shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada)?

Not disclosed - bac-lac.gc.ca

Depends. This is Library and Archives Canada — a free government archive, not software you buy. Use it if you need Canadian records or genealogy sources; skip it if you expected a purchasable product.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources; many snippets truncated, so quotes and details are partial.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Search & view

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Copy & certification servicesFees apply

Best for

  • Genealogists tracing Canadian roots
  • Citizenship and proof-of-record researchers
  • Historians and academics
  • Heritage groups seeking grants

Not for

  • Software buyers — it is a public archive, not a product
  • Non-Canadian records research
  • Teams needing SLA-backed uptime or support
  • Commercial records management

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Restricted documents need a blanket authorization letter; LAC will not accept email requests.

medium

Copy fees vary by order type; check the fee schedule before ordering.

medium

Search outages and 403 errors recur; verify access before planning research trips.

low

Track archival orders yourself; fulfillment takes time.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free public access to Canada's national archival collections
  • Co-Lab lets the public transcribe and tag records
  • Online copy ordering with published fees
  • Grants available for documentary heritage community projects
  • Order tracking available for archival reproduction requests

Cons

  • Users report site outages and access failures
  • 403 Forbidden errors block archive search
  • No public security page found
  • Website glitches disrupt record searches

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 11 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5review x3security x2news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 11

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free public access; fees only for copies
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Users report outages and 403 errors
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Vast collections, dated search tooling
  • Support quality: 2/5. Email contact; access problems recur
  • Security posture: 3/5. No public vulnerabilities; no security page
  • Free Cost to search Public government service
  • Fees apply Copy & certification Published fee schedule
  • Not found Security page bac-lac.gc.ca/security

Pricing

Search & view

Free

  • Collection search
  • Co-Lab participation

Copy & certification services

Fees apply

  • Online ordering
  • Order tracking

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Genealogy and citizenship researchers value the collections but frequently gripe about outages and access friction.

“Archives of Canada are amazing”
Reddit, r/Canadiancitizenship
“Can anyone else access this”
Reddit, r/Genealogy

Alternatives

Compare Bac-lac (Library and Archives Canada) with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources; many snippets truncated, so quotes and details are partial.

Free national archive of Canada — great for genealogy research, not a product to buy; expect glitches and copy fees.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources; many snippets truncated, so quotes and details are partial.

Sources

  1. Collection search: Basicrecherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca
    official
  2. About Co-Labcolab.bac-lac.gc.ca
    official
  3. Ordering copies onlinecanada.ca
    official
  4. Blanket Access Authorization Lettercanada.ca
    official
  5. Track your archival orders!thediscoverblog.com
    official
  6. Can't access Library & Archives Canadareddit.com
    review
  7. G2G: 403 - Forbidden at Library and Archives Canada searchwikitree.com
    review
  8. Archives of Canada are amazingreddit.com
    review
  9. DHC Program call for proposalscanada.ca
    news
  10. transfert-transfer.bac-lac.gc.ca scam checkscamadviser.com
    security
  11. Security pagebac-lac.gc.ca
    security

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