Stelco, Sears Canada and CN Rail: archival sources of advertising and marketing history in the Library and Archives Canada collection

Abstract

Purpose The archival records of Canadian corporations held by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) are a rich source of primary documents for the study of the history of marketing and advertising in Canada. The paper discusses the records of iconic department store Sears Canada, steel manufacturer Stelco, and Canadian National, the country’s largest railway, provide primary source material on marketing, sales, catalogues, promotions, celebrity endorsements, sponsorship of charitable causes and other areas of publicity. Additionally, discussing archival records provides a case study of the major archival processes involved in making historical documents available to researchers and the general public, including appraisal and evaluation, archival processing, preservation and digitisation. Design/methodology/approach The paper discusses and highlights primary source archival records for the study of marketing history. These archival fonds are unique primary source records that document three historically significant Canadian corporations and their roles in Canadian history. Findings The archival records of Canadian corporations held by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) are a rich source of primary documents for the study of the history of marketing and advertising in Canada. The records of iconic department store Sears Canada, steel manufacturer Stelco, and Canadian National, the country’s largest railway, provide primary source material on marketing, sales, catalogues, promotions, celebrity endorsements, sponsorship of charitable causes and other areas of publicity. Additionally, discussing archival records provides a case study of the major archival processes involved in making historical documents available to researchers and the general public, including appraisal and evaluation, archival processing, preservation and digitisation. Originality/value The archival records of Canadian corporations held by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) are a rich source of primary documents for the study of the history of marketing and advertising in Canada. The records of iconic department store Sears Canada, steel manufacturer Stelco, and Canadian National, the country’s largest railway, provide primary source material on marketing, sales, catalogues, promotions, celebrity endorsements, sponsorship of charitable causes and other areas of publicity. Additionally, discussing archival records provides a case study of the major archival processes involved in making historical documents available to researchers and the general public, including appraisal and evaluation, archival processing, preservation and digitisation.