5.1 A National Resource

As Canada's national science library, NRC-CISTI has one of North America's leading collections of STM information. NRC-CISTI develops its collection as a national asset for the benefit of Canadians.

5.2 A Local Resource

NRC-CISTI's NICs play a crucial role in providing information services to NRC and in supporting industry through NRC's community-based innovation activities. NRC-CISTI develops local subject-specific collections to support local NRC institutes, branches and programs at NICs across Canada.

5.3 Access and Ownership

While NRC-CISTI is committed to providing permanent access to the world's STM information, scholarly communication is not limited by institutional boundaries nor can any institution expect to hold all necessary information resources. NRC-CISTI cooperates with federal government science and technology libraries to develop and share STM information resources. NRC-CISTI also provides access to resources it does not own but that are important to its mission by negotiating partnership agreements with libraries in Canada and around the world, and by developing new business models with publishers for access to electronic resources. NRC-CISTI is currently developing a Canadian national 'infostructure' to provide access to STM information in electronic format to all Canadians.

5.4 Copyright and Licences

NRC-CISTI is committed to protecting both the rights of users and the rights of content owners. NRC-CISTI recognizes the rights of users under fair dealing, which is an integral part of the Canadian Copyright Act. NRC-CISTI also recognizes the rights of content owners and supports the legal principles related to the protection of copyrighted materials. NRC-CISTI negotiates licence agreements with publishers that define and control how print and electronic materials can be accessed and used for document delivery. Under these agreements, NRC-CISTI provides copyright cleared documents.