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National Library News

November 1995, vol. 27, no. 11

Speaking from...
National and International Programs

by Gwynneth Evans, Director General

In April 1994, when the organizational changes at the National Library were finalized, there was consensus among senior managers that there should be more emphasis on strategic planning and policy development related to our program mandate (see "Reorganizing of National Library Almost Complete", National Library News, vol. 26, no. 4, April 1994, pp. 9-10). In an environment of major change political, social, economic and technological no library can ignore the external influences on its developmental and operational evolution. Information professionals can make positive contributions to policies and plans that affect them.

National and International Programs was given the responsibility of working with staff within and beyond the library community to plan and build on the foundations on which heritage activities, resource sharing, and library development are based. The term "foundations" normally refers to the standards, "best practices", technologies, policies and service agreements that are the base on which a program is established. Foundations are especially pertinent when a program is being modified or expanded. Library service and development have long been available in Canada; yet the impetus for establishing the National Library was the realization that the national collection was the sum of the major libraries' holdings and that, working together, libraries could inprove the availability and delivery of information to Canadians.

In the June 1995 issue of National Library News, the Library's fundamental purpose and primary goals were stated as follows: "To build a strong national resource for the study, understanding, appreciation, and continued vitality of Canada's cultural heritage; and to facilitate access for all Canadians to a national and international network of information resources" (see "National Library Directions Relating to the Budget, 1995-1996 to 1997-1998", vol. 27, no. 6, June 1995, pp. 3-4). Both these objectives recognize the decentralized nature of library service in Canada, but also support the continued building of the network to exploit and maximize our resources to meet the information needs of Canadians.

The term "heritage activities" refers to the collection, preservation, promotion and use of the Canadiana collections of libraries. While the National Library is recognized as having the largest collection of Canadiana, we all know that important collections and centres of excellence are located throughout Canada. Since there are numerous technological opportunities to exploit our collections and to organize and retrieve important electronic resources, concerted action and the use of standards and best practices are essential to progress, especially considering the budget pres-sures that affect us all. Some headway has been made through the development and dissemination of A National Strategy for Preservation in Canada. And the National Meeting of Canadian Preservation Specialists held in the autumn of 1994 identified the areas where action is needed (see National Library News, vol. 27, no. 2, February 1995, pp.1, 4-6). Heritage Officer Ralph Manning is now responsible for the national preservation dossier and will also develop, in consultation with colleagues, plans to address the coordination of the national Canadiana collection and promotion aspects of Canada's published heritage. At a time when the importance of Canadian content is being emphasized to fulfill the potential of the Information Highway, creativity and collaboration in planning, research and application provide opportunities for many.

The developments in resource sharing are based on A Canadian Information Resource-Sharing Strategy, a report drafted, approved and implemented through consultation with members of the library and information sectors (e.g., bibliographic utilities, software and hardware vendors). This past year in Canada has seen some major progress in several parts of this strategy: promulgation of National Guidelines for Document Delivery; revision of the interlibrary loan code, spearheaded by the Canadian Library Association (CLA) Interlibrary Loan Committee; improvement in document delivery through use of Purolator by the National Library and the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI); guide-lines for transborder shipment of inter-library loans; recommendations for the next phase of the library postal subsidy replacement; the compilation of a revised edition of the Canadian Inventory of Resource Sharing; and a successful Fourth International Interlending and Document Supply conference in Calgary. It has been evident to many of us working in this area at the National Library that there are a large number and range of resource- sharing activities throughout Canada, and we have been encouraging project leaders to share information in National Library News.

Over the past year, the greatest concentration has been in the planning of the analysis of the content and configuration of union catalogues maintained by institutions in both the public and the private sectors in Canada. The findings of these studies provide a catalyst for coordinated activities: information exchange and clarification of facts, interpretations and understanding among service providers and users; planning for the future of the union catalogue maintained by the National Library; examination of the technical, policy and service issues related to connecting the major union catalogues for more efficient online resource sharing; the development of a cooperative approach to planning in a changing electronic environment, where many of the issues related to the organization, preservation, retrieval and transmission of information require fundamental re-examination. As is always the case, successful implementation depends on the coordinated efforts of many. Carrol Lunau, Resource Sharing Officer, is responsible for coordinating and advancing this set of planning issues. A meeting with those implementing the Z39.50 electronic standard was held at the National Library in mid-October, and the results will be communicated shortly. A meeting of provincial and association representatives similar to the meeting held at the 1995 Canadian Library Association conference in June took place during the conference of the Association pour l'avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation (ASTED) in Quebec City at the end of October (see "Resource-Sharing Meeting: A Brief Update", National Library News, vol. 27, no. 9, September 1995, p. 9).

Library development at the National Library has, for some years, embraced a number of functions: the development, adaptation and application of standards and practices to support library services; advisory assistance for groups representing and serving specialized communities (e.g., those serving print-handicapped Canadians and multilingual communities); coordination of federal library services and administrative support of the Council of Federal Libraries; new projects such as the National Core Library Statistics Program; and reference and referral services related to library and information studies and services. Increasingly, our attention has been drawn to information policy and the need to respond to government studies and initiatives such as the Information Highway Advisory Council, CRTC hearings, and the future of the federal body, Canada Communication Group-Publishing. The National Library is represented on the SchoolNet Advisory Board and participates in SchoolNet developments. Several staff members have had responsibility for different aspects of library development: Diane Bays, Irena Bell (until July 14, 1995), Doug Hodges (until August 1, 1995) and Gwynneth Evans. Katherine Miller became the Library Development Officer on August 14, 1995.

Implicit in the National Library's responsibility for building a strong national resource for the study of Canada and facilitating access to a national and international network of information resources is the recognition that library development is essential to both functions. To work with libraries and other organizations in the information sector to use technology effectively, and to re-engineer business functions, are themselves aspects of library development. The Library is committed to taking a more focussed approach to "library development" as we have used the term in recent years. This challenge will involve both consultation and hard choices. How will this process be conducted? The discussion is only beginning, and it will be fruitful to the extent that it is open, objective and as inclusive as possible.

It is evident that the framework at the national level must emphasize those initiatives that contribute to a stronger infrastructure, or foundation, on which many can build. Clearly, we shall be taking a business approach to many potential initiatives with the purpose of assessing their collective impact and meeting of the National Library's stated mandate. We shall have to analyze the results of collective efforts to identify possible gains in the mission of meeting the information needs of Canadians in a manner that is universal, equitable and affordable. Library development is an area where the National Library can provide analysis, context, and support for the community's progress in defining and meeting the challenges of the times. Both the strategy and the process necessitate a clear understanding of client needs and the issues and options involved in anticipating and responding to them.

Katherine Miller will be taking responsibility for the Library's work on SchoolNet. She will also assess the next steps to be made for supporting services to the multicultural community, and will be working with members of the federal library community and its users. Ralph Manning will provide support to the Advisory Committee on National Core Library Statistics.

National and International Programs provides strategic support to the Library's international activities and works with specialists who advance issues that affect libraries in Canada. Much of the Library's work has been in cooperation with international bodies such as UNESCO, IFLA, ISO, ISDS, and CONSER. This article has not discussed our international activities; nor does it discuss the Library's contribution to the organization of national and international conferences within Canada these areas may well be fruitful topics for future articles. At this time, we are putting our greatest emphasis on those programs that strengthen the foundations of library service in Canada, such as standards for identifying and exchanging information, systems interconnection and interoperation, Internet developments, accessing and managing electronic information, and research and development related to the preservation of collections.

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