ourselves stirring and that such a programme at once acknowledges this consciousness and helps to enlarge it. c) that there is recently an increased interest in Canadian studies as evidenced by more offerings and larger enrolments in Canadian courses, by more conceptions or actual births of Departments of Canadian Studies in Canada and in America, by the founding recently of two more Canadian University Presses, by the founding and success of the Journal of Canadian Studies, and by recent advocacy of the C.A.U.T. for Canadian course content. The reproduction of scarce Canadian materials would help supply this interest. d) that apart from the demand in centres specifically seeking material to support Canadian studies, a well conceived reprint programme with well produced material can expect to make sales to almost every University Library and to many Public Libraries in the English and French speaking world. (Edge, for instance, a Canadian little magazine not of compelling interest to everyone, was subscribed to by very nearly all the University Libraries in Canada and by 64 Libraries in the States) . vVe should note how many American Reprint Series have been successfully marketed such as: Early American Imprints (Readex), American Culture Series (University Micro), American Fiction Series 1774-1860 (Garret Press) , Selected Americana (Lost Cause Press), Major Works of American Literature (Readex . The sales figures for M. G. Hurtig's Canadian Reprint Series allow us to expect that there would be also a good market amongst private buyers. The programme, then, can be expected to pay its own way. e) that it is most fitting that the National Library of Canada, the Canadian Library of Repository, should initiate and carry out the programme. \Ve suggest that: a) much careful thought be devoted to the selection of materials, to the form or forms of reproduction, to the printing firm or firms selected, to the distribution of the series. Good selection we would think, would depend on, firstly, the creation of a strong advisory board composed of learned Canadians, and secondly on the effective generation of data from interested users, perhaps particularly, academics. Good production and distribution would depend on the creation of a strong working secretariat, presumably drawn mostly from the National Library itself, but not excluding persons expert in production, or those versed in the book trade. b) the setting up of the programme needs careful planning but a beginning step (essential but inexpensive) would be to discover what Canadiana titles already exist in reprint form, from such firms as Kraus, Johnson, M. G. Hurtig, etc. and to disseminate that information to the Libraries of the world in a bibliographical pamphlet. This pamphlet could also contain the prospectus for the National Library Programme just proposed. SIGNED Bruce Peel, Henry Kreisel, Lilian Leversedge , N. J. Parker-Jervis, R. T. Harrison, Dorothy Livesay, Rudy Weibe, R. G. Moyles , Gerald McCaughey, Diane Bessai, R. G. Motut, and Max Wyman. Revue d'etudes canadiennes ...