CARL plays a key role in advancing the preservation of Canada’s scholarly record—both print and digital—by fostering national discussions, supporting collaborative efforts, and developing strategic initiatives.
Digital Preservation
CARL supports the long-term stewardship of Canada’s digital scholarly record through national working groups, coalitions, and summits. The Digital Preservation Working Group (DPWG), established in 2016, brings together experts from academic libraries, archives, and related organizations to assess preservation capacity and develop strategies and training opportunities. Among its initiatives were the Canadian Web Archiving Coalition (CWAC), which focused on preserving Canadian web-based content, and the @Risk North summits, which advanced national conversations on digital preservation.
@Risk North 2: Digital Collections Summit
November 9, 2018@Risk North 3: Safeguarding the Canadian Digital Record
November 21, 2024 @ 09:00 - November 22, 2024 @ 17:00 ESTMobilizing Learnings from @Risk North3: Next Steps for Digital Preservation
June 20, 2025 @ 13:00 EDT
DPC RAM Benchmarking Project
CARL’s Digital Preservation Working Group (DPWG) is facilitating a national benchmarking exercise using the Digital Preservation Coalition’s Rapid Assessment Model (DPC RAM). This project fulfills one of the main recommendations from the final report of the 2024 @Risk North Summit, with the objective to gain insight into the status of digital preservation activities among Canadian organizations, helping us better understand the opportunities and challenges for capacity building and support for improvement.
A list of resources has been compiled for those undertaking the benchmarking project. The project will begin in Fall 2025 and is set to be completed by 2026. For more information or questions about the project, contact us at .
[CANCELLED] National DPC RAM Benchmarking Project: Office Hours
December 4, 2025 @ 12:00 EST[CANCELLED] National DPC RAM Benchmarking Project: Office Hours [in French]
December 3, 2025 @ 14:00 ESTNational DPC RAM Benchmarking Project: Office Hours
October 21, 2025 @ 13:00 EDT
Shared Print Preservation
CARL has been actively involved in shared print preservation efforts to ensure long-term content retention and access, particularly for Canadian materials.
- North: The Canadian Shared Print Network (2022) coordinates regional shared print initiatives and extends participation to libraries not yet in a shared print program. Sponsored by national organizations, North facilitates the consolidation and retention of print collections.
- Canadian Collective Print Strategy Working Group (2018-2020) was formed by CARL and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to develop a national strategy for collective print preservation. View their Final Report (2020).
- @Risk North (2017) Summit brought together stakeholders to discuss the challenges of shared print preservation, laying the groundwork for future initiatives.
- Earlier Initiatives: CARL has a long-standing history in print preservation, including the 2011 publication of a model for permanent conservation and participation in LAC’s Last Copies initiative.
Digitization
Digitization enhances the long-term preservation and accessibility of Canada’s documentary heritage while supporting research, education, and cultural engagement. Benefits include improved access, reduced handling of fragile materials, text searchability, and greater accessibility for print-disabled users.
- Student Voice Project, led by CARL, is developing an online portal of post-secondary student media with support from the Government of Canada.
- CARL Advocacy for Digitization: CARL has promoted digitization efforts in federal consultations, including the Digital Economy Strategy for Canada (2010) and the Canadian Digital Information Strategy (2007).
- Collaborative Digitization Efforts: CARL libraries have partnered with organizations such as Canadiana.org and the Internet Archive to digitize and provide online access to collections.
Preservation of Government Information
Libraries and archives play a vital role in preserving government information, but challenges such as data scale, digital fragility, and stewardship costs threaten its longevity.
- The Leviathan North Meeting (2015), inspired by the Center for Research Libraries‘ (CRL) 2014 Leviathan meeting, co-sponsored by CARL and CRL, gathered stakeholders to discuss challenges and collaboration in preserving government information. View the Final Report on Leviathan North (2015).
Theses and Dissertations Preservation
CARL members work collaboratively to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of Canadian theses and dissertations:
- Institutional repositories at CARL libraries collect and retain students’ theses and dissertations.
- Theses Canada, a partnership between LAC and nearly 70 universities, aggregates these works into a national collection, available in both microfiche and digital formats.
- @Risk North 3 Digital Preservation Summit Report (2025)
- Creating Digital Preservation Capacity Through Human Resource Development at Canadian Academic Libraries (2022)
- Canadian Web Archiving Symposium (2022)
- Key Issues Impacting Digital Preservation in Canada (2021)
- Final Report of the Canadian Collective Print Strategy Working Group (2020)
- @Risk North 2: Report of the Open Forum (2019)
- Final Report of the Survey on Digital Preservation Capacity and Needs at Canadian Memory Institutions, 2017-18 (2019)
- Final Report on Leviathan North (2015)
- Model for Permanent Conservation (2011)
- Digital Economy Strategy for Canada (2010)
- Canadian Digital Information Strategy (2007)