Oh, Canada

Having read Nigel Beale's recent, disturbing account of Canada's national library and archives--large, empty exhibition rooms, slashed acquisition budgets, possible de-accessioning of collections--I asked our Fine Maps columnist, Jeffrey Murray, what he knew about the situation. Murray retired from Library & Archives Canada a few years back. He said he met with some former colleagues recently and "was quite taken aback by how demoralized they were." He also pointed me toward a Save Library & Archives Canada website, which I hope readers will take a moment to look at.

Here's a video posted to that site, in which Liam McGahern, president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Canada, explains his organization's opposition to changes underway at Library and Archives Canada.