Who we are

The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) is part of the National Research Council Canada (NRC). Our mandate is to serve as Canada's national science library, and we are the largest comprehensive source of scientific, technical and medical (STM) information in North America. Through our publishing arm, NRC Research Press, we are also Canada's foremost scientific publisher.

NRC-CISTI's reach extends to:

• 19 sites across Canada
• 35,000 Canadian and international clients, including Canada's universities, governments, and R&D enterprises
• Canadian small and medium enterprises, through collaboration with the Industrial research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)
• Health professionals, with an expanding health sciences collection
• Researchers worldwide, through the publishing of scholarly journals

The transformation from print to digital has created enormous change in the world of STM information. NRC-CISTI is a world leader in using new methods to aggregate, analyse, and deliver that information.

NRC-CISTI offers:

• Secure, web-based document searching, ordering and delivery
• Access to partner collections around the world
• Electronic full-text NRC Research Press journals, free in Canada

What we plan to do

Vision

A leader in driving the exploitation of scientific information to create value for Canadians

Mission

To advance research and innovation through high-value information and publishing services in science, technology, and medicine

Value proposition

Information is the lifeblood of science. NRC-CISTI will create value for Canadians by improving the flow of scientific information in three ways:

• An integrated "infostructure": electronic access to scientific information, using intelligent search and analysis tools
• Scientific publishing infrastructure, using online peer review, editing and publishing tools that will shorten the time between discovery and publication without sacrificing quality
• Services to support commercialization, such as competitive technical intelligence and patent information analysis – what we call "actionable" information

How we plan to do it

NRC-CISTI's Strategic Goals and Objectives include:

Goal 1

Provide universal, seamless, and permanent access to information for Canadian research and innovation

Objectives:

• 1.1 Develop a sustainable partnership model for access to STM information across sectors and jurisdictions
• 1.2 Establish a national infrastructure to extend the availability of STM information
• 1.3 Provide permanent access to the world's STM information
• 1.4 Offer tools to facilitate discovery and exploitation of research

Goal 2

Enable researchers and entrepreneurs to advance and exploit knowledge through accelerated, innovative scientific communication

Objectives:

• 2.1 Develop and offer innovative publishing processes with supporting systems and tools to accelerate scientific communication
• 2.2 Position publishing activities to ensure maximum international profile and impact
• 2.3 Link research to innovation through community-based information services
• 2.4 Create and deliver services to support commercialization

Goal 3

Lead STM information communities across Canada to become a national force for innovation

Objectives:

• 3.1 Create and mobilize a national alliance to raise awareness of the value of STM information
• 3.2 Advance the ability of researchers, societies, and publishers to participate effectively in the evolving scholarly communication environment
• 3.3 Develop an environment that fosters collaboration within communities of practice

Goal 4

Grow as an enabling organization

Objectives:

• 4.1 Strengthen and augment core competencies to support client-focused initiatives
• 4.2 Engage proactively in strategic collaborations and alliances to enhance NRC-CISTI's contribution to Canadian research and development
• 4.3 Implement a financial strategy that will ensure sustainability
• 4.4 Conduct research in information science to advance knowledge and promote the adoption of new practices