Key strategic initiatives

NRC-CISTI, Canada's national science library supports and promotes initiatives that will expand access to digital scientific, technical and medical (STM) information essential to Canada's research, innovation and health communities. The following highlights three main areas of strategic focus and collaboration.

Collaborating to develop national networks of digital research information and data

PubMed Central Canada (PMC Canada)

• Turning knowledge into discoveries and innovations — NRC-CISTI and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)  are working together to create PMC Canada — a national digital repository of peer-reviewed health science research that will provide free and open access to CIHR-funded research.
• Partners:
  • CIHR (funding)
  • NRC-CISTI (technical expertise to build and manage the national bilingual infrastructure for the repository)
  • US National Library of Medicine (PMC framework)
• An international effort — NRC-CISTI and CIHR have completed the first step in the creation of PMC Canada — an agreement to partner on creating the e-repository. With CIHR funding now in place, the partners are currently working on the next step, obtaining agreement from the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) for PMC Canada to 'officially' become part of the broader PubMed Central International (PMCI) network. Once this three-way agreement is in place, the development phase of PMC Canada can begin.

National Science Library Trusted Digital Repository (TDR)

• NRC-CISTI is developing a digital repository of scientific, technical and medical (STM) publications and data to ensure long-term sustainable access to Canada's record of science.
• The TDR is a foundation element of NRC-CISTI's broader goal to collaborate on building a networked national digital information infrastructure for Canada's research, health and innovation communities, which will also include PMC Canada and the NRC Publications Archive.

Research Data Strategy Working Group

• Ensuring Canada's research data is accessible and usable for current and future generations of researchers — This national, multi-disciplinary initiative is addressing the challenges and issues surrounding the access and preservation of data arising from Canadian research. With broad access to this wealth of data, researchers will have a powerful tool that will enhance their ability to collaborate across disciplines and sectors and accelerate the innovation process.
• NRC-CISTI is playing a coordination role and will contribute to this larger initiative by leveraging its metadata expertise and developing a gateway Web site that will provide access to Canadian scientific data sets and other important data repositories.

Accelerating discovery and innovation

NRC Publications Archive (also called NPArC)

• Leveraging NRC research for the greatest possible benefit — NRC-CISTI is building a searchable, web-based archive of NRC-authored publications that will increase access to NRC's research output, and serve as a valuable resource for NRC researchers, collaborators and the public.
• This single comprehensive gateway to NRC's record of science will demonstrate the many ways NRC researchers translate science and technology into value for Canada.
• Launch date: January 2009

WorldWideScience.org

• Sharing knowledge on a global scale — NRC-CISTI is a founding member of this multi-nation alliance to create a single searchable gateway to global scientific databases that will speed up the innovation process.

CISTI Lab

• Collaborating to develop knowledge discovery tools — CISTI Lab is an online lab that enables collaborative development and testing of software and services for next-generation digital library applications and electronic publishing.
• It provides a place where NRC-CISTI and collaborators from other NRC institutes, universities, libraries and the private sector can work together to develop tools that will search, analyze and present information in new and innovative ways to uncover new knowledge and speed innovation.
• To bring even more ideas to fruition, CISTI Lab makes the tools and data at its disposal available to anyone who wishes to contribute to the innovation process.

Expanding access to digital STM information

Federal Science eLibrary (FSeL)

• A collaboration of the six major federal science-based departments/agencies, the FSeL aims to transform the S&T information infrastructure that underpins federal research and innovation by providing immediate cost-effective access to STM information at the desktops of all federal researchers, policy analysts and decision makers.
• The strategy — Integrate seamless access across all departments to eliminate existing inequalities between government departments; and negotiate government-wide site licences for desktop access to STM information. The combined purchasing clout will mean stronger negotiating positions with publishers leading to the best possible price. It will also eliminate duplication of systems and resources across departments.

Canadian Virtual Health Library

• A collaboration with the Canadian Health Libraries Association to link digital health networks to ensure that all health care providers in Canada have equal access to the best information for patient care.
• Status: An investigative stage is currently being funded by the Canada Health Infoway.