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About Former National Library of Canada

National Library Activities and Projects: Semi-Annual Update
October 2001

CONTENTS

Introduction by the National Librarian

Access to Knowledge about Canada

• Free AMICUS
• Digital Library of Canada Task Force
  • NLC Web Site Redevelopment
• Government On-Line (GOL) at the National Library
  • Collaborative Digital Reference Service
  • New Books Service for Canadians
  • Canadiana E-books Pilot Project
  • NLC  -  Depository Services Program Collaborative Projects
  • Enhancements to NLC's Canadian Information by Subject Service
• Council on Access to Information for Print-Disabled Canadians
• Theses Canada
• National Bibliography
  • National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Program (CIP)
• Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules
• Canadian Book Exchange Centre
• Canadian Library Gateway
• Z39.50: Bath Profile
  

Protect and Preserve the National Collection

• National Library Accommodations
• Funding for Preservation
• Move of NLC Preservation Collection to the National Archives' Gatineau Preservation Centre
• Mass Deacidification
• Preservation Benchmarking with Other National Libraries

Strengthen and Enrich the National Collection

• Working Group on Collection Policies
• Acquisition of Electronic Publications
• Noteworthy Recent Acquisitions
• Collections Budget
• Aboriginal Initiatives
• Multicultural Initiatives
• Legal Deposit
• Serials Collection

Promote National Library Expertise, Collections and Services

• Canadian Initiative on Digital Libraries (CIDL)
• Library Statistics
• Library Book Rate
• Exhibitions
• Recognition for Public Programming
• Canadian Children's Literature
• International Forum on Children's Literature, June 2003
• Proyecto Adrienne
• Council of Federal Libraries
• Aboriginal Library Science Trainee Program

Introduction by the National Librarian

This semi-annual report is intended to provide you with information about significant developments at the National Library of Canada since last spring. Our reports have been structured around the strategic priorities that the Library has been developing since March. These strategic priorities are moving this great institution forward based on the strong messages that the Canadian library community and individual Canadians have been expressing about their needs and their aspirations for their National Library.

We are pleased to report on the merger of the Library's Information Technology Services with the National Archives. This is resulting in reduced costs and significantly improved efficiencies for both organizations. Web access to Canada's national bibliographic database, AMICUS, is now free. There has been a tremendous increase in the use of the Library's Web site as the Digital Library of Canada has contributed an enormous range of Canadian content digital products based on our rich collections. The Library has been working hard to assist the 3 million print-disabled Canadians and to speak on behalf of school libraries. The Library continues to face enormous challenges to ensure that it is able to protect and preserve the country's published heritage. Significant additional resources are required for the Library's budget to address critical issues such as housing and preserving collections, digital publications and services, collection development to better serve Aboriginal and multicultural/multilingual communities and outreach to make the Library's services and treasures more accessible to all Canadians. During August and September, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada engaged in several days of legal strike action, which had an impact on the delivery of some services.

The partners of the National Library of Canada are critical to its ongoing success. There is an enormous range of partners, from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National Archives to the network of 21 000 Canadian libraries. The staff of the National Library working together, however, are among its greatest assets  -  they continue to amaze me with their dedication, innovation and achievements.

Roch Carrier
National Librarian

Access to Knowledge about Canada

Free AMICUS

At the Canadian Library Association conference in Winnipeg in June, National Librarian Roch Carrier announced the elimination of user fees for Web access to the Library's AMICUS bibliographic database services. AMICUS Web permits Canadians and Canadian institutions to have free access to over 24 million bibliographic records, 500 000 authority records, and 40 million holdings from 1 300 Canadian libraries (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/amicus). The Library's computing and telecommunications infrastructure has been upgraded to accommodate higher system usage levels resulting from self registration being made available, and has planned for future infrastructure expansion as part of ongoing enhancements to National Library of Canada's online services.

The National Librarian initiated the formal process to transfer authority for the setting of the Library's other fees to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Digital Library of Canada Task Force

This current fiscal year is the second of a three-year program supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Canadian Digital Cultural Content Initiative. There are a wide range of digital collections, educational sites, and exhibitions. These projects are all available through the National Library Web site at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. In this year to date, projects include the following:

• Page by Page: Creating a Children's Book Web site, Phase II, launched in September in celebration of International Literacy Day;
• the continued development of  -  Pathfinders & Passageways: Canada's Age of Exploration, Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, Annual Reports of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Confederation, Sheet Music from Canada's Past III (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sheetmusic/), Virtual Gramophone IV (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone/index-e.html), Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/moodie-traill);
• Images Canada - a collaborative project among a variety of cultural institutions that provides a single access point for some 65 000 images from collections on the Web sites of participating cultural institutions, including the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Natural Resources Canada's Earth Sciences Information Centre, the Glenbow Library and Archives and the Toronto Public Library (www.imagescanada.ca/index-e.html);
• Celebrating Women's Achievements  -  the addition of a new set of biographies highlighting the remarkable and groundbreaking careers of notable women in science, including Alice Wilson, Roberta Bondar, Ursula Franklin and Maude Abbott (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/index-e.html);
• and the production of a copyright guide by the Task Force, as well as an inventory and classification of the NL Web site.

NLC Web Site Redevelopment

The restructured Web site gives more prominence to its important and diverse cultural content under the theme of Knowledge Within Reach. While expanding dramatically with new digital content, products and services, the Web site has also been recoded and restructured to incorporate the Government of Canada's Common Look and Feel standards. Last fiscal year, there was a tripling of access to the Library's site from the previous year. There were some 87 million hits, 28 million page requests, and 4.6 million user sessions.

Serials Control, OPAC, Circulation and Acquisitions in AMICUS

The Library has continued the development of a major enhancement for AMICUS, a module to provide serials control, OPAC, circulation and acquisitions. It is scheduled for release in November.

Government On-Line (GOL) at the National Library

Collaborative Digital Reference Service

The National Library of Canada  -  in cooperation with libraries in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, the U.K., and the U.S.  -  is participating in the Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) pilot project initiated and hosted by the Library of Congress. CDRS will evolve into a global electronic reference service, providing professional reference support to researchers any time, anywhere, through an international digital network.

Since the last report, the Library has been working on creating the CDRS Canada point of presence to reflect the Canadian environment  -  our laws, our culture and our language requirements. Project staff have attended numerous conferences and meetings to discuss and promote CDRS Canada. Franceen Gaudet, the Library's project leader for this initiative, has been renamed as a member of the CDRS Advisory Board.

New Books Service for Canadians

The National Library previewed this innovative service at the BookExpo conference in Toronto in June. This fall, Canadians will have easy and exciting access to new books before they reach bookstores and library shelves. Working closely with publishers, New Books will highlight forthcoming titles with information such as author, title, ISBN, and in some cases, jacket design, brief reviews, and biographical notes on authors (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/newbooks/). The overall aim of the proposed New Books Service is to improve the National Library's services to publishers, booksellers, and Canadian libraries, as well as to individual researchers and readers. Over the summer, a number of technical details have been resolved and tested, and it is expected that the New Books data collection will begin in October 2001.

A communications plan for promotion of the service includes bookmarks, fact sheets and media ads, in a broad outreach to the publishing community. In addition to a presentation at the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Canadian Publishers, there will be presentations at the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association, the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec/Assocation des éditeurs du Québec, the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia. The Board of the Canadian Booksellers Association has also asked to visit the Library during their October Board meeting in Ottawa to learn more about NLC services with applications for booksellers.

During 2001-2002, an interactive Web form is being developed to permit publishers to submit information about their new books to the National Library via the Internet, including the submission of graphics for cover art, tables of contents, book reviews, etc. As is now the case, this information is stored and made available to the public in the AMICUS database; however, in order to facilitate access by Canadians to this information, a distinct, virtual Web-accessible New Books Collection is being created within the AMICUS database.

In addition, hypertext links from the AMICUS new books records will permit clients, libraries, and others to navigate back to the publishers' Web sites. Authenticated bibliographic data that NLC creates for each new book title will be returned via the Internet to the publishers for inclusion in their upcoming publications. Depending on available funding, the images for cover art, tables of contents, etc., received from publishers will be stored in an online digital repository at NLC.

Canadiana E-books Pilot Project

The Library completed this project, which involved the selection, acquisition, cataloguing, and on-site circulation of selected Canadiana electronic books - that is, digital books downloaded to a hand-held reading device. The purpose of the project was to expose National Library staff and work processes to the new media, and to record the impact of new media on NLC operations and policies

NLC  -  Depository Services Program Collaborative Projects

The National Library of Canada and the Depository Services Program (DSP) of Public Works and Government Services Canada have entered into a multi-year joint project that is being funded by the DSP. Projects identified to date include

• Federal Government Publications Locator Service, the first step in the development of a national locator system for federal government publications, which will allow clients to find the most convenient location to consult or borrow Government of Canada publications; and
• a Persistent Locator Service for government publications  -  this project will make recommendations to the DSP and the NLC on steps to take to implement persistent URLs in federal government publishing.

Enhancements to NLC's Canadian Information by Subject Service

The National Library's CIBS Web site provides reliable links to information about Canada from Internet resources around the world, classified into broad subject categories to facilitate user searching. By the end of September 2001, the number of links to relevant Web sites had grown to 6 504. This project implemented enhancements to CIBS that will better meet the expanding information needs of Canadians.

Council on Access to Information for Print-Disabled Canadians

In February 2001, National Librarian Roch Carrier announced the establishment of a Council on Access to Information for Print Disabled Canadians. The Council was established to address the implementation of the recommendations from the report of the Task Force on Access to Information for Print Disabled Canadians. Members of the Council have been chosen from the library, publishing, consumer groups, alternate-format producers and providers and public sector communities. Paul Whitney, Chief Librarian of Burnaby Public Library, chairs the Council. The mandate, membership and workplan of the Council, as well as the report of the Task Force, can be found at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/accessinfo. Any questions or submissions on the work of the Council should be sent to the Secretariat at the following email address: accessinfo@bac-lac.gc.ca. At the Canadian Library Association conference in June 2001, there was a session on the work of the Task Force and the Council. At the end of October, a sub-committee of the Council is hosting a resource sharing workshop on materials and services for print-disabled Canadians.

Theses Canada

Following the controversy in 2000 resulting from the appearance for sale of Canadian students' theses on Contentville.com, a consultation session on electronic theses and the future of the national program was held at the National Library of Canada on December 4, 2000. As a result of this consultation, a theses advisory committee was established. Following the April meeting of the Committee, Library staff have worked with individual members of the Committee to finalize recommendations to the program participants. These recommendations relate to the standards for submitting, using and archiving electronic format theses. To ensure tighter control of students' rights and the Library's authority to coordinate the operations of the service, work is also underway on updating the wording of the non-exclusive licence.

National Bibliography

National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Program (CIP)

As previously reported, there have been a number of major changes in the Canadian CIP program, one of the National Library's well-established services to Canadian publishers and libraries. Among other changes, the University of British Columbia is now responsible for an expanded western region. Over the summer, there have been a number of related changes to the revision of agents' work. The Library has assumed responsibility for service to a new category of publishers who publish on-demand in high volumes.

Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules

Changes in the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR) are in preparation, and the National Library of Canada bibliographic standards staff have actively participated, and continue to participate, in the detailed preparatory work necessary for cataloguing rule revision in an international context. In Canada, this work is conducted through the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing, and internationally by the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC). The focus of the current rule revision activity is on the addition of rules to address the description of electronic resources, particularly digital objects disseminated online. JSC is also considering options for restructuring AACR to facilitate the integration of rules for new expressions and new media.

Canadian Book Exchange Centre

The Canadian Book Exchange Centre (CBEC) has begun receiving for redistribution approximately 200 000 publications from the Saskatchewan Provincial Library. These publications, which had been part of the Provincial Library's non-fiction collection, have been offered to libraries within Saskatchewan.

Web versions of CBEC distribution lists are being developed. Official publications lists have been offered to CBEC clients on the Web. Libraries will be able to make their selections online and return them electronically or print the distribution list and proceed as they do at present.

Canadian Library Gateway

This gateway into the shared resources of Canadian libraries continues to grow significantly. Since the survey conducted in the summer of 2000, the National Library has added a large number of links to libraries, catalogues and library directory information to the Canadian Library Gateway, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gateway/index-e.html, with one result being that users can now access over 1 600 Canadian library homepages. Updates are ongoing, and the National Library always appreciates receiving any reports of new information or changes to the directory data. NLC has also been adding new catalogues into the Virtual Canadian Union Catalogue (vCuc) www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/8/6/index-e.html (discontinued effective May 9, 2006); there are now 27 individual and grouped Z39.50 catalogues in the vCuc, and the number continues to grow.

Z39.50: Bath Profile

The Bath Profile, an international Z39.50 specification for library applications and resource discovery, is being adopted by library consortia and provincial groups as the basis for the development of virtual catalogues within their regional networks. National Library of Canada staff continue to advise groups and provide information and assistance. Several meetings have been held to discuss the further development of the profile, focussing on issues surrounding the search and retrieval of holdings information. The National Library has participated on a American National Information Standards Organization (NISO) committee to develop a national profile for the United States, which will be based on the Bath Profile.

Protect and Preserve the National Collection

National Library Accommodations

Housing the Library's collections in appropriate facilities has become critical in the face of continuing incidents which damage collection materials, the most recent of which occurred September 25 and affected Preservation Collection materials housed in the Library's headquarters facility at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. In collaboration with the National Archives of Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Library has been developing plans and strategies for new facilities for its collections. There are a number of urgent short-term objectives for the Library to house its collections in facilities that will extend the life of collection materials, rather than contributing to their deterioration. The need to address these critical requirements is being supported by a number of organizations: the Canadian Library Association, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, the Writers Union of Canada and members of Libraries Advance Canada have made or are making written statements on the National Library's behalf. The annual conference of the Canadian Library Association passed a resolution in June directed at the Minister of Canadian Heritage on the need for a new collections facility for the Library.

In addition, given the ongoing problems with water leaks and inadequate temperature and humidity controls in its headquarters facility on Wellington Street, the National Library, with its partners, has begun investigating options for the replacement or renovation of its main building.

Funding for Preservation

In March 2001, the National Library received supplementary funding of $2 million from the Treasury Board to help secure the Library's Preservation Collection of Canadiana. This funding is being used to provide better protection of collection materials in the event of further incidents of water leaks in NLC collection storage facilities  -  since 1993, over 25 000 items in National Library collections have been damaged by water. In some instances, the same materials has been damaged in two separate incidents. Some incidents have resulted in all the National Library's copies of certain Canadiana titles being damaged.

The Library is using this funding in several ways. Some funds were used for the restoration of damaged collection materials and for deacidification. As well, the Library is undertaking a series of preventive actions to better protect collections. Preservation Collection materials are being moved to four vaults that the National Archives of Canada has made available at its Gatineau Preservation Centre (GPC). Using the collection space vacated by the move to the GPC, the Library has initiated a process to identify and separate one copy of Canadiana materials acquired before 1988 from a portion of its general service collections, designating these materials as part of the Preservation Collection and moving them. Other projects include

• clearing a shelving backlog of Preservation Collection items acquired in recent months, which had been stored temporarily in boxes due to a lack of space and human resources to process these items. Over 110 000 items have been shelved by temporary staff;
• the purchase of preservation supplies and equipment, such as large-scale freezers to deal more efficiently with water-damaged materials;
• basic collections maintenance projects and collection cleaning.

Move of NLC Preservation Collection to the National Archives' Gatineau Preservation Centre

As a result of a collaborative arrangement between Public Works and Government Services Canada, the National Archives and the National Library, the Library has temporary use of four vaults at the Gatineau Preservation Centre, in order to house part of NLC's Preservation Collection of Canadiana. The Gatineau vaults provide an environment that conforms to the temperature and humidity requirements for the long-term storage of print materials. By the end of October, over 6 000 linear metres of materials, or over 600 000 items, will have been moved to the GPC. This represents about half of the existing collection, which is currently growing at a rate of about 120 000 items each year. The costs of the move include some re-housing and boxing of materials, as well as the actual physical moves of books and federal and provincial government publications. This action will safeguard a major component of a key national heritage collection from further risk of damage.

Mass Deacidification

The Library has recently concluded an examination of its mass deacidification process. Since the establishment of the mass deacidification facility by the Public Archives in 1981, approximately 1 100 000 items from the Library's collection have been treated. Given the age of the Library's equipment and a proprietary dependence on one supplier, it has been decided to rethink how deacidification at the Library is carried out.

Preservation Benchmarking with Other National Libraries

A study has begun to collect and compile relevant data for the Library to better compare its own investment with those made by other national libraries in the area of preservation services. Given the Library's collection of over 18 million items in many formats, a significant investment is required to ensure that Canada's published heritage has the protection it deserves. The Library has also been working with the Canadian Conservation Institute on an assessment of its preservation activities.

Strengthen and Enrich the National Collection

Working Group on Collection Policies

The Working Group is preparing its final report which will be presented to the Library's Executive Committee. The report contains an Aboriginal initiative (more details follow), a multilingual/multicultural initiative, and recommends some changes to the Canadiana collection development guidelines. Over the spring and summer period, the members of the Group attended library conferences dealing with Aboriginal and multilingual themes, including the IFLA Section on Library Services to Multicultural Populations, and sought input from various library and information specialists. A survey questionnaire on multilingual collections and services was sent to 21 Canadian public libraries to determine the current status of their multilingual collections and services and to better understand and define their needs. The libraries were also asked to indicate their support for a variety of potential roles and programs of the National Library and their interest in certain national initiatives. The findings of this survey were incorporated into recommendations made by the Working Group in their final report.

In December, a draft proposal was developed for an Initiative on Aboriginal Resources, whose goal was to develop, promote and facilitate access to Aboriginal resources within Canada, both through the National Library and in partnership with Aboriginal communities and associations, Native culture and study centres, and libraries and resource centres. The draft Initiative was used as a focus point for a series of ongoing consultations with representatives of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, Native studies researchers, and librarians. The objective was to determine the information needs and priorities in the area of Aboriginal resources, and to solicit ideas on the best approaches to the collection and provision of access to these resources on a national level. Several recommendations coming out of these consultations have already been incorporated into the strategic plans of the National Library, including the creation of a senior level position that will focus on activities related to Aboriginal resources and services.

Acquisition of Electronic Publications

The National Library's collection of electronic publications has grown to 3 706 titles. Since the beginning of the fiscal year in April to the end of August, a total of 343 new titles have been added.

The Library has developed a "best practices" guide to assist publishers in producing a more standardized electronic product. Further, NLC has continued the process (gathering proposals, consulting policy and legal advisors, setting the legislative change process in action) towards amending the National Library Act and the National Library Book Deposit Regulations, 1995 to accommodate electronic publications.

Noteworthy Recent Acquisitions

A significant early Arctic exploration broadside:

• Hecla's royal and original polar rooms established at Port Bowen will be opened on Wednesday the 1st of December next, for a grand masquerade and fancy ball ... [Arctic regions : s.n., 1824]. A manuscript announcement of a masked ball to be held on board William Edward Parry's ship, Hecla, while wintering in the Arctic, in search of the Northwest Passage.

There is only one other copy known of this early Canadian imprint and it is located in the United States:

• St. John's River Society. The following description, with the extracts of letters patent, and proceedings of committees for dividing and settling the townships of Gage, Burton, Conway, Sunbury, and other tracts on St. Johns River, in the province of Nova Scotia, are now collected by the proprietors in Canada, and published for the general information of all persons, concerned or desirous to make settlements in that country. [Montréal : F. Mesplet, 1783]. Valuable information on the settlement of land owned by members of the St. John's River Society, who were making a last effort to attract settlers, otherwise the land would revert to the Crown. This copy belonged to Sir Guy Johnston (1740-1788), an important Indian Department official during the American Revolution.

This rare work has been added to the Reserve Collection:

• Catlin, George, 1796-1872. A descriptive catalogue of Catlin's Indian collection : containing portraits, landscapes, costumes, &c. and representations of the manners and customs of the North American Indians : collected and painted entirely by Mr. Catlin, during eight years' travel amongst forty-eight tribes, mostly speaking different languages : also opinions of the press in England, France, and the United States. London : Published by the author at his Indian Collection, 1848.

Sheet Music Collection

• The Alan Suddon sheet music collection consists of 1 100 pieces of Canadian sheet music, mostly dating from 1840s to 1940s. Alan Suddon was for many years Head of Fine Arts at the Metropolitan Toronto Public Library. This collection was developed over many decades and was one of the few significant collections of Canadiana sheet music still in private hands.

Gifts

Some valuable books received as a gift from Mr. André Sylvestre:

• [Anonymous]. La Cuisinière Canadienne : contenant tous ce qu'il est nécessaire de savoir dans un ménage, pour préparer les diverses soupes grasses, soupes grasses et maigres, cuire le boeuf, le veau, le mouton, le cochon, la volaille, le gibier et le poisson : apprêter les poudings de toute espèce, ainsi que les pâtisseries en général, comprenant la manière de faire la pâte feuilletée, et une grande variété de pâtés, tartes, biscuits, beignes et pains de savoie : les confitures et les gelées de toutes sortes : la préparation de oeufs et des crèmes, enfin des recettes pour les liqueurs et autres breuvages, et des notes sur les marinades, les légumes et salades. Montréal : Imprimée et publiée par Louis Perrault, [1840]. This is the only known complete copy of the first French language cookbook printed in Canada.
• Perrault, Joseph-François. Biographie de J.F. Perrault, protonotaire de la Cour du Banc du Roi pour le district de Québec / ecrit par lui même, à l'âge de quatre-vingts ans, sans lunettes, à la suggestion du Lord Aylmer, gouverneur en chef du Bas-Canada. Québec : Thomas Cary, 1834.
• Séran de La Tour, abbé. Parallèle de la conduite des Carthaginois, à l'égard des Romains, dans la seconde guerre punique avec la conduite de l'Angleterre à l'égard de la France dans la guerre déclarée par ces deux puissances en 1756 : où l'on voit l'origine, les motifs, les moyens & les suites de cette guerre, jusqu'au mois de décembre 1756. [Paris? : s.n.], 1757. This is an association copy with a signed presentation from the author to the French Minister of War.

Children's Illustrations

On National Aboriginal Day, June 21, the Library announced the acquisition of illustrations from the children's book Firedancers, by C.J. Taylor, a Mohawk author and artist. They have been added to the Library's rich collections of manuscripts and illustrations for children.

Manuscript Collections

• André Brassard fonds. André Brassard is one of the best-known and important Québeçois theatre directors and has strong links to Michel Tremblay. The collection consists of textual materials, photographs and publications, ranging from 1959 to 1999.
• Odette Drapeau fonds. The Library acquired an extensive collection of this award winning binder's works last year. This collection consists of stencils and mock-ups of her bindings, manuscripts of articles, and exhibition materials.

Collections Budget

The Library's current budget for collections development is approximately the same as that of 1982. Inflation, major price increases, a fall in the value of the Canadian dollar, coupled with major reductions as a result of program review, have had a dramatic impact on the National Library's ability to build collections that support the study of Canada. In comparison with other national libraries and research institutions, a recent study has concluded that a significant increase is needed to support collection building at the National Library.

Aboriginal Initiatives

The Library is staffing a new senior level position to provide a focus for internal and external activities related to Aboriginal resources and services. Providing services to the Aboriginal communities, as well as providing information about Aboriginal matters to all Canadians, are high priorities for the Library. Until the position is staffed on a permanent basis, Meredith Ramsey has been assigned to this task.

In addition, the Library is establishing a project team to focus on selecting and acquiring more publications of Canadian Aboriginal publishers, as well as materials relating to the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. This year's objectives include developing a communication strategy and standard approach for contacting Aboriginal publishers, associations and cultural centres, in an effort to increase outreach and promote the deposit of Canadian Aboriginal publications with the National Library. A trip to Saskatchewan and Alberta to visit Aboriginal associations is also planned.

Multicultural Initiatives

As well as staffing a position for Aboriginal resources and services, the Library is establishing a position to carry forward a number of multilingual/multicultural initiatives. Maryna Nowosielski has been assigned to this task as coordinator for multilingual/multicultural resources and services.

Legal Deposit

Legal deposit continues to contribute significantly to the growth of the National Library's collections. Since April 1, 2001, the Library has received 12 573 new titles on legal deposit, including both trade (non-government) and federal government publications. In addition, legal deposit has received 2 016 publications from provincial and municipal governments. In the same time period, 2 120 new publishers either were contacted about legal deposit or deposited publications for the first time, most of these first-time publishers are small independent companies, organizations or individuals.

Among titles of interest acquired through legal deposit is a series of 64 videocassettes documenting the Festival Mondial des Cultures du Drummondville, from 1994 to 2000. The Tactile Mapping Project of Natural Resources Canada deposited three copies each of both English and French versions of the Braille publication Tactile Atlas of Canada. Since April 1, personal visits to government departments have resulted in more than 50 titles from the Canadian Polar Commission and more than 100 titles from the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development being deposited. The Ottawa Valley Music Association deposited copies of over 20 CDs recorded by its members, ranging from gospel, folk, Celtic, country and alternative rock to story songs and yoga music. Another special acquisition was a collection of 56 Yukon First Nations Agreements, many of which are not held by any other library reporting to the Union Catalogue.

Serials Collection

The Library's serials collections is made up of about 37 500 active titles and 108 200 inactive titles. Each month about 250 new titles are added to the collection, and 17 365 new issues are recorded. The Library claims more than 2 500 missing serial issues each month.

Promote National Library Expertise, Collections and Services

Canadian Initiative on Digital Libraries (CIDL)

The National Library provides the Secretariat for CIDL, whose memberships have recently been renewed to include about 60 members from across the country. CIDL has coordinated the discussion of collaborative digital projects eligible for funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage under the Partnership Program of its Canadian Cultural Digital Content Strategy. The Steering Committee is planning elections and the next phase of work, which will be shaped by the results of the proposal and competition for federal funds. Additional information on CIDL is available at the Initiative's Website: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/lac-bac/cidl-ef/index.html.

Library Statistics

The National Core Library Statistics Program has collected core data for 1994, 1995 and 1996 for all types of libraries except those situated in elementary and secondary schools. A fourth survey was initiated for 1999. Data has been collected from the National Library of Canada's library association partners who collect statistical information, as well as from the provincial and territorial agencies responsible for public libraries, and a direct survey conducted in special and college libraries. By the end of March 2001, the data had been compiled into a database, and a contract for an analysis of the data for all years has been let to Dr. Alvin Schrader. The Library is also investigating possible scenarios for integrating school libraries into the Program. In early 2001, the National Library commissioned same data mining from existing Statistics Canada surveys. While the results are disappointing, the Library will share these results with the library community through its Web site and is anxious to make the case for research that identifies the performance and impact of libraries on various sectors of Canadian society. Partnerships and strategic questions to address gaps will be necessary; a meeting of the Advisory committee has been planned for November.

Library Book Rate

Negotiations for the renewal of the rate have begun. A committee of library representatives from the National Library, the Canadian Library Association and ASTED are meeting with the staff of Canadian Heritage. Discussions on a survey are in progress. Issues for the library community include a 'one-way' library rate and inclusion of non-book materials in the program.

Exhibitions

Extra! Extra! /Read All about It

On June 6, the Library opened an exhibit that highlighted its newspaper collection. The exhibit, curated by Newspaper Specialist Sandra Burrows, contained memorabilia, posters and newspapers arranged according to themes such as the Labour press, Special commemorative numbers, Aboriginal newspapers, community, student and ethnic newspapers and some spoof issues. The National Library has Canada's largest and most comprehensive collection of Canadian newspapers in the country. It was this collection that formed the basis of Sandra Burrows' paper "From Mesplet to Metadata," which she presented at the IFLA Conference in Boston in August 2001.

Recognition for Public Programming

Randall Ware, the manager of the Library's Public Programs, received a certificate of commendation from the Writers Union of Canada for his remarkable support to writers over the last decade. Randall has organized more than 500 readings involving more than 700 authors, most of who are Canadian. E. Russell Smith, in presenting the award in mid-September, cited Randall's outstanding contribution to Canadian arts and letters. Previous recipients of this award to library officers include Don Scott, Confederation Centre Library, Charlottetown, and Janice Douglas, Vancouver Public Library.

Canadian Children's Literature

The 2001 version of Read Up On It/Lisez sur le sujet is now available on the National Library's Web site (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/). This perennially popular guide to Canadian children's literature highlights books, audiotapes and magazines on nature and the environment. Additionally, Read Up On It includes recent award winning books. Read Up On It is a collaborative initiative of the National Library, the National Literacy Secretariat, the Canadian Library Association and ASTED, the Canadian Children's Book Centre and Communication jeunesse. Additional partners and sponsors include Canada Post, the Canadian Federation of University Women, YTV, TVO Parent Break and TFO.

International Forum on Canadian Children's Literature, June 2003

The year 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the National Library of Canada. To celebrate this historic occasion, the National Library will host an International Forum on Canadian Children's Literature. The Forum and its companion activities  -  a variety of engaging public events with and for young people  -  will take place in Ottawa from Thursday to Sunday, June 26-29, 2003.

The purpose of this initiative is to celebrate and promote Canadian children's literature in all its rich cultural, linguistic and regional diversity and strengthen the presence of this literature within Canada and on the international stage.

Members of the Steering Committee include the Honourable Landon Pearson (Chair), His Excellency John Ralston Saul, Mauril Bélanger, Bill Richardson, Catherine Mitchell, Scott Mullin, Dominique Payette, Dr. Sallama Shaker and C.J. Taylor.

Proyecto Adrienne

As a result of the state visit to Chile of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, the National Library has begun a project to compile literary works published in Canada since 1973 by Chilean writers in exile, to obtain copies of these works and to transfer them to the National Library of Chile.

Council of Federal Libraries (CFL)

The Council of Federal Libraries has adopted a strategic action plan that identifies three priorities: electronic tools at the desktop of public servants, metadata, and career development and renewal. The community has received some funds from Treasury Board for developing business cases and projects. In May, the Consortium of the Council purchased 462 e-books from NetLibrary for access by public servants in 37 federal departments and agencies. Two departmental libraries bought e- books in their areas of specialization, which are also available to employees in all the consortium members' departments. Library Development Officer Julia Goodman, on secondment from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has coordinated the involvement of the community in the development of a vision for Information Management in the government.

Aboriginal Library Science Trainee Program

The National Librarian has renewed the Aboriginal LS Trainee Program. Working with its Aboriginal staff members and graduates of the program, the National Library has updated the program documentation and distributed it to universities, Native Friendship Centres, the Public Service Commission, and lists of graduates.