Canadian Government Information: A National Resource at the National Library of Canada1,2

3

Dr. Marianne Scott, National Librarian, National Library of Canada

ABSTRACT: Government information is a national resource that is acquired, preserved and made accessible by the National Library of Canada through its Official Publications Collection. The Collection is heavily used for a variety of research purposes. Bibliographic information is made available through DOBIS, Canadiana, the MARC Records Distribution Service and a planned CD-ROM. Work is under way to improve access to electronic government information.

RÉSUMÉ: L'information gouvernementale est une ressource nationale qui est acquise, préservée et rendue accessible par la Bibliothèque nationale du Canada grâce à sa Collection de publications officielles. La Collection est grandement utilisée pour toutes sortes de recherches ayant des buts différents. L'information bibliographique est disponible par le truchement de DOBIS, de Canadiana, du service de distribution des notices MARC et d'un CD-ROM dont on a dressé les plans. Des travaux sont en cours pour améliorer l'accès à l'information électronique gouvernementale.

Introduction

I am in full agreement with the recently released Blueprint for Renewing Government Services Using Information Technology 4 which calls government information a national resource, vital to the country's social, cultural and economic development. The National Library of Canada takes very seriously its mandate to acquire, preserve and make accessible the part of this national resource which Canadian governments have chosen to publish. This article will describe this national resource and highlight new developments in both the collection and related services with emphasis on federal government information.

Building a Collection

History

The National Library has the largest collection of Canadian official publications held anywhere. Beginning with a large retrospective gift from the Library of Parliament, it has grown since 1950 through on-going arrangements with the federal and provincial governments for deposit of current material, and has been enriched by donations from many Canadian libraries and federal government institutions. Retrospective materials have been purchased to fill in gaps. Before the advent of legal deposit of microforms, commercially produced microforms of Canadian official publications were purchased as funds permitted. Extension of legal deposit to microforms in 1988 has allowed this collection to become comprehensive.

Collection policy

The Canadian Official Publications Collection comprises publications of the Canadian federal government including legislative, executive and judicial branches, Crown corporations, joint Canadian or bilateral international organizations of which the federal government is a party; publications issued by a Canadian provincial government, territory or inter-provincial governmental agency; publications of governments in Canada before Confederation; and microforms and reprints of Canadian official publications published by commercial publishers. Selected publications of Canadian municipalities are incorporated into the National Library's general collection.

The National Library acquires published Canadiana, including Canadian official publications, in all formats. Copies are acquired for preservation and for service. Publications of "the Crown" are not subject to legal deposit but are acquired through arrangements with governments. However forthcoming changes to the National Library Act announced by the Minister of Communications on March 2, 1994 will extend legal deposit to all federal government publications including those of Crown corporations.

Size and strengths

The sheer size of the Canadian Official Publications Collection indicates its breadth and depth. There are 966,178 hard copy and 251,855 microform items in the federal collection and 251,855 hard copy and 149,494 microform items in the provincial collection plus a growing collection of government produced videos, CD-ROMs and cassettes for a total of over two million items.5 The collection begins with the official publications of Upper and Lower Canada in 1791 and 19th century documents from Nouvelle France. The Canadian Official Publications Collection is rich in debates, acts and regulations, sessional papers, annual reports, statistics, Royal Commission reports, public hearings, geological reports, and election results across all jurisdictions. The collection is well able to support comparative research over time and across jurisdictions.

Access to a National Resource

Canadiana cataloguing

Federal and provincial government publications have been listed in Canadiana, Canada's national bibliography which has been published since 1952. Canadiana cataloguing records and authority records are available on microfiche, on tape or file transfer through the MARC Records Distribution Service, and online in the DOBIS and AMICUS databases.

Retrospective conversion project

Bibliographic access to the National Library's Canadian Official Publications Collection has improved substantially since 1987 when a seven year retrospective record creation and conversion project began. Machine-readable records have been created or holdings added to existing records for the entire retrospective Canadian federal and provincial collections, a total of 124,040 titles. These records and holdings are part of the DOBIS/AMICUS database.6 In addition a large gift collection, 1020 linear metres, received from Information Canada in the early 1970s, has recently been processed. This collection included the archives of the Queen's Printer and added 3504 unique titles to the National Library collection as well as many additional copies for the Preservation Collection and new serial issues. As part of this retrospective project, many duplicate copies have also been identified which have been made available to the Canadian library community through the Canadian Book Exchange Centre.

Federal government publications in alternative format

Since the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, the Canadian government has increasingly published items in alternative format to provide Canadians who are unable to read conventional print with equitable access to information. The National Library has endeavoured to acquire a complete collection in braille, large print, electronic text and audio format. These publications are listed in a bibliography: Federal Government Publications in Alternative Format, 1981-1992.7

Working with the Canada Communication Group

Both the National Library and the Depository Services Program within the Canada Communication Group - Publishing (CCG-P) create bibliographic records for current federal government publications; the National Library for Canadiana and the DOBIS/AMICUS database; CCG-P for the Weekly Checklist and Quarterly Catalogue. The two agencies are currently working on projects to share data, to minimize duplication and to ensure more prompt delivery of CAN/MARC records for new publications in the Weekly Checklist .

A Rich and Valuable Collection in Use

Service description and volume of use

Official publications have always been a heavily used part of the National Library's collection. On-site researchers often take advantage of the proximity of the National Library and National Archives to access published and unpublished documents in a single visit. In 1987 the National Library instituted an integrated reference service for official publications, newspapers and general reference. The integrated reference and referral service and the growing access to official publications in the integrated DOBIS database have improved access to and use of the collection by on-site and external users across all subject areas. New electronic reference tools (online, CD-ROM, Internet) and growing staff expertise are enhancing access to the collection and its value to researchers. With very few exceptions (reference books, rare, fragile, or oversize documents) material is available for use in the library or available on interlibrary loan. In 1993/94, 19,863 items were borrowed in the Library and 5861 items were loaned or photocopied for Interlibrary Loan. But the complexities of government publishing and the variety of access tools remain a challenge to users and staff alike. At the National Library, a Government and Law Specialist is available to assist researchers and is responsible for developing and maintaining expertise among all reference staff, as well as advising interlibrary loan staff.

Highlights of research based on collection

Official publications are essential for the study of the history of Canadian society. Researchers trace the origins and history of a government policy or initiative using a variety of sources, such as discussion papers, policy papers, ministerial statements, news releases, committee proceedings, debates and answers given in the House of Commons. Researchers investigating the original legislative intent of an Act or clause within it also consult committee proceedings and reports as well as debates. The historical collection of the National Library facilitates the tracing of legislation back to its origins (even to Great Britain or France) or forward through all its changes. National Library policy of retaining all editions recently proved valuable to a court case where the content of different editions of a title proved to be crucial evidence.

The comprehensive collection of departmental annual reports across all jurisdictions is valued for the detailed descriptions of activities, persons, services and programs. In particular nineteenth century reports of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, immigration, land, Indian affairs and prisons are often in demand. This material is also used for ongoing research related to land claims. There is as wide use of other departmental publications as there are subjects treated in these--and now in all formats: slides, diskettes, CD-ROMs and, as mentioned, alternative formats.

Publications of the financial cycle, estimates, budget speeches and public accounts, as well as the report of the Auditor General, are also steadily consulted, again for their historical information which is easily comparable to current data.

Some recent questions which have been addressed to National Library reference services in person and by telephone, mail, fax or electronic mail:

Renewing Government Services Using Information Technology

A New Bibliographic Tool: CD-ROM of federal government publications

The access to information process excludes published material and is only responsive to specific requests for information. The federal government has recognized the need to improve the channels for public access to government information which exist outside the access to information process.8 Canadian libraries tackling retrospective conversion for their government publications collections and coping with the weekly arrival of depository shipments have expressed needs for more complete and effective sources of bibliographic information. The National Library and the Canada Communication Group are working to develop a joint product which will incorporate all the machine readable records for federal government publications in the databases of the National Library and Canada Communications Group. This retrospective data, including library locations, will be selected, merged and disseminated on a CD-ROM product which will provide straightforward access to publications available for purchase, consultation or loan. This product will be updated regularly and will provide enhanced access to the national resource at the National Library and at other Canadian libraries whose holdings of government publications are represented in the DOBIS/AMICUS database. A mechanism will be developed to link the CD-ROM to sources of information for current publications, current CAN/MARC and Weekly Checklist records. The National Library hopes to build on its experience with ROMULUS. A market study is currently under way to further identify user needs and refine the requirements for the CD-ROM product.

Government Electronic Publishing

The National Library is working with other key agencies in the federal government to develop solutions to the problems of management, dissemination and preservation of government electronic information. The National Library is actively acquiring electronic government information published in tangible forms e.g. diskette, CD-ROM. In the growing area of networked information, the National Library is closely monitoring federal government information made available on the Internet. As a preliminary, practical step towards improved organization and accessibility of networked government information, the National Library gopher has established a gopher on the Internet which points to these new information sources as they are identified. But it is essential that the federal government develop a common vision with defined roles and responsibilities to ensure effective access to government information as we move more and more to an electronic information environment.

Commitment to Equitable Access to Government Information

I began this article by referring to government information as a national resource, vital to the country's social, cultural and economic development. It is important that we ensure equitable access to this national resource for all Canadians. This article outlines many ways in which the National Library is supporting this goal in its current activities and will continue to support this goal in the future.