The LAWG Resource Centre at Crawford St. Office circa 1975

From the very beginning of LAWG ‘s creation, information has been an essential and crucial element. A spring of 1969 report notes:

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“The key question at the beginning and throughout the year has been the ‘use of information’ actively and politically.”

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While information is important, knowing what to do with that information and how to share it is essential. LAWG became a key source of information and analysis not only for its own members but its allies in the struggle for social change.

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In the report from the Summer of Service Latin America Summer Project (1969) we read:
“It’s hoped that files or handbooks of solid groundwork and documentation done by the project would be made available for other students of Latin American affairs, and Canadian policy, for further research…”

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From these early research projects the LAWG Library evolved. The Library is a unique collection of material that reflects the areas of research undertaken by the LAWG staff and collective over the years. While always focusing on Canadian connections – especially government and corporate interests – the collection is especially strong on the countries of the Dominican Republic, Chile, Brazil and Central America. LAWG worked very closely with the churches, trade unions and other NGOs both in Canada and Latin America so their reports and information about their struggles are documented here.

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My relationship with the LAWG library began after I first went to the LAWG office in October 1980 and began volunteering early in 1981. When I finished library school in 1982 LAWG made a commitment to the library and hired me full time. Little did I realize how many years this relationship would last.

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When I began, the LAWG Library already filled the main floor of the office at 382 Harbord Street. The shelves that Nick built around the walls were full of periodical boxes and the sections were well organized. Ray O’Toole was working on the Brazil files. I learned so much about the struggles in the region during those years – reorganizing country files, filing articles, reading the periodicals and ordering new materials from progressive sources.

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LAWG worked closely with the Jesuit Centre and ICCHRLA so when those organizations asked if we were interested in having back issues of journals they received we agreed. I recognized how important it was that this material be saved for future research. So much of it was unique and not available elsewhere in Canada. Fortunately in the basement at 382 Harbord there was a small room that we were able to use for the back issues. Here is where we housed complete runs of the weekly Central America Report and the Latin American Weekly Report as well as other periodicals from Latin America. In 1986 the LAWG Library was separately incorporated as the Canada Latin America Resource Centre (CLARC) with charitable status.

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I left the LAWG staff in 1991 but continued to be part of the LAWG collective. In 1993
LAWG and the CLARC moved to Parliament Street. The library became part of Counterpoint: A Resource Centre for Global Analysis. I was on the board of Counterpoint until it disbanded in 1997.

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It was at this time that the organizations (including LAWG and TCLSAC) that had moved into 603 ½ Parliament Street were winding down. This meant that decisions had to be made about the records and holdings for the two LAWG entities – the archives of LAWG the organization from 1966 to 1996 and the LAWG Library.

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Knowing it was important that the LAWG Library be preserved for future researchers I approached Liisa North about the possibility of the library going to CERLAC at York University. I knew that CERLAC had been interested in the collection. When I met with Liisa I asked that the Library be kept intact as a separate entity within the CERLAC documentation centre. CERLAC was very obliging and convinced York of the value of the material and a separate room was built for the LAWG Library. On November 5, 1997 the Library was moved to its new home at CERLAC.

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Of the books that were in the combined library at Counterpoint, almost all of the English language books were donated to the Library of New College at UofT as part of their focus on the developing world. The Spanish language books were sent to CERLAC. This left the LAWG archives – 80 boxes containing 30 years of minutes from meetings, studies, correspondence, records of campaigns, tours, the bookstore and other research. Options were discussed via email about what to do with the material. Someone suggested it be burned!

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Fortunately for me (and not-so-fortunately for George, Nick and Joe Vise who were overseeing the maintenance on the building) the Counterpoint building didn’t sell until 2001 so the LAWG archives remained in storage there. At that time I was employed at the national office of the Anglican Church of Canada. In April 2001 I arranged for the boxes to be moved to the basement at 600 Jarvis Street.

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I was very relieved to have the LAWG archives at Anglican Church House. This gave me time to pursue other options for it. Already at the time there was talk about Church House moving. Fortunately this too turned out to be a lengthy process which gave us more time.

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In April 2002 I sent a letter to the York University Archives asking if they would be interested in acquiring the LAWG archives. Suzanne Dubeau, the assistant archivist wasinterested. She told me however, that the material would have to be weeded down to half its size. I continued to work on this throughout 2003 and 2004 after work and on some weekends. In September 2003 Louise and John came to see what was in the files. It was during this time that the discussions about a book on LAWG’s history started again. Suzanne Dudziak had offered to take the complete archives to Fredericton but in the end it was decided to send the bulk of the material to York. On June 9, 2004 the movers took 47 boxes containing the LAWG history to the York University Archives.

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During the weeding of the LAWG materials which took place in the basement at Anglican Church House, I had put aside farm meeting discussions, sensitive correspondence,  other things deemed to be sensitive and material I thought would be of interest for the book project. This amounted to 4 boxes of material which were shipped to Suzanne in Fredericton. She and Janice have made use of this material for the History Project.

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What a relief it was to have both the LAWG Library and the LAWG Archives finally settled.

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And then in 2006 Liisa was in touch to say that CERLAC was going to be moved to the new research tower that was being built at York University. Would I be able to help get the LAWG Library ready for the move? This meant going to York on Saturdays about once a month throughout 2007 and 2008 to again go through the boxes that we had moved to CERLAC. After a job loss in November 2008 I was able to go more often in 2009 to continue this work.

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There were over a hundred boxes of periodicals. First Liisa and I went through them together to decide what were the unique items that should be saved (journals that were in the Scott Library already didn’t need to be kept). However most of the Latin American material was unique in Canada. Publications from revolutionary organizations are not easily found elsewhere.

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You will remember that while still at Harbord we had agreed to store journals from the Jesuit Centre and ICCHRLA. These were sorted through and duplicates weeded out. I also made a list of all the items in each box. This became a 147-page list of contents. The most difficult part of that whole process for me was when Liisa told me that the LAWG Library would not be going into the CERLAC doc centre in the new research tower. There wasn’t room in the area allocated for the doc centre. The LAWG Library would be going to the York University Archives – essentially into storage. On the one hand it would be safe and still accessible but I was concerned that no one would know it was there.

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Early in September 2009, 270 boxes containing the LAWG Library of country files, subject files, corporation files and periodicals was moved to the York University Archives. The Archives agreed only to store the material. They would not be accessioning it for permanent deposit.

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And there the Library has remained. The material is accessible and has been used – but only because Liisa refers students to it and I tell them which boxes they should request. How to make the material better known and more widely used has remained a key issue. CERLAC has continued to value the material in the LAWG Library. And now it seems the Library is on the move again. More space has become available to CERLAC for their doc centre. So now Liisa and I are once again working to move the collection. We are working on a plan for housing and moving the Library back to the CERLAC doc centre. While having the LAWG Library stored in the York University Archives has meant it is secure, it certainly has not allowed for browsing or easy access. The question of how to ensure continued accessibility to the material once Liisa and I are not actively involved is a major concern. I believe that the collection will be used more once it is back with the CERLAC doc centre.

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