Information Without Borders: Perspectives from the Federal Government: A Canadian Digital Information Strategy Ingrid Parent Library and Archives Canada Halifax, March 3, 2007

2 Presentation Outline  Background on Library and Archives Canada  Canadian Digital Information Strategy Goals Consultations and National Summit Next steps  Public policy issues relating to making information accessible  Government roles in a knowledge society  How citizens interact with government information

3 Creation of Library and Archives Canada  Library and Archives Canada, 2004 National Archives of Canada, 1872 National Library of Canada, 1953  The English Report, 1999

4 Library and Archives Canada Collection  The LAC Collection includes: 19 million books, periodicals, newspapers, microfilms, government publications 170 km of unique textual documents Canadian theses and dissertations 25 million photographs 3 million maps and architectural designs hours of film, audio and video works of art Pedabytes of electronic documents

5 Library and Archives Canada Act: Preamble WHEREAS it is necessary that (a) the documentary heritage of Canada be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations; (b) Canada be served by an institution that is a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada as a free and democratic society; (c) that institution facilitate in Canada cooperation among the communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge; and (d) that institution serve as the continuing memory of the government of Canada and its institutions;

6 Context: Why a National Digital Strategy?  Digital activities in Canada are: Uncoordinated Under-resourced Relatively weak content Not focused on preserving what we create Underdeveloped compared to other G8 countries Insufficient contribution to research and development on digital information

7 Canadian Digital Information Strategy: Timeline of Events  Initial exploratory meeting, October 2005 Strong endorsement for a national strategy LAC should coordinate this initiative and provide a secretariat function to it.  Four Thematic Meetings, Spring 2006 Digitization on a National Scale Optimizing born-digital production Building a digital preservation infrastructure Fostering access and use within a rights framework  National Summit, December

8 Key Outcomes of the Strategy Strengthened content -  Canada’s accumulated knowledge is digital. Ensured preservation -  Canadians are assured long-term access to digital content of enduring value. Maximum access -  Canadians have optimal access to Canada’s digital content online.

9 Key Characteristics of the Strategy  Collaborative – multi-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral  Distributed responsibility – with some formal coordination  Sustainable – e.g. seek funding to fill gaps  Progressive – e.g. in its approach to rights  Supporting and fostering: Open access where possible ‘One universe’ – a more integrated commercial and non- commercial information environment Linguistic and cultural diversity

10 LAC roles  Facilitating development of the overarching strategy – leadership and Secretariat  Being a major player in it, as a national content, service and infrastructure provider A major digitization operation A large-scale national Trusted Digital Repository of documentary heritage (primarily federal government and cultural heritage) Fostering a decentralized preservation network of TDRs Supporting national access catalogues Developing/promoting standards & best practices Providing guidance and training Contributing R&D

11 Next steps: Strategy Development  Establish Strategy Development Committee and Strategy Review Panel  Strategy development – draft is targeted for Summer

12 Next Steps: Cooperative Initiatives  Study day for Canadian graduate programs of library, archival, museum and information management studies to examine training needs and niche research areas.  Seek ways to scale up digitization of Canada’s documentary heritage.

13 Next Steps: Public Policy Development  Explore the feasibility of proposed changes to the regimes surrounding Crown copyright, orphan works, and public access to publicly-funded research.

14 Government Roles in a Knowledge Society  Create – All government departments generate information  Gather – StatsCan (surveys), Service Canada (personal data)  Acquire – LAC ( Canadiana and Government Records)  Fund – NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR  Analyze – StatsCan, Environment Canada  Secure – Service Canada, RCMP, CSIS, PWGSC  Inform – LAC, other heritage agencies  Preserve – LAC (documentary heritage)  Provide access – Government OnLine, FedAA, other services

15 How Citizens Interact with Government Information  LAC Strategic Choices Citizen/Client research and evaluation built into management decision making  Government must manage information with public interest in mind  Ongoing dialogue