Extra news items 21 July 2015

Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning -

Malcolm Moody of the Archives CD Books Canada tells us that they are having their Mid-Summer SALE!! It is already under way and almost all of their Canadian made digital products have been reduced by 50%!! And you can’t afford to let a sale like this run for too long, so jump on the “bandwagon” while you can. 

To see what is on sale go to their “home” page at www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca/ and select the “CANADA” choice from the left hand column. (Or go to your favorite Province if you prefer.) 

Take a minute to look at these photos of Images of National Parks in Canada on Flickr. They are beautiful! 

The national parks are protected areas established under federal legislation to preserve Canada's natural heritage for public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment. The parks are maintained for future generations and have existed in Canada for well over a century. 

Go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157654902028592

Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that the fifth annual Toronto History Lecture will take place on Wednesday 5 August 2015 at the City of Toronto Archives.

As they mark the four-year centenary of the First World War, it is fitting that the topic of the 2015 Lecture is Returned Men: Toronto’s Veterans in the Great War’s Aftermath. Historian Jonathan Scotland will examine the consequences, aftermath, and impact of the War and how Toronto’s “returned men” tried to reintegrate into civilian life. 

This event is free to attend but advance reservation is required and space is limited. For details, visit http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/toronto-history-lecture/.

Until next time, this is what crossed my desk this morning.

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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/07/canadian-week-in-review-20-july-2015_20.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

LAC present photos of Residential Schools on Flickr

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) presents photographs from its collection of Residential Schools, taken between 1885 and 1996 on Flickr.

Flickr allows easy access to photos from the province or region of your choice. Right now, there are photos  from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba on Flickr. 

And if you want  good, print editions of the photograph, you can order a photo from the LAC. 

The Flickr package is at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157644658798142/ 

The history of Residential Schools is on http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/aboriginal-heritage/Pages/residential-schools-photo-sets.aspx

Toys and Games in Canada

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) sent out this notice yesterday about the history of toys in Canada, and pictures on their Flickr album -

"The joyful holiday season is the perfect time to introduce you to the Library and Archives Canada collection of photographs related to games and toys.

Although toys and games have existed since the dawn of time, it was only in the 19th century that the ‟toy” really came into its own in Canada. It was also during the Victorian era that toys and diversion were deemed beneficial to children, thereby kick-starting the mass production of playthings. At first, toys mainly came from England, Germany and the United States, but between 1860 and 1915, some 20 Canadian companies began to manufacture them as well. They were made of wood and generally mimicked miniature furniture, cars or horses.

The First World War slowed toy production in Europe, giving the Canadian toy industry the opportunity to flourish. New toys were produced, particularly battleships and construction sets. This is also when manufacturers started using a wider variety of materials, which resulted in copper, tin, iron, lead, and rubber toys. Plush dolls and animals, small lead soldiers, bugles and trumpets, rubber balls, hockey pucks and even humming tops could also be found.

In the 1940s, plastic was introduced in toy manufacturing; it was used to make rattles, beach toys, tractors, trucks and construction sets, as well as an array of tools. In subsequent years, large multinational companies emerged and completely diversified the toy-making industry".

Various outdoor games, such as croquet and lawn bowling have become popular. Children also enjoy games of strength, string, and chance, which are featured in our new Flickr album at www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157631912501393

Costumes and Halloween

The Library and Archives Canada has just put a virtual exhabit of Costumes and Halloween fancy dress balls that were hosted by Lady Aberdeen at Rideau Hall in Ottawa in the 1890s.

The exhabit is on Flickr at
www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157631684420843

Launch of a New Flickr Image Set: Hong Kong, 1941–1945

The press release was received from the Library and Archives Canada this week - 

"To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong, a new Flickr image set was added, which focuses on the Canadian prisoners of war liberated from a prison camp at the end of the war.

This image set is available at www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157627734394912

Past Flickr image sets include Canadian participation and activities during the First World War, Irish immigration to Canada and immigration and quarantine facilities at Grosse Île. These collections highlight different periods of Canadian history and delineate the stages Canada has faced to become the modern nation it is today.

We invite you to explore other image sets on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac, and encourage you to comment, tag, and share content".

Library and Archives Canada Launches Flickr

As a part of the Irish Symposium which took place at the LAC Monday and Tuesday at the beginning of this month, the LAC has put 84 images of the Irish-Canadian connection on www.flickr.com/photos/28853433@N02.

"The objective of the project is to explore new ways to improve access to Canada's documentary heritage," said Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. "Library and Archives Canada is excited about the opportunities that social media sharing communities provide for Canadians to discuss and contextualize an important selection of our collective history."

Visitors to Flickr.com can comment and tag the content of the pictures, and can explore history in the context of their surroundings by navigating the album on a virtual map of the world.

I was on the exhibit twice in the past few days, and find it to be very good. It gives both the Irish and Canadian view of each other from the turn of the 19th century, and it rounds out the perception of the Irish-Canadian had of each other of that time.

LAC is planning to put videos on YouTube later in the year.