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The organizations in the Canadian Heritage portfolio work closely with partners all across the country to fulfill their mandate and achieve the Government of Canada's objectives regarding arts, culture, heritage, and citizen participation. I am pleased to present the 2011–12 Report on Plans and Priorities prepared by Library and Archives Canada (LAC).
LAC is engaged in a modernization effort that is of fundamental importance to its ability to fulfill its mandate for Canadians. In the last few years, how we create and access information has changed dramatically. LAC is beginning to develop and implement strategies that will allow it to use its resources in ways that meet the changing expectations of Canadians. It will also ensure that the increasingly digital evidence of Canadian life today is well preserved and accessible long into the future. This will be a challenging effort and will involve a much more collaborative relationship with libraries, archives, and other partners across our country, as they shape a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network that will benefit partners and users alike.
I am proud that Library and Archives Canada is committed to pursuing its efforts to improve Canadians' quality of life and increasing our country's cultural, social, and economic vitality. I invite everyone who wishes to have a better understanding of the responsibilities and activities of LAC to become familiar with this report.
Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P.
The Library and Archives of Canada Act came into force in 2004 and created Library and Archives Canada (LAC) with a mandate to:
LAC was created at a time when an unprecedented digital information environment was already beginning to reshape the documentary heritage of Canada, the access expectations of Canadians and the priorities of Canada's memory institutions. In order to remain relevant in today's rapidly evolving digital world, LAC is making fundamental changes to the way it operates.
LAC and similar memory institutions in Canada, such as archives and libraries, are asking hard questions about what documentary heritage we should acquire, preserve and make available—not just for present-day users but for people in 50 or 100 years who want to understand the Canada of today. LAC and other memory institutions are questioning how, with limited resources, to get the best results possible from rapidly expanding sources of information. We are asking each other how our traditional roles and relationships can become more effective and efficient through collaboration.
The digital reshaping of the information environment was already becoming clear by the late 1990s. In 2009, LAC formally began to re-assess its approach to doing business and to modernizing its operations. This exercise, known as Modernization, culminated in 2010 with the release of Shaping our Continuing Memory Collectively: A Representative Documentary Heritage1. This document articulates how LAC will respond to the challenges it faces in an era of rapid change in how information is created, shared and used. It sets out the path to Modernization based on a policy-driven and evidence-based strategic approach. In order to achieve its objective, LAC has embedded into its decision-making process the four guiding principles of Significance, Sufficiency, Sustainability and Society.
In December 2010, LAC publicly announced a shift towards digital services transforming itself, the country's leading memory institution, into a fully engaged digital organization2. LAC will provide most of its services online by taking a multi-faceted approach: adapting services and transforming business processes to make access easier, and increasing online content by switching to digital formats.
Furthermore, as mentioned in Shaping our Continuing Memory Collectively, pursuing a modernized approach to acquiring, preserving and making accessible Canada's continuing memory requires working collaboratively with others. This is fundamental to LAC's vision, a message which was promoted through its participation in various meetings and conferences. To build support for such a vision, LAC has begun consulting broadly with the various communities. For example, in autumn 2010 LAC organized an Academic Forum and a Stakeholder Forum. These have informed and will continue to inform forthcoming plans and actions. They will specifically guide a set of 12 Modernization Innovation Initiatives (MIIs) that LAC is pursuing to achieve concrete results in the areas of greatest importance to LAC and its stakeholders.
We are reshaping and adjusting our commitments in line with the directions set out by Modernization. One of the core shifts is to develop a new approach to make it easier for Canadians to find what they are looking for within our collection. This approach is described in detail in Section II. LAC is using the Modernization lens as a method to inform its business decisions, such as investments in information technology. Our approach to determining what we acquire, preserve, and make accessible is being revised to ensure that we invest in the documentary heritage most relevant to current and future generations. These and other Modernization commitments fit within the new program activity architecture that is described further in this section and shape the 12 Modernization Innovation Initiatives that serve as the framework for this Report on Plans and Priorities.
1www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/013/f2/013-449-e.pdf
2Library and Archives Canada goes digital, December 9, 2010: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/whats-new/013-503-e.html
As suggested above in our discussion of Modernization, documentary heritage takes many forms. What was once largely printed and recorded items such as books, historical documents, government records, photos, films, maps, music, and documentary art is now increasingly digital: the websites, audio, video, and social networking technologies that also capture the stories of Canada today. Regardless of the format or source, LAC has three responsibilities in relation to the documentary heritage that offers the best evidence of Canadian society to current and future generations:
Acquisition involves obtaining holdings that best present an accurate and representative portrait of Canadian society. In the digital age this will require careful selection from the abundance of available information. LAC acquisition functions in three different ways. First, Government of Canada institutions transfer to us their documents and records of expected enduring value. Second, legal deposit requirements in the Library and Archives of Canada Act require publishers to provide us with copies of materials published in Canada. Third, LAC acquires its holdings through vehicles such as donations and purchases. Under Modernization, LAC intends to shift its approach to an appraisal based process before acquiring such items. The appraisal may take into account factors such as how well something represents what is called "the best evidence of Canadian society," the extent to which it would allow LAC to address a priority in its collection development and to identify which memory institution, such as a provincial archive or library, is the most appropriate place for that item.
Preservation involves managing our holdings to ensure that they are accessible to current and future generations. To this end, LAC will pursue opportunities to collaborate with other memory institutions across Canada. LAC has specialized staff who are experts in many preservation fields. They use a range of tools and technologies. LAC has a dedicated infrastructure to safeguard the analogue collection, such as the Preservation Centre and a new facility to preserve holdings of old films and photographs. In response to the increasingly digital environment, LAC is developing technologies and tools to ensure preservation of Canada's digital documentation. Under Modernization, the LAC approach to appraisal would take expected long-term preservation needs into account.
Resource Discovery supports a client-centred approach that enables Canadians to explore and interact with the collection LAC manages in trust for Canada. People use the LAC website3 to pursue various research interests through its collection. LAC increasingly collaborates with others to organize exhibitions and programming events at sites across Canada and online.
Resource Discovery supports government accountability. LAC supports the goals of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act through reviews of archival records, personnel records of former civilian and military government employees and business records.
The processes we use to describe the items in our holdings are essential to resource discovery and enable Canadians to understand the stories behind the collection and find items of interest to them. Under Modernization, LAC is exploring how best to facilitate access to Canadian documentary heritage by the largest number of people.
3www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/collection/index-e.html
LAC will have a new Program Activity Architecture (PAA) in place during 2011–12 that reflects our working reality and responsibilities better than the old one, as shown in the accompanying crosswalk. The new PAA was approved by the President of the Treasury Board on August 6, 2010. LAC is supporting the new PAA with an improved performance management framework. It sets out new performance indicators and targets, which will evolve as we proceed with our Modernization agenda.
LAC's PAA for 2011–12 differs substantially from 2010–11. It represents our core functions more realistically while remaining flexible enough to address the needs of the organization in a time of significant change.
The first of the two new strategic outcomes (Current government information is managed to support government accountability) relates to our legislated mandate for key elements of government information management. This new strategic outcome also brings two previous sub-activities to a program activity level to reflect their importance.
The second strategic outcome (Canada's continuing memory is documented and accessible to current and future generations) addresses our responsibilities in relation to documentary heritage (acquisition, preservation and resource discovery). It aligns with the Government of Canada "Social Affairs" spending area's focus on a "Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage." The strategic outcome has been modified to reflect the necessity of documenting Canadian reality in all formats.
The second strategic outcome raises the previous "preservation" sub-activity to a program activity level due to its essential nature and significance in LAC mandate and operations.
The new program activity (Exploration of documentary resources) brings together all activities that facilitate discovery by Canadians and others of LAC documentary resources. It encompasses functions ranging from our description of holdings to the ways that we make them available to Canadians. It includes our supportive infrastructure to libraries and archives across Canada.
2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
---|---|---|
112,959.8 | 116,426.3 | 99,672.3 |
2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
---|---|---|
1,115 | 1,115 | 1,115 |
Performance Indicator | Targets |
---|---|
Percentage of Government of Canada institutions4 that receive or maintain ratings of "acceptable" or "strong" in the Information Management report card | 41% by March 2012 |
4This indicator covers all institutions assessed by indicator 12 - Effectiveness of Information Management — of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). The list of concerned institutions can be consulted on the Treasury Board Secretariat website: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/maf-crg/index-eng.asp
Performance Indicator | Targets |
---|---|
Percentage of Canadians who fully agree that the collection is accessible | Baseline figure to be set by March 2012 |
Percentage of the collection used by clients | Baseline figure to be set by March 2012 |
Program Activity as of 2011-12 | Forecast Spending 2010–11 ($ thousands) |
Planned Spending ($ thousands) |
Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | |||
Development of Regulatory Instruments and Recordkeeping Tools | – | 5,128.9 | 5,125.1 | 5,125.1 | Government Affairs: Well–managed and Efficient Government Operations |
Collaboration in the management of government records of business value to ensure their availability | – | 2,406.2 | 2,406.2 | 2,406.2 | |
Documentation of the Canadian Experience | – | 27,155.4 | 27,220.8 | 27,220.8 | Social Affairs: A Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage |
Preservation of Continuing Memory | – | 26,463.8 | 29,791.6 | 13,037.6 | |
Exploration of Documentary Resources | – | 23,428.9 | 23,511.7 | 23,511.7 | |
Internal Services | 30,207.9 | 28,376.6 | 28.370.9 | 28,370.9 | N/A |
Program Activity as of 2011-12 | Forecast Spending 2010–11 ($ thousands) |
Planned Spending ($ thousands) |
Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes | ||
2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | |||
Managing the Disposition of the Government of Canada Records of Continuing Value | 7,157.1 | – | – | – | Social Affairs: A Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage |
Managing the documentary heritage of interest to Canada | 54,809.6 | – | – | – | |
Making the documentary heritage known and accessible for use | 21,364.1 | – | – | – | |
Total Planned Spending | 113,538.7 | 112,959.8 | 116,426.3 | 99,672.3 |
LAC's experience since 2004 has informed the detailed Modernization agenda for 2011–12 and beyond. LAC will continue to remain relevant to Canadians by drawing on its extensive planning, analytical and strategic research capacity. We are using our lessons learned to shape our newly defined goals, while remaining flexible in our plans to reach them.
The work ahead for Modernization involves updating our business processes, ensuring we give priority to the delivery of our legislated mandate and reviewing policies in order to enhance their clarity and strengthen accountability. We have defined six new corporate priorities, five are operational and one managerial. They all will support progress towards both of LAC's strategic outcomes and our best possible use of resources. LAC is moving forward on each of these priorities through one or more Modernization Innovation Initiatives that we defined and launched in the fall of 2010. The relevant initiative appears under each priority on the following tables. More details appear in Section II under the program activity of greatest relevance to it.
The Modernization Innovation Initiatives will continue to evolve as we learn from experience and adjust specific elements of our plans and timetables in order to stay on track to meet an evolving information environment. LAC will become the kind of modern memory institution and collaborator that Canadians and Canadian memory institutions need and expect in this new information environment.
Corporate Priority 1 (Operational) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
---|---|---|
LAC will adopt a more collaborative approach to fulfilling its mandate | New | Both |
Description: The massive expansion of information and the many new ways that documentary heritage is generated mean the traditional models in which institutions work are no longer realistic. These institutions need to work more collaboratively to the best use of limited resources and to ensure that Canada's continuing documentary heritage is acquired and preserved for
present and future generations. LAC and other memory institutions need to collaborate to appraise, acquire, preserve and enable access to the most important and most representative documentary heritage produced by our society. This shift to collaboration should enable each institution to bring a more strategic approach to how it addresses its responsibilities so that all institutions can work more closely together, respecting legislative mandates and jurisdictions in a pan-Canadian approach to managing our documentary heritage. The scale of change needed to move in a more collaborative direction is significant but necessary. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will help to accelerate pan-Canadian discussion of this direction and the steps necessary to realize a new potential model of working for all memory institutions.
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Corporate Priority 2 (Operational) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
LAC will redefine how it selects items to be acquired for the use of Canadians | New | Both |
Description: The expanding world of information and the new ways in which Canadians create, share, and use that information raises challenges to LAC's mandate to reflect Canadian society. LAC needs to redefine concepts of value in order to determine what best
represents Canadian society for current and future generations. In order to do that, LAC will develop a consistent approach to appraisal, which will influence future acquisition priorities, collaboration with other memory institutions and decisions on how best to manage existing LAC holdings. We have identified three Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will outline more clearly how we will define and approach the concept of appraisal and its implications for our work, internally and with partners. We will make substantial efforts in 2011–12 for each one.
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Corporate Priority 3 (Operational) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
LAC will improve access to its holdings | New | Both |
Description: Resource discovery at LAC must be more responsive to Canadian citizens' information needs. In today's online environment, people expect to find information easily, immediately, and autonomously. In order to stay relevant in a society of increasingly interconnected and socially networked citizens,
LAC will need to re-orient the way it connects with Canadians, and increase the presence, relevance and visibility of its documentary heritage information. Given resource realities, LAC must find efficiencies by optimizing service channels to reach the broadest number of Canadians. We must speed up the steps between the time we acquire documentary heritage and the time it is rendered accessible. This environment obliges us to look closely at our traditional service approaches to Canadians and to the many other institutions and organizations to which we provide services. We need to find the optimal balance in services that reflects available resources, our mandate and our role within a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network. We have identified four Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will clarify and address the challenges we face in providing services, all of which will involve action in 2011–12.
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Corporate Priority 4 (Operational) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
LAC will ensure digital preservation | New | Both |
Description: Preservation is one of the three responsibilities that LAC performs in relation to documentary heritage. One particular preservation priority is to establish consistent approaches and tools to acquire and preserve digital records and publications. The internationally accepted method of doing this is
through Trusted Digital Repositories (TDRs). We are working to establish LAC as one TDR in a much larger network, consistent with our commitment to foster a collaborative documentary heritage networked environment in Canada. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will generate progress on digital preservation during 2011–12.
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Corporate Priority 5 (Operational) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
LAC will modernize how it describes its collection to improve access | New | Strategic Outcome 2 |
Description: The effective and consistent application of description standards, supported by best practices and tools, are critically important to make our collection easily accessible to users. Clear descriptions enable users to identify the collection material likely to be of interest to them and enable an organization to manage its collection. We use standards
consistent with the traditional practices of library and archival sciences but need to move to a single descriptive framework for all holdings that is founded on documentary heritage value and the needs of our clients. In addition, LAC will ingest publisher, creator, donor and user-supplied metadata to supplement LAC's descriptions. This metadata framework will be guided by appropriate policies, standards and tools. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will help to bring about a modernized description approach during 2011–12.
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Corporate Priority 6 (Managerial) | Type | Links to Strategic Outcome(s) |
LAC will build its capacity to manage and fully discharge accountabilities | New | Both |
Description: The LAC Modernization agenda will mean substantial change throughout the organization at a time when the entire public service is expected to evolve to better meet the needs of Canadians and to draw on the full contributions of employees. This change will require efforts by all levels of our
management to share information with employees and to fully engage them in the institution's new priorities and processes. Many changes will reflect our ongoing shift to apply information technologies more extensively. Given resource constraints, we will have to address both our human resource and information technology needs in more strategic ways. We have identified two Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will address our internal capacity needs in 2011–12 as we move forward.
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The LAC corporate risk profile assesses the major risks to ongoing LAC operations and to the general achievement of our mandate. Modernization is LAC's strategic response to ensure it delivers its mandate in a way that remains relevant to Canadians.
The need to make the right acquisition choices
It has never been possible for LAC or any institution to collect all possible documentary heritage. Given the volume of items that could be included in Canada's documentary heritage being created daily, it is even more critical to be clear on what we should and should not acquire. Modernization includes elements such as a new approach to appraisal that will help us do so. It includes a commitment to collaboration in the direction of a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network in which partner institutions may seek to build collections that complement each other's, so a possible new acquisition is acquired by the institution for which it is most relevant.
The need to make the right preservation choices
As noted earlier, LAC has much of the essential infrastructure and the skilled professionals needed to preserve the collection. The substantial preservation needs of the collection require us to make thoughtful choices so that resources are used most effectively. Under Modernization and the shift to a more consistent approach to appraisal of possible new holdings, as well as an expected review of existing holdings, we will be able to focus our preservation efforts more strategically in line with a long-term view.
The need to make the right Resource Discovery choices
While the collection of which LAC is steward is vast, it is not consistently accessible. We have made substantial progress in recent years through efforts such as putting digital images online and delivering programs in collaboration with partner organizations. Under Modernization, we intend to do more. This will include changes such as a thorough analysis of our full range of services in line with our view of what a modernized LAC would offer to individuals, other institutions and clients of all kinds. It will include new approaches to how we describe holdings that will make finding them simpler and more consistent. It will extend to updated processes that will accelerate the processing of the acquisitions we do make, so they are available for discovery sooner.
The need to ensure the Government of Canada institutions can manage their information resources properly
LAC's responsibilities related to government information management are critical to ensuring accountability to Canadians and supporting the best use of information as a business asset for effective decision making. Government institutions are now required to manage information in line with a new Directive on Recordkeeping. Our role is to provide guidance and support. We are addressing the need and mitigating the risks of inadequate information management within institutions by making our commitments a priority for action within LAC.
The permanent funding of Library and Archives Canada has remained constant at approximately $100 million per fiscal year over the past four years. While we have experienced growth in our permanent funding for items such as, supporting our increased workload resulting from the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act and collective bargaining funding, we have equally contributed on a permanent basis to government-wide initiatives such as the strategic review exercise to relocate spending to higher priorities of government, which results in the appearance of our permanent funding remaining stable. For example, effective in 2010–11, LAC received a permanent amount of $4.0 million for collective bargaining; however, during this same time frame, LAC contributed $4.6 million towards the government-wide strategic review exercise. In response to this last reduction, LAC has revisited its activity base and will continue to do so throughout 2011–12 toward delivering its mandate in a more efficient manner.
Library and Archives Canada's spending trend beyond our $100 million permanent funding is related to specific projects for which we have received temporary funding. The spending fluctuation is mainly explained by the following temporary projects:
Projects three and four reflect the element of the LAC mandate to safeguard and preserve Canada's documentary heritage.
Library and Archives Canada is committed to prudent spending and ensuring measurable results are attained for Canadians. We work in close collaboration with other government departments and external partners to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of our activities and to provide increased access to the collection.
Figure 4: Departmental Spending Trend
Figure 5: 2011–12 Planned Spending by Program Activity ($ thousands)
Estimates by Vote are presented in the 2011–12 Main Estimates which are available here:
www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20112012/me-bpd/info/info-eng.asp
An overall decrease of $7.3 million due mainly to the following: