Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is the federal archive and library of Canada, established in its current form in 2004 through the merger of the National Archives of Canada and the National Library of Canada. It is headquartered in Ottawa and operates regional reading rooms.
LAC holds federal Canadian government records, including pre-Confederation records of provincial governments where these were transferred to federal custody following Confederation in 1867. For Oak Island research, this includes certain colonial-era court records and Crown-administration records pertaining to Nova Scotia. Portions of the Halifax Court of Vice Admiralty records, including testimony involving Crown property and prize jurisdiction relevant to the legal context of treasure-trove, were transferred from Nova Scotia to federal custody during the early twentieth century.
Researchers should note that LAC has restructured its online catalogue and digital-collections platform repeatedly since 2010, and historical URLs frequently no longer resolve. The current portal is at library-archives.canada.ca; the prior bac-lac.gc.ca address has been retired.
What this source documents
Pre-Confederation Nova Scotia government records transferred to federal custody, including portions of the Halifax Court of Vice Admiralty records bearing on Crown property and prize jurisdiction relevant to treasure-trove law; federal Canadian government records of the post-Confederation period bearing on Nova Scotia and Mahone Bay administration.
Why it matters
For Oak Island research questions involving pre-Confederation Crown administration and the legal framework under which the early treasure-hunting companies operated, LAC holds material complementary to that at Nova Scotia Archives. Direct Oak Island documentary material is limited; the archive's relevance is primarily contextual.