The Canadian Memory Fund: Digital Archives, Historical Consciousness and the CBC/Radio-Canada

Abstract

This study examines the efficacy of the Canadian Memory Fund to advantage the use of digital archives for the purposes of developing historical consciousness in Canadian students and life-long learners. The perceived significance of digital archives to this end is reflected in the launch of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s (PCH) Canadian Culture Online Program (CCOP) in 2000. Employing a qualitative research design, this study examines how PCH defined the challenges to Canadians’ historical memory, and conceived of a technological solution to this inherently cultural and educational challenge. Using a case study, the strategies deployed by the CBC and Radio-Canada digital archives units, funded recipients of the CMF, to achieve the intended goals of the CCOP, and whether the resulting websites meet the technical criteria for the study of historical consciousness, are examined.