Grant and Funding Programs Offered by National Library and Archives of Quebec (BANQ)

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, better known by the acronym BAnQ, plays a major role in the preservation and dissemination of culture and knowledge in Quebec. A public institution created in 2006 from the merger of the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec and the Archives nationales du Québec (often called Archives nationales Québec), it is the guardian of Quebec's documentary heritage. Specifically, BAnQ collects, permanently preserves, and showcases millions of documents: books, newspapers, government and private archives, photographs, maps, audiovisual recordings, and much more. Through its Quebec legal deposit mission, it receives and archives a copy of every publication produced in Quebec, whether in print or digital format. This ensures that no part of Quebec's intellectual and cultural production is lost, while assuring businesses and creators that their publications are part of the collective memory.

BAnQ is also mandated to make this heritage accessible to the public. Its library component includes the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, located in the heart of the metropolis, which welcomes millions of visitors each year. The Grande Bibliothèque offers free and open access to a vast collection of books, periodicals, BAnQ digital resources, and modern workspaces. On the archival side, BAnQ operates a network of archive centers across the province. There are ten BAnQ regional archive centers distributed throughout Quebec's territory. For example, the BAnQ Gatineau archives center serves the Outaouais region, while other centers serve the Eastern Townships, Mauricie, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Gaspésie, and elsewhere. This regional deployment allows for the preservation of public and private archival documents as close as possible to their place of origin and facilitates access for citizens and organizations in each locality. Thanks to this local presence, consulting BAnQ archives in one's region becomes much simpler for everyone. By centralizing the Bibliothèque nationale and the Archives nationales du Québec within a single institution, BAnQ acts as a pillar of Quebec society: it ensures the transmission of heritage, and fosters research, education, and access to information for all, including professionals and entrepreneurs.

BAnQ does not only cater to students or reading enthusiasts; it also offers numerous services tailored for businesses and professionals. At the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, for instance, there is the Carrefour Affaires, a space dedicated to entrepreneurs and self-employed workers. Librarians specializing in business information offer personalized support there: assistance with market data research, guidance towards management books, or use of the catalog to find studies and industry statistics. A company preparing a business plan or a marketing strategy can thus benefit from BAnQ's advice to identify key information. It is worth remembering that a BAnQ subscription is free for all Quebec residents, which allows any entrepreneur to access these valuable resources at no cost.

BAnQ, through its BAnQ Éducation portal, also offers educational content and periodically organizes activities for the business community: workshops, conferences, and webinars on topics such as competitive intelligence, digital marketing, or records management. These events, often free, allow entrepreneurs and executives to train and update their skills by leveraging the expertise of guest professionals.

Researchers and professionals from various fields also find a powerful ally in BAnQ. A university academic or a consultant can leverage BAnQ's rich heritage collections to obtain historical or statistical references to support their analyses. Lawyers and notaries, for example, can consult old legal collections or notarial archives to document a case. Likewise, Quebec genealogy specialists at BAnQ draw on valuable civil registration archives and genealogical records to reconstruct family histories. Whatever the sector, the vast range of documents and resources offered by BAnQ allows professionals to access the reliable information they need.

BAnQ does not offer direct financial grants to businesses—its role is primarily documentary and cultural—but it assists entrepreneurs in finding available funding and aid. At the Grande Bibliothèque, the Carrefour Affaires maintains comprehensive documentation on financial assistance programs in Quebec. This includes the Annuaire des subventions au Québec (Directory of Grants in Quebec), an exhaustive directory of over 1,800 grant, loan, and scholarship programs established by governments, municipalities, as well as foundations and associations. This valuable tool, accessible on-site, makes it possible to quickly target aid adapted to your company's size, your sector of activity, or your region.

In addition to this directory, BAnQ librarians can direct users to the right online and print sources for funding. For example, they will guide you to the Services Québec – Entreprises portal, which lists government support measures for businesses, or to organizations like Investissement Québec, regional incubators, angel investor networks, etc. Rather than searching through a multitude of websites alone, an entrepreneur can save precious time by seeking BAnQ's help to identify relevant programs and get up-to-date information on eligibility criteria, application procedures, or deadlines.

BAnQ itself participates in some subsidized cultural projects and develops partnerships with companies or non-profits for digitization, exhibition, or educational initiatives. Partnering with BAnQ on such projects can bring great visibility and access to the institution's expertise, while contributing to the promotion of documentary heritage.

The national archives preserved by BAnQ span more than four centuries and cover a multitude of fields (government, justice, business, families, iconography, etc.). For an entrepreneur or a professional, these archives can provide a unique perspective. For example, a real estate project would benefit from consulting old development plans or city maps to understand the evolution of a site. Similarly, a company celebrating a major anniversary can find the economic and social context of its early days in period newspapers, thereby enriching its corporate narrative. The media, for their part, frequently use BAnQ's archival photographs and films to illustrate reports or documentaries. In short, whether for validating historical information, seeking inspiration, or documenting a project, BAnQ's archives offer businesses exclusive and reliable content.

BAnQ ensures that these archives are easily accessible. Anyone can consult the original documents in the designated reading rooms, whether at the Grande Bibliothèque or in one of the network's regional archive centers. On-site, archivists guide users in their research and advise them on procedures (requests for materials, reproduction of documents, etc.). Furthermore, BAnQ archival guides are available to direct new researchers, explaining, for example, how to search a collection, decode call numbers, or undertake genealogical research in the archives. Finally, the online tool Advitam BAnQ allows users to explore descriptions of archival fonds remotely. Thanks to Advitam, a user can find out in a few clicks if BAnQ holds documents on a given subject and in which center they are located. Advitam also indicates which documents have already been digitized and can be viewed online immediately. This centralized platform democratizes access to Quebec's archival heritage and saves valuable time for researchers and businesses curious about their history.

In addition to physical documents, BAnQ provides a multitude of online resources. Its BAnQ numérique platform brings together digitized collections: books, newspapers, magazines, maps, old photos, sound recordings, videos, etc. This allows everyone to explore Quebec's memory from their screen. For example, a journalist can consult a century-old newspaper for a historical article, while a designer can find rights-free heritage images to enrich a visual project. For businesses, accessing these resources in a few clicks is an opportunity to fuel a corporate blog with historical anecdotes, support a report with archival data, or draw inspiration from the past.

The BAnQ online catalog is the main tool for locating available documents. Thanks to this internet-accessible catalog, an entrepreneur can search for a title, a subject, or an author and immediately know if a book, study, or report is available at BAnQ. The system indicates the location (at the Grande Bibliothèque, in an archive center, or online) and allows the user to reserve the document or request a loan. The advanced search offers numerous filters to refine results, which greatly facilitates access to relevant information without wasting time.

BAnQ also offers BAnQ digital lending via the Pretnumerique.ca platform. This service allows users to borrow digital books from home and read them on a tablet or computer. Thousands of titles—novels, essays, professional works—are available to subscribers, providing a convenient way to learn or be entertained, even with a busy schedule. In addition to ebooks, BAnQ provides access to numerous specialized digital resources: online newspapers and journals for current events monitoring, economic and legal databases, demographic statistics, encyclopedias, and many others. These resources, which are generally expensive for individual access, are offered free of charge to BAnQ members, representing significant savings for small businesses.

Despite the richness of these tools, users are never left on their own. The BAnQ reference service answers questions and guides everyone to the right sources. In person, by phone, or online, a librarian can help find a specific statistical data point or start a search on a new topic. This professional support, comparable to a free information consultation service, saves entrepreneurs and researchers precious time. Concurrently, BAnQ offers tutorials and FAQs on its website to teach users how to use its search platforms optimally.

In Quebec's documentary landscape, legal deposit holds a crucial place that businesses should be aware of. This system requires any publisher or organization that publishes a document to deposit a copy with BAnQ. In Quebec, legal deposit applies to any publication made available to the public: books, newspapers, magazines, brochures, etc., whether on paper or in digital format. In other words, if your company publishes a work (for example, a white paper, an annual report, a newsletter) or any document with an ISBN or ISSN, it has an obligation to provide a copy to BAnQ free of charge for preservation.

Legal deposit offers several advantages for the depositing company. On one hand, it guarantees that your publications will be preserved for the long term within Quebec's heritage collection. A report, a study, or a company history that you deposit will not disappear: it will remain accessible to future generations of researchers, historians, or professionals who will take an interest in your field. On the other hand, legal deposit gives visibility to your documents. A deposited publication is cataloged by BAnQ and becomes available for public consultation. For example, the historical monograph of a small or medium-sized enterprise, once integrated into the BAnQ online catalog, can be discovered and read by other entrepreneurs, students, or journalists, which can have a positive impact on the company's reputation.

BAnQ facilitates the legal deposit process by providing all the necessary information and forms on its website. Its legal deposit service can also advise publishers and businesses on practical matters (number of copies to deposit, accepted digital formats, etc.). It is generally sufficient to ship the required copies to BAnQ to be in compliance. Ultimately, integrating legal deposit into your publication process is not only a legal obligation but also an act that contributes to the preservation of collective heritage while ensuring the lasting dissemination of your content.

BAnQ's heritage collections are not just a historical treasure; they also represent a high-value-added resource for the business community. By making them accessible via BAnQ numérique and Advitam, BAnQ enables new uses to emerge. Technology companies can thus leverage historical data to develop innovative applications, while the cultural tourism, publishing, or media sectors draw from the digitized heritage to create attractive products and content. By democratizing access to these documentary riches, BAnQ stimulates creativity and innovation in Quebec.

The massive online publication of documents via BAnQ numérique has considerably reduced the time and distance barriers that once limited access to historical knowledge. Searching for information in the archives or consulting an old newspaper can now be done in a few clicks, whereas it once required long trips and complex procedures. This increased efficiency translates into time and money savings for professional users. Moreover, the reliability of the content provided by BAnQ, the result of rigorous preservation and cataloging work, is a guarantee of quality for anyone using it in a business or research context.

In conclusion, BAnQ stands as an essential partner for Quebec businesses in search of knowledge and resources. Through its abundant BAnQ digital resources, its research support services, access to its archives, and its role as an information hub for grants, BAnQ offers a unique range of tools to support business development. In a world where quality information is a key success factor, taking advantage of what BAnQ makes available represents a real competitive advantage. Investing time to explore the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, browse the online catalog, or collaborate with BAnQ means betting on knowledge, culture, and history to propel one's company into the future.