Ian E. Wilson 

Highlights

Internationally renowned archival leader and scholar; chief archivist for two provincial archives (Saskatchewan and Ontario) and for Canada (National Archivist 1999-2004, and first head of Library and Archives Canada 2004-2009); chaired advisory committee which prepared an influential report on Canadian Archives (1980); advocate for archives, digital preservation and public access. 

Education and Background  

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Ian Wilson began his undergraduate studies at the Collège Militaire Royale du Canada in St. Jean, Québec, then transferred to Queen’s University, where he received his BA (1967) and MA (1974), both in history. His MA thesis was an analytical study of early Canadian cultural policy as exemplified through the history of the national archives of Canada.  

Professional Career 

Ian Wilson began his career at Queen's University Archives in 1967, serving as University Archivist (1970-1976). He moved on to become Provincial Archivist of Saskatchewan and Chair of the Saskatchewan Heritage Advisory Board (1976-1986)and subsequently served as Provincial Archivist of Ontario (1986-1999), also taking responsibility for the Ontario public library system for four years. In 1999 Wilson was appointed National Archivist of Canada. While in that role, he was Information management co-champion for the Government of Canada (2002). With Dr. Roch Carrier, he led the amalgamation of the Library and Archives Canada, as a visionary response to the demands and public expectations for comprehensive access to Canada’s documentary heritage in the digital age. He was appointed to head the new institution. he became the Librarian and Archivist of Canada in the newly amalgamated Library and Archives Canada (LAC). In that role he advanced the online presence of LAC and also significantly built its holdings. He negotiated the acquisition of the incomparable Peter Winkworth Collection, the family records of the Earl of Elgin and the fonds of prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. He retired from the Government of Canada in 2009and was named Librarian and Archivist of Canada Emeritus. 

Wilson next accepted the invitation of the University of Waterloo and OpenText Corporation to help establish the Stratford Institute, a national think tank focused on digital media. He has also taught as an adjunct professor in the Faculties of Information Studies and Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. In 2014 he became a special adviser to the Director-General of the National Archives of the United Arab Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi. He retired again in December 2020, returning to Ottawa.  

Wilson continues to assist the archival endeavor nationally and internationally while pursuing his research on his influential predecessor, Sir Arthur Doughty, Dominion Archivist 1904-35. He has spoken and published extensively on history, archives, heritage, and information management. 

Contributions to the Profession 

Throughout his career, Ian Wilson has been active in the profession both nationally and internationally. Most notably within Canada, he chaired the Consultative Group on Canadian Archives on behalf of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The Group's report, Canadian Archives(known as the Wilson Report) was published in 1980 and has been described as a milestone in the history of archival development in Canada.  More recently he led the Canadian Archives Summit in January 2014. Wilson has also been active in the broader historical community, serving as president of the Ontario Historical Society (1975-1976), the National Archival Appraisal Board and the Champlain Society (1995-2003). Internationally, he has served as International Council on Archives Vice-President (2000-2004) and President (2008-2012).  

Honours, Awards and Recognition 

• First recipient of Archivaria’s W. Kaye Lamb Prize for his article “A Noble Dream: The Origins of the Public Archives,” Archivaria15 (Winter 1982-83) 
• Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, awarded by the Government of France, 2003 
• Society of American Archivists Fellow, 2003 
• ACA Fellow, 2009 
• ICA Fellow, 2010 
• Honorary Doctorates from York University (D.Litt2001), Queens University (LL.D2009), and University of Saskatchewan (D.Litt2010) 
• Order of Canada Member, 2002; Officer, 2019 

Further Information 

• Ian Wilson website: https://www.ianewilson.ca/  
• Wilson, Ian. “Ian Wilson.” In The Encyclopedia of Archival Writers, 1515-2015.Edited by Luciana Duranti and Patricia C. Franks. Lanham, ML: Rowman and Littlefield, 2015. 
• “Ian E. Wilson”,  Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ian-e-wilson  
• Ian E. Wilson, Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_E._Wilson  
• Closing remarks at 2014 Canadian Archives Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDbFbdCMIFs

Photo source: https://bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/2009/may/21th.html  

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