Remembering is a Form of Honouring: Preserving the COVID-19 Archival Record - February 2021

So, for example, Library and Archives Canada collects records of the Government of Canada and private records of national organizations and of national importance, a municipal archives would collect the records of its municipal government and private records of municipal organizations and of municipal importance, and so on. [...] 5 A “fonds” is, according to the Society of American Archivists’ Dictionary of Archives Terminology, “the entire body of records of an organization, family, or individual that have been created and accumulated as the result of an organic process reflecting the functions of the creator.” See for example the Libraries and Archives Canada Act, The Archives and Record Keeping Act of Manitoba or the Ci. [...] Likewise, the University of Saskatchewan’s University Archives and Special Collections (2020) has joined with the Digital Research Centre and a faculty member specializing in the history of medicine and public health to capture the history of the pandemic in that region. [...] Consent for deposit of biological materials in biobanks is the responsibility of the researcher in the first instance, and the biobank upon deposit, which might require further negotiations of consent after deposit depending on the circumstances.” To bring the secondary use and reuse of research records and data into alignment with the secondary use and reuse of biological materials would require:. [...] This is necessary to ensure the safety of materials collected and preserved, and of those who are undertaking the management of this difficult work.27 Conclusion The challenge of preserving a rich and diverse record of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada should concern future historians, archivists, records keepers and policymakers alike.