Creating the first cultural digital library in Canada’s North – U of A

August 18, 2015

Professor leads project to bridge the information gap for some of Canada’s most isolated people.

(Edmonton) When you live 400 kilometres from the nearest library, getting information can be a real challenge. Professor Ali Shiri of the University of Alberta’s School of Library and Information Studies is leading a project to address this issue. Together with co-investigator Dinesh Rathi, Shiri and a team of collaborators have begun to bridge the information gap for some of Canada’s most isolated people with a project called Digital Library North.

Currently, people in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region—an area that spans 90,650 square kilometres—must travel to the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre to access hard-copy information. The challenges with distance and winter above the treeline limit the access. The SSHRC-funded project will create a digital library infrastructure to address the unique information needs in Canada’s northern regions over the next three years

Read More: https://uofa.ualberta.ca/news-and-events/newsarticles/2015/august/creating-the-first-cultural-digital-library-in-canadas-north