Exploring how the Digital Legal Deposit process protects and preserves Canadian voices for generations
This week, our storytelling club took an important step in ensuring that our work will be preserved for generations to come. We submitted our first Digital Legal Deposit to Library and Archives Canada (LAC). The submission included the EPUB edition of our book Where Dignity Grows: Stories of Self, Others, Nature, and Community. While the process itself is straightforward—uploading the digital file along with basic publisher information—it carries great meaning. By depositing our publication, we are contributing to Canada’s national collection and making sure that our voices are part of the country’s permanent cultural record.
The Digital Legal Deposit program is more than a formality. Under Canadian law, all publishers are required to submit their works to LAC so that the nation’s published heritage can be preserved. This applies not just to print books, but also to digital formats such as e-books, PDFs, and websites. Once a work is deposited, it goes through verification and cataloguing before being added to LAC’s systems and shared with Voilà WorldCat, the national library catalogue. This ensures that researchers, educators, and libraries across Canada and beyond can discover and access the publication in the future.
For us as storytellers, this step is especially important. Depositing our book ensures that our stories won’t disappear into obscurity if digital platforms change or private servers fail. Instead, they become part of an enduring collection that reflects the diversity of voices in Canada. It also strengthens our legitimacy as a publishing group, showing that we follow professional standards that funders, libraries, and partners look for. Beyond that, inclusion in library catalogues opens pathways for greater visibility and even connects to the Public Lending Right program, which compensates authors when their works are available in public libraries.
In short, this week’s activity was about more than uploading a file. It was about preservation, access, and recognition. By making our deposit, we joined a long tradition of Canadian publishers and authors who contribute to the country’s collective memory. It is a reminder that every story matters, and that by following this process, we help ensure our voices will continue to be heard long after the moment of publication.
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