The Canadian Encyclopedia fonds provide a comprehensive and detailed record of one of the largest and most important cultural undertakings in Canadian publishing history. The records are extensive, and detail the process involved in producing a large reference publication from the inception stage through to final publication.
The fonds consist of approximately 13 metres of records, excluding illustrative material that is to be returned to the Archives at a later date. The material was donated to the University of Alberta Archives in 1986, and original order was subsequently disrupted in the re-boxing of records from binders, filing cabinets, and closets for transfer to the Archives. As well, some of the records were still active and being consulted in preparation for the second edition publication of The Canadian Encyclopedia. The volume of records has meant that the fonds will be arranged and described in three phases. Phase one, which this inventory represents, involved a complete overview of the entire fonds, the restoration, where possible, of original order, and the file level description of six of eight series.
Within each of these series, sub-series designations were assigned to better organize and describe the records. Each series is further described in an introduction preceding the series listing. Original file titles, if they existed, were retained by the archivist in the description. A subject and name index is found at the back of the inventory to further assist in locating specific information.
These records have tremendous research value. The administrative and financial records provide a complete business history of the project. Based on correspondence, internal memoranda, meeting minutes, and monthly reports, etc. the researcher is able to better understand how the publication was planned, produced, and delivered to the public. The internal operation of The New Canadian Encyclopedia Publishing Ltd. are revealed through the procedures manuals and internal instructions which outline operating practices, guidelines, and editorial methodology. The files also provide an original and comprehensive picture of the publishing business from a Canadian perspective. The article and entry files contain samples of work by top Canadian academic experts. Because the editors were constrained by space and subject limitations, not everything they received could be printed in the encyclopedia. The files complement the published record, indicating how articles were edited, categorized, and sometimes cut altogether. Material, not published in the Encyclopedia, is retained in the files.
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