Harbor Press — Small-Press Publishing for Local History Archives in Canada

Publishing & Archival Practice

Three subject areas that frequently intersect for community archives and local history groups producing printed catalogues in Canada.

Printing press inking mechanism in a print office

ISBN

ISBN Basics for Small Publishers

How ISBN assignment works under Library and Archives Canada, what prefix blocks mean for small runs, and the mechanics of barcode embedding for self-published catalogues.

May 2026 Read →

Print-on-Demand

Print-on-Demand Workflow Guide

File preparation requirements, spine width calculations, and paper stock choices that affect how a community archive's catalogue looks and holds up over time.

May 2026 Read →

Digitization

Digitization Standards for Museum Catalogues

Resolution requirements, metadata schema choices, and file format decisions relevant to small Canadian museums preparing collections for long-term digital access.

May 2026 Read →

What This Site Covers

Three overlapping practice areas that community museum cataloguers and local history publishers deal with regularly.

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ISBN Registration

Canada's ISBN agency is Library and Archives Canada, which administers prefix blocks for publishers. The process for small presses differs from large commercial publishers in batch size and turnaround.

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Print-on-Demand

Short-run and on-demand printing eliminates minimum order requirements. For community archives with limited distribution, this means producing fewer copies without cost penalties from overstock.

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Digitization Standards

Federal digitization guidelines coordinate with provincial heritage institutions to establish consistent resolution, colour profile, and metadata requirements for archival digitization projects.