Northern Research Legacies and the Future: A University Perspective

The North and Northerners have always faced major changes; in the 20th century, these included the air industry, the DEW Line, hydroelectric dams, mines and roads. Now Northerners are facing the greatest acceleration of changes on landscapes and in communities since the 1970s. On landscapes remote from communities is a diamond industry that could supply the world with 15% of its diamonds within three years; several thousand people will be employed. Petroleum exploration (seismic and drilling) is operating today at the highest level since the 1970s. Pipeline construction projects of a size greater than ever seen in North America are being proposed: the "Texas of the North" is the new vision. From a community perspective, wage employment in the Northwest Territories is higher than ever before (especially in the larger communities), and land claims and self-governance are in place or are being developed rapidly. But there is some unease. Climate change is a major, geographically widespread and multidimensional issue; contaminants are still a threat; and other health, education, and environmental protection issues are numerous. Some would argue that we are seeing accelerated cultural genocide with economic colonization; individuals argue that language, culture, and heritage need more protection than ever before. I would suggest that the 1970s issues are still with us today, and the urgency to find solutions is even more critical and pressing. There is also a need to reinterpret the 1970s information and to convert it into more usable forms. Much of this information was collected and stored in libraries and databases as private and public research collections were consolidated in the 1980s and 1990s. Major Canadian library databases include the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Library (INAC database with 66400 records), the University of Alberta Canadian Circumpolar Library (BOREAL database with 59 000 records), the Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary (ASTIS database with 50 000 records), and C-CORE (with 34 300 records). Stored in these libraries are hard-copy reports of such programs as the Arctic Gas project and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. The largest international and multidisciplinary digital database (almost one million records) is the Arctic and Antarctic Regions bibliography of the National Information Services Corporation (NISC), which includes the holdings of about 12 institutions, including those listed