The National Japanese Canadian Digitization Strategy, developed in partnership with the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, is now available for download!
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This strategy is an official policy that will be adopted by the NNMCC and JCCC to help identify and prioritize records from our collections for digitization. We share this strategy widely across Canada to encourage archives, museums, galleries, and heritage organizations to help us meet our goal to increase the preservation and access of records created by and about Japanese Canadians.
Since 2010, the NNMCC and JCCC have worked collaboratively on grant-funded digitization projects, which are chosen internally based on milestone anniversaries, collections that are similar in theme, or collections at risk of deterioration and loss. Recognizing the crucial need for an official digitization strategy, we aim to broaden the scope and content of our digitized archives and museum collections actively. This will facilitate greater access to the captivating history and heritage of Japanese Canadians.
Research and Strategy
The project team, consisting of members from the NNMCC and JCCC researched and developed of this strategy. Firstly, the project team performed research into pre-existing digitization strategies across Canada. This original strategy is a combination of archival industry standards, and the unique needs identified for the preservation of Japanese Canadian history and heritage.
In addition to internal research, the development of this strategy relied on community consultation with individuals who self-identified as Japanese Canadians and those interested in Japanese Canadian history and heritage. Over two hundred individuals participated in an online survey and eight online and in-person community consultation sessions. These sessions explored what types of records and subjects in Japanese Canadian history the community would like to see digitized and made available online. In addition, nearly forty community members volunteered as consultants to read advanced drafts of the strategy and offer feedback. We thank the contributions of all community members who participated in the consultation and feedback sessions for this strategy.
Available now to download the digitalized strategy.
Within the strategy, users will encounter the framework developed by the project team to categorize and identify records of high priority for digitization. Digitization is performed by archives and museums to preserve records and increase access to the collection. The key criteria identified are: the physical condition, research demand, and informational value of the records; milestone anniversaries and time periods of the records; the representation of women, LGBTQ2S+ people, and people with disabilities; and the themes/subjects contained within the record itself. The themes and subject categories section in particular was guided by the community consultation sessions and feedback from the project consultants. The strategy also includes a short list of archival definitions and Japanese Canadian terminology to aid in the most current preferred language used for describing certain events, people, or topics in the Japanese Canadian community.
This strategy is a living document and is subject to change upon review.
We acknowledge with gratitude support from the National Association of Japanese Canadians, the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, the Kamloops Japanese Canadian Association Museum & Archives, and the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum. Moreover, our strategy aims to support our Japanese Canadian organizations across Canada, and to connect us in the digital age.
This strategy was funded by the Government of Canada Digital Access to Heritage – Museum Assistance Program.
To learn more about our Collections, contact:
Lisa Uyeda, Collections Manager
[email protected]
604-777-7000 ext 140
National Japanese Canadian Digitization Strategy project team:
Rebecca Sekine, Policy Analyst, NNMCC
Lisa Uyeda, Collections Manager, NNMCC
Sherri Kajiwara, Director | Curator, NNMCC
Theressa Takasaki, Archives and Collections Manager, JCCC
Su Yen Chong, Heritage Manager, JCCC
Sandy Chan, General Manager, JCCC
Edited by Kelly Fleck and Kara Isozaki
Design and layout by Danielle Jette
French translation by France Jodoin