Library and Archives of Canada - online search dysfunctional?

Hello,

I just tried to find the digitized war diaries of Canadian units - which I accessed without difficulty before. I think they meddled with the search engine - "improved" it, as they proundly announce - and now I cannot find anything anymore. Any similar observations?

 

I think so, yes.

Which war diaries are you trying to find again ?

 

North Nova Scotia Highlanders for March 1945 - I have it as a download, I just need the archival shelf number (or whatever they call) for a correct citation.

 

Try this link:

Collection search

 

I make use of the attached Excell list (Courtesy Dryan67) ... does this still work?

 

I thought I would try to replicate dryan's search and it didn't seem too hard.. type in the regiment name, filter to Archives, filter to 1940-49?

I think there is some question in my mind about whether it always properly searches for ALL the words you enter or not.

 

Thank you everyone - LAC confused me because they put "Machine Gun" in brackets behind the regimental name. So I thought they were referring to a different battalion - as the NNSH which fought at Bienen were definitely not a machine gun battalion...

Sorry about the trouble...

 

That is really peculiar! edit: they were an MG battalion from 1936-1941, apparently

 

Pre-war, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (M.G) was a machine gun battalion. Details of the unit were called out for local guards on August 26th, 1939, though "Details" consisted of the full battalion. The Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) battalion was authorized on May 24th, 1940 (General Order 184/40) as Serial 732. It mobilized at the New Arena, Amherst, Nova Scotia on June 6th, 1940 as an infantry battalion. It left Amherst on May 13th, 1941 and arrived the following day at Camp Debert, NS, where it joined the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade. It moved to Halifax on July 18th, 1941 on Train Schedule TS-314 and embarked for England on the SS Orion (E-216), sailing on July 21st, 1941.

 

Did you manage to find these war diaries I am really struggling to find them?

 

Yes, I did find the War Diary of the NNSH. This was while ago. Which ones are you looking for?

 

I am trying to locate June July and August 44 to be fair fron May to November 44 would be ideal I am trying to research the path of a medic from May 44 onwards - any ideas?

 

Did you have any joy in locating any of these files?

 

Hi Philip, does this work:
https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=927841&lang=eng&

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=927842&lang=eng&

 

Thank you so much for these I am now just missing May June July 44 so appreciate your help.

 

Builders say houses are too hard to construct because bricks are heavy.

Library and Archives Canada says records too difficult to digitize
The agency says that says historic records would be too difficult to digitize and make accessible to public because the “boxes must be physically retrieved from storage.”
Quinn Patrick
Aug 27, 2026

Library and Archives Canada has confirmed that nearly 900 million pages of historic records would be too difficult to digitize and make accessible to the public because the “boxes must be physically retrieved from storage,” while also citing the problem of removing “clips, staples and other fasteners.”

A Comprehensive Expenditure Review note obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter noted that “Seventy-eight percent of records, 860 million pages, are still inaccessible, underscoring the need for continued effort and reform.”

Article Paywalled But Here:
Library and Archives Canada says records too difficult to digitize

 

What.

Juno News is a gross right wing outfit. I'll look for another source.

 

Apologies.

I don't know anything about the politics of the site; the story was posted by a researcher on Twitter/X and it seemed odd enough to pass on here.

I had no intention of spinning the story in any political direction.

 

Sorry for bringing politics into it!

It is true that unlike what I understand of Kew, where you can go to the building, request a file, and have it delivered, that in Canada the storage of the archives and the access point (reading rooms?) are physically separated. So that does make it harder and more expensive, if the scanning can't be done at the storage facility, and maybe prohibitively so.

 

Some additional context:

Canada’s Archives Are in Trouble—and So Is Its History | The Walrus

Although the 10 days quoted is the maximum and I have learned that they can still get things in roughly the same amount of time as before. Perhaps they upped the quoted dates to reduce disappointments from researchers who showed up to find their material not there. (But 10 days is absolutely ridiculous.)