Carrefour francophone is donating its archives to Laurentian University’s library and will also unveil an interactive online chronicle of its 60 years of history.
An official opening took place March 21 at Laurentian’s J.N. Desmarais Library.
Researchers now have access to abpit 120 boxes, or 142 linear metres, of documents produced by one of Sudbury’s major social and cultural institutions. As the first and oldest francophone cultural centre in Ontario, Carrefour francophone and its predecessor, Centre des jeunes, have played an important role in Sudbury’s socio-cultural development.
These archives, therefore, provide a rich source of material for historians and other researchers.
Marthe Brown, archivist at Laurentian University, considers these donated archives to be of high quality.
“They contain all sorts of things — abundant hand-written notes from the institution’s founder (Father Albert Régimbal), many high quality photos showing invited performers and dignitaries, photos of activities at the renowned Île-aux-Chênes summer camps along with their badges and ribbons, minutes from committees, posters, and publications such as the labour magazine Voix ouvrière and the news bulletin Franco-Passeport. Given the many roles played by this institution, its archives can provide source material for university research in many disciplines.”
For the general public, Carrefour francophone has also produced an interactive chronicle that can be viewed online at carrefour.ca/anniversaire.
Photos, period documents, recordings and videos are presented along a 60-year timeline where users can click on icons to reveal windows that present capsules about well-known personalities, volunteer efforts or memorable activities. This site will be of interest for the thousands of persons who have been involved with the Centre over the past six decades.
The site also accepts historical contributions from users who have interesting material to share.
Posted by Arron Pickard
