https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
The Canadian Encyclopedia is a national online encyclopedia which functions as a general information resource for the Canadian public. It provides visitors to the website with search capabilities to research a range of topic categories. Its main thrust, however, is in identifying and highlighting the people, places and events historically which have influenced the Canadian national identity. Unlike open content development which a feature of the Wikipedia encyclopedia , its content, maintenance and development is managed by Historica Canada with the financial support of the Canadian federal government and not-for-profit benefactors. Contributions are made by 5000 scholars and specialists who provide content without influence from special interests. (See also Wikipedia | The Canadian Encyclopedia)
Central mission
If culture is in fact the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, The Canadian Encyclopedia will strive to be the most comprehensive collection of Canadian stories online. (The Canadian Encyclopedia | About)
How is the Encyclopedia organised
The Encyclopedia is organised into topics each separated by three broad categories of People, Place, and Things, each covering facets of the same topics. The table below lists the facets and the current categories of topics:
| PEOPLE | PLACES | THINGS |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Culture | Arts & Culture | Arts & Culture |
| Business & Economics | Buildings & Monuments | Business & Economics |
| Communities & Sociology | Cities & Populated Places | Communities & Sociology |
| Education | Geographical features | Education |
| History/Historical Figures | Historic sites | History |
| Military | Military | Military |
| Nature & Geography | Parks & Nature Reserves | Nature & Geography |
| Politics & Law | Provinces & Territories | Politics & Law |
| Science & Technology | Transportation | Science & Technology |
| Sports & Recreation | Sports & Recreation |
How do facets affect access to topic information
Each of the topic categories are separated into these facets which carry a specific information focus. The table below shows how many content entries exist for a given category and facet as well as what the focus is for the entries.
| Category | PEOPLE | PLACES | THINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | Arts & Culture | Arts & Culture | Arts & Culture |
| Number of content entries | 5883 | 217 | 622 |
| Category focus | Individuals and groups who are known in Canadian arts and cultural scene past and present. | Physical locations such as theatres, museums which exist across Canada. | Events which have occurred or are recurrent across Canada. |
When choosing a topic category within People, Places, Things which will generate a menu sidebar with subtopics. In turn, selecting one of these will provide a further selection to Dig Deeper to a second level of subtopic.
Content type selection
In addition to sorting content by category and facet, it is possible to filter for content type. These include:
- Articles
- Timelines
- Collections
- Educational guides
- Quizzes
- Primary sources
- Memory project archives
- Videos
- Podcasts
Collections
There are 68 collections which organise topics more broadly into thematic groupings. If choosing the collection: Music in Canada, a menu sidebar appears on the lefthand side allowing a deeper exploration into areas such as Composers and Conductors.
Timelines
Timelines are chronological listings of events relating to a specific category. There are currently 74 timelines available with which to explore an aspect of Canadian history. For example, selecting the timeline for the province of Alberta, provides a chonological look at people and events of its history. A sidebar also appears which directs reading to specific dates and themes along Alberta’s timeline.
Educational material
Educators have access to resources which organise Encyclopedia content into teachable elements such as educational guides, primary resources, and interactive resources.
Overview of website features
This video offers an overview of the main menu and introduction to topic searches.
About Historica Canada
Historica Canada is a charitable organization that offers programs in both official languages that you can use to explore, learn, reflect on our history, and consider what it means to be Canadian.’ (Historica Canada | About Us)
Historica Canada maintains existing and develops new content for The Canadian Encyclopedia, which moves the choice of content more towards Canadian history and its peoples and away from other topic areas such as the current research in the sciences and engineering, etc.
History and background
The first edition [of the Canadian Encyclopedia], led by Publisher Mel Hurtig and Editor-in-Chief James Marsh, was accurately described by Hurtig as “the biggest publishing project in Canadian history.” It carried close to 3 million words in three separate volumes, featured more than 2,500 contributors and included more than 9,000 articles. It was an immediate, impressive success: the already-ambitious original print run of 154,000 copies had to be increased to 463,500 copies to meet demand. A second edition in 1988 included 500,000 new words; two years later, a five-volume Junior Encyclopedia was published. In 1991, Toronto-based publisher McClelland & Stewart acquired the Encyclopedia and eight years later Avie Bennett, the M&S chair and prominent philanthropist, transferred ownership to the Historica Foundation, of which he was also chair. (The Foundation was one of the forerunners of the current organization operating the Encyclopedia, now known as Historica Canada.) In 2003, the Encyclopedia incorporated the content of the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, which included some 3,000 articles and 500 illustrations.’ (The Canadian Encyclopedia | About)