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2011-12
Report on Plans and Priorities

Library and Archives Canada

The original version was signed by
The Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P.
The Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P. Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

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Table of Contents

Minister's Message

Section I - Departmental Overview

• Raison d'être
• Modernizing LAC for the Digital Age
• Responsibilities
• Strategic Outcomes and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)
• Planning Summary
• Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcomes
• Risk Analysis
• Expenditure Profile
• Estimates by Vote

Section II - Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcomes

• Program Activity 1.1: Development of regulatory instruments and recordkeeping tools
• Program Activity 1.2: Collaboration in the management of government records
• Program Activity 2.1: Documentation of the Canadian experience
• Program Activity 2.2: Preservation of continuing memory
• Program Activity 2.3: Exploration of documentary resources
• Internal Services

Section III - Supplementary Information

• Financial Highlights
• Supplementary Information Tables

Section IV - Other Items of Interest

Minister's Message

The organizations in the Canadian Heritage portfolio work closely with partners all across the country to fulfill their mandate and achieve the Government of Canada's objectives regarding arts, culture, heritage, and citizen participation. I am pleased to present the 2011–12 Report on Plans and Priorities prepared by Library and Archives Canada (LAC).

LAC is engaged in a modernization effort that is of fundamental importance to its ability to fulfill its mandate for Canadians. In the last few years, how we create and access information has changed dramatically. LAC is beginning to develop and implement strategies that will allow it to use its resources in ways that meet the changing expectations of Canadians. It will also ensure that the increasingly digital evidence of Canadian life today is well preserved and accessible long into the future. This will be a challenging effort and will involve a much more collaborative relationship with libraries, archives, and other partners across our country, as they shape a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network that will benefit partners and users alike.

I am proud that Library and Archives Canada is committed to pursuing its efforts to improve Canadians' quality of life and increasing our country's cultural, social, and economic vitality. I invite everyone who wishes to have a better understanding of the responsibilities and activities of LAC to become familiar with this report.

Section I - Departmental Overview

Raison d'être

Modernizing LAC for the Digital Age

LAC was created at a time when an unprecedented digital information environment was already beginning to reshape the documentary heritage of Canada, the access expectations of Canadians and the priorities of Canada's memory institutions. In order to remain relevant in today's rapidly evolving digital world, LAC is making fundamental changes to the way it operates.

LAC and similar memory institutions in Canada, such as archives and libraries, are asking hard questions about what documentary heritage we should acquire, preserve and make available—not just for present-day users but for people in 50 or 100 years who want to understand the Canada of today. LAC and other memory institutions are questioning how, with limited resources, to get the best results possible from rapidly expanding sources of information. We are asking each other how our traditional roles and relationships can become more effective and efficient through collaboration.

The digital reshaping of the information environment was already becoming clear by the late 1990s. In 2009, LAC formally began to re-assess its approach to doing business and to modernizing its operations. This exercise, known as Modernization, culminated in 2010 with the release of Shaping our Continuing Memory Collectively: A Representative Documentary Heritage¹. This document articulates how LAC will respond to the challenges it faces in an era of rapid change in how information is created, shared and used. It sets out the path to Modernization based on a policy-driven and evidence-based strategic approach. In order to achieve its objective, LAC has embedded into its decision-making process the four guiding principles of Significance, Sufficiency, Sustainability and Society.

In December 2010, LAC publicly announced a shift towards digital services transforming itself, the country's leading memory institution, into a fully engaged digital organization². LAC will provide most of its services online by taking a multi-faceted approach: adapting services and transforming business processes to make access easier, and increasing online content by switching to digital formats.

Furthermore, as mentioned in Shaping our Continuing Memory Collectively, pursuing a modernized approach to acquiring, preserving and making accessible Canada's continuing memory requires working collaboratively with others. This is fundamental to LAC's vision, a message which was promoted through its participation in various meetings and conferences. To build support for such a vision, LAC has begun consulting broadly with the various communities. For example, in autumn 2010 LAC organized an Academic Forum and a Stakeholder Forum. These have informed and will continue to inform forthcoming plans and actions. They will specifically guide a set of 12 Modernization Innovation Initiatives (MIIs) that LAC is pursuing to achieve concrete results in the areas of greatest importance to LAC and its stakeholders.

We are reshaping and adjusting our commitments in line with the directions set out by Modernization. One of the core shifts is to develop a new approach to make it easier for Canadians to find what they are looking for within our collection. This approach is described in detail in Section II. LAC is using the Modernization lens as a method to inform its business decisions, such as investments in information technology. Our approach to determining what we acquire, preserve, and make accessible is being revised to ensure that we invest in the documentary heritage most relevant to current and future generations. These and other Modernization commitments fit within the new program activity architecture that is described further in this section and shape the 12 Modernization Innovation Initiatives that serve as the framework for this Report on Plans and Priorities.

¹www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/013/f2/013-449-e.pdf
²Library and Archives Canada goes digital, December 9, 2010: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/whats-new/013-503-e.html

Responsibilities

As suggested above in our discussion of Modernization, documentary heritage takes many forms. What was once largely printed and recorded items such as books, historical documents, government records, photos, films, maps, music, and documentary art is now increasingly digital: the websites, audio, video, and social networking technologies that also capture the stories of Canada today. Regardless of the format or source, LAC has three responsibilities in relation to the documentary heritage that offers the best evidence of Canadian society to current and future generations:

1. acquisition;
2. preservation; and
3. access to documentary heritage.

Acquisition

Acquisition involves obtaining holdings that best present an accurate and representative portrait of Canadian society. In the digital age this will require careful selection from the abundance of available information. LAC acquisition functions in three different ways. First, Government of Canada institutions transfer to us their documents and records of expected enduring value. Second, legal deposit requirements in the Library and Archives of Canada Act require publishers to provide us with copies of materials published in Canada. Third, LAC acquires its holdings through vehicles such as donations and purchases. Under Modernization, LAC intends to shift its approach to an appraisal based process before acquiring such items. The appraisal may take into account factors such as how well something represents what is called "the best evidence of Canadian society," the extent to which it would allow LAC to address a priority in its collection development and to identify which memory institution, such as a provincial archive or library, is the most appropriate place for that item.

Preservation

Preservation involves managing our holdings to ensure that they are accessible to current and future generations. To this end, LAC will pursue opportunities to collaborate with other memory institutions across Canada. LAC has specialized staff who are experts in many preservation fields. They use a range of tools and technologies. LAC has a dedicated infrastructure to safeguard the analogue collection, such as the Preservation Centre and a new facility to preserve holdings of old films and photographs. In response to the increasingly digital environment, LAC is developing technologies and tools to ensure preservation of Canada's digital documentation. Under Modernization, the LAC approach to appraisal would take expected long-term preservation needs into account.

Access to Documentary Heritage

Resource Discovery supports a client-centred approach that enables Canadians to explore and interact with the collection LAC manages in trust for Canada. People use the LAC website³ to pursue various research interests through its collection. LAC increasingly collaborates with others to organize exhibitions and programming events at sites across Canada and online.

Resource Discovery supports government accountability. LAC supports the goals of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act through reviews of archival records, personnel records of former civilian and military government employees and business records.

The processes we use to describe the items in our holdings are essential to resource discovery and enable Canadians to understand the stories behind the collection and find items of interest to them. Under Modernization, LAC is exploring how best to facilitate access to Canadian documentary heritage by the largest number of people.

³www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/collection/index-e.html

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

LAC will have a new Program Activity Architecture (PAA) in place during 2011–12 that reflects our working reality and responsibilities better than the old one, as shown in the accompanying crosswalk. The new PAA was approved by the President of the Treasury Board on August 6, 2010. LAC is supporting the new PAA with an improved performance management framework. It sets out new performance indicators and targets, which will evolve as we proceed with our Modernization agenda.

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PAA Crosswalk

LAC's PAA for 2011–12 differs substantially from 2010–11. It represents our core functions more realistically while remaining flexible enough to address the needs of the organization in a time of significant change.

The first of the two new strategic outcomes (Current government information is managed to support government accountability) relates to our legislated mandate for key elements of government information management. This new strategic outcome also brings two previous sub-activities to a program activity level to reflect their importance.

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The second strategic outcome (Canada's continuing memory is documented and accessible to current and future generations) addresses our responsibilities in relation to documentary heritage (acquisition, preservation and resource discovery). It aligns with the Government of Canada "Social Affairs" spending area's focus on a "Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage." The strategic outcome has been modified to reflect the necessity of documenting Canadian reality in all formats.

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The second strategic outcome raises the previous "preservation" sub-activity to a program activity level due to its essential nature and significance in LAC mandate and operations.

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The new program activity (Exploration of documentary resources) brings together all activities that facilitate discovery by Canadians and others of LAC documentary resources. It encompasses functions ranging from our description of holdings to the ways that we make them available to Canadians. It includes our supportive infrastructure to libraries and archives across Canada.

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Planning Summary

Financial Resources ($ thousands)

2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
112,959.8	116,426.3	99,672.3

Human Resources (FTEs)

2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
1,115	1,115	1,115

Strategic Outcome: Current government information is managed to support government accountability

Performance Indicator	Targets
Percentage of Government of Canada institutions4 that receive or maintain ratings of "acceptable" or "strong" in the Information Management report card	41% by March 2012

⁴This indicator covers all institutions assessed by indicator 12 - Effectiveness of Information Management — of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). The list of concerned institutions can be consulted on the Treasury Board Secretariat website: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/maf-crg/index-eng.asp

Strategic Outcome: Canada's continuing memory is documented and accessible to current and future generations

Performance Indicator	Targets
Percentage of Canadians who fully agree that the collection is accessible	Baseline figure to be set by March 2012
Percentage of the collection used by clients	Baseline figure to be set by March 2012

Program Activity as of 2011-12	Forecast Spending 2010–11 ($ thousands)	Planned Spending ($ thousands)			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
Development of Regulatory Instruments and Recordkeeping Tools	–	5,128.9	5,125.1	5,125.1	Government Affairs: Well–managed and Efficient Government Operations
Collaboration in the management of government records of business value to ensure their availability	–	2,406.2	2,406.2	2,406.2
Documentation of the Canadian Experience	–	27,155.4	27,220.8	27,220.8	Social Affairs: A Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
Preservation of Continuing Memory	–	26,463.8	29,791.6	13,037.6
Exploration of Documentary Resources	–	23,428.9	23,511.7	23,511.7
Internal Services	30,207.9	28,376.6	28.370.9	28,370.9	N/A
Program Activity as of 2011-12	Forecast Spending 2010–11 ($ thousands)	Planned Spending ($ thousands)			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
Managing the Disposition of the Government of Canada Records of Continuing Value	7,157.1	–	–	–	Social Affairs: A Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
Managing the documentary heritage of interest to Canada	54,809.6	–	–	–
Making the documentary heritage known and accessible for use	21,364.1	–	–	–
Total Planned Spending	113,538.7	112,959.8	116,426.3	99,672.3

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcomes

LAC's experience since 2004 has informed the detailed Modernization agenda for 2011–12 and beyond. LAC will continue to remain relevant to Canadians by drawing on its extensive planning, analytical and strategic research capacity. We are using our lessons learned to shape our newly defined goals, while remaining flexible in our plans to reach them.

The work ahead for Modernization involves updating our business processes, ensuring we give priority to the delivery of our legislated mandate and reviewing policies in order to enhance their clarity and strengthen accountability. We have defined six new corporate priorities, five are operational and one managerial. They all will support progress towards both of LAC's strategic outcomes and our best possible use of resources. LAC is moving forward on each of these priorities through one or more Modernization Innovation Initiatives that we defined and launched in the fall of 2010. The relevant initiative appears under each priority on the following tables. More details appear in Section II under the program activity of greatest relevance to it.

The Modernization Innovation Initiatives will continue to evolve as we learn from experience and adjust specific elements of our plans and timetables in order to stay on track to meet an evolving information environment. LAC will become the kind of modern memory institution and collaborator that Canadians and Canadian memory institutions need and expect in this new information environment.

Corporate Priority 1 (Operational)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will adopt a more collaborative approach to fulfilling its mandate	New	Both
Description: The massive expansion of information and the many new ways that documentary heritage is generated mean the traditional models in which institutions work are no longer realistic. These institutions need to work more collaboratively to the best use of limited resources and to ensure that Canada's continuing documentary heritage is acquired and preserved for present and future generations. LAC and other memory institutions need to collaborate to appraise, acquire, preserve and enable access to the most important and most representative documentary heritage produced by our society. This shift to collaboration should enable each institution to bring a more strategic approach to how it addresses its responsibilities so that all institutions can work more closely together, respecting legislative mandates and jurisdictions in a pan-Canadian approach to managing our documentary heritage. The scale of change needed to move in a more collaborative direction is significant but necessary. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will help to accelerate pan-Canadian discussion of this direction and the steps necessary to realize a new potential model of working for all memory institutions. MII-1: In spring 2011, LAC will have implemented a strategy to guide its external communications and its collaboration with stakeholders and partners, particularly in support of modernization. While we expect to begin to implement a strategy by the beginning of the fiscal year, ongoing efforts will then help facilitate discussions among institutions. We intend to work with stakeholders to clarify how to address issues such as the principles underlying future collaboration and its governance, as well as how best to respect legislated or mandated obligations.
Corporate Priority 2 (Operational)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will redefine how it selects items to be acquired for the use of Canadians	New	Both
Description: The expanding world of information and the new ways in which Canadians create, share, and use that information raises challenges to LAC's mandate to reflect Canadian society. LAC needs to redefine concepts of value in order to determine what best represents Canadian society for current and future generations. In order to do that, LAC will develop a consistent approach to appraisal, which will influence future acquisition priorities, collaboration with other memory institutions and decisions on how best to manage existing LAC holdings. We have identified three Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will outline more clearly how we will define and approach the concept of appraisal and its implications for our work, internally and with partners. We will make substantial efforts in 2011–12 for each one. MII-2: By 2015, LAC will have fully implemented an approach that allows it consistently to appraise and preserve documentary heritage of all kinds and determine where it should be best placed. MII-3: By spring 2011, LAC will begin to apply a modernized framework and tools in its work with all Government of Canada institutions to ensure the effective management of government information. MII-4: Beginning in spring 2011, LAC will review the relevance of its holdings based on its mandate and a modernized appraisal approach.
Corporate Priority 3 (Operational)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will improve access to its holdings	New	Both
Description: Resource discovery at LAC must be more responsive to Canadian citizens' information needs. In today's online environment, people expect to find information easily, immediately, and autonomously. In order to stay relevant in a society of increasingly interconnected and socially networked citizens, LAC will need to re-orient the way it connects with Canadians, and increase the presence, relevance and visibility of its documentary heritage information. Given resource realities, LAC must find efficiencies by optimizing service channels to reach the broadest number of Canadians. We must speed up the steps between the time we acquire documentary heritage and the time it is rendered accessible. This environment obliges us to look closely at our traditional service approaches to Canadians and to the many other institutions and organizations to which we provide services. We need to find the optimal balance in services that reflects available resources, our mandate and our role within a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network. We have identified four Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will clarify and address the challenges we face in providing services, all of which will involve action in 2011–12. MII-7: By spring 2012, LAC will be shifting how it makes and provides copies of its holdings to digital reproduction and storage, which also will facilitate putting content online. MII-8: In spring 2011, LAC will have developed a new service model to provide Canadians with access to its documentary holdings. MII-9: By 2014, LAC will have shortened the time between acquisition of material and access to it, and will ensure that people can find and gain access to all of its holdings. MII-10: By summer 2011, in the context of its pan-Canadian approach, LAC will have reviewed its service to documentary heritage institutions/organizations.
Corporate Priority 4 (Operational)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will ensure digital preservation	New	Both
Description: Preservation is one of the three responsibilities that LAC performs in relation to documentary heritage. One particular preservation priority is to establish consistent approaches and tools to acquire and preserve digital records and publications. The internationally accepted method of doing this is through Trusted Digital Repositories (TDRs). We are working to establish LAC as one TDR in a much larger network, consistent with our commitment to foster a collaborative documentary heritage networked environment in Canada. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will generate progress on digital preservation during 2011–12. MII-11: By 2017, LAC will have the technologies and tools in place to ensure preservation of Canada's digital documentary heritage in line with modernization.
Corporate Priority 5 (Operational)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will modernize how it describes its collection to improve access	New	Strategic Outcome 2
Description: The effective and consistent application of description standards, supported by best practices and tools, are critically important to make our collection easily accessible to users. Clear descriptions enable users to identify the collection material likely to be of interest to them and enable an organization to manage its collection. We use standards consistent with the traditional practices of library and archival sciences but need to move to a single descriptive framework for all holdings that is founded on documentary heritage value and the needs of our clients. In addition, LAC will ingest publisher, creator, donor and user-supplied metadata to supplement LAC's descriptions. This metadata framework will be guided by appropriate policies, standards and tools. We have identified one Modernization Innovation Initiative that will help to bring about a modernized description approach during 2011–12. MII-12: Beginning in winter 2011, LAC will develop a single framework that it, as well as other creators, donors and users, will use to describe information in its holdings.
Corporate Priority 6 (Managerial)	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)
LAC will build its capacity to manage and fully discharge accountabilities	New	Both
Description: The LAC Modernization agenda will mean substantial change throughout the organization at a time when the entire public service is expected to evolve to better meet the needs of Canadians and to draw on the full contributions of employees. This change will require efforts by all levels of our management to share information with employees and to fully engage them in the institution's new priorities and processes. Many changes will reflect our ongoing shift to apply information technologies more extensively. Given resource constraints, we will have to address both our human resource and information technology needs in more strategic ways. We have identified two Modernization Innovation Initiatives that will address our internal capacity needs in 2011–12 as we move forward. MII-5: In spring 2011, LAC will begin implementing a strategy to address its human resources priorities in support of modernization. MII-6: By fall 2011, LAC will have the framework in place to ensure that its information technology strategies, resources and investments are in line with modernization priorities.

Risk Analysis

The LAC corporate risk profile assesses the major risks to ongoing LAC operations and to the general achievement of our mandate. Modernization is LAC's strategic response to ensure it delivers its mandate in a way that remains relevant to Canadians.

The need to make the right acquisition choices

It has never been possible for LAC or any institution to collect all possible documentary heritage. Given the volume of items that could be included in Canada's documentary heritage being created daily, it is even more critical to be clear on what we should and should not acquire. Modernization includes elements such as a new approach to appraisal that will help us do so. It includes a commitment to collaboration in the direction of a pan-Canadian documentary heritage network in which partner institutions may seek to build collections that complement each other's, so a possible new acquisition is acquired by the institution for which it is most relevant.

The need to make the right preservation choices

As noted earlier, LAC has much of the essential infrastructure and the skilled professionals needed to preserve the collection. The substantial preservation needs of the collection require us to make thoughtful choices so that resources are used most effectively. Under Modernization and the shift to a more consistent approach to appraisal of possible new holdings, as well as an expected review of existing holdings, we will be able to focus our preservation efforts more strategically in line with a long-term view.

The need to make the right Resource Discovery choices

While the collection of which LAC is steward is vast, it is not consistently accessible. We have made substantial progress in recent years through efforts such as putting digital images online and delivering programs in collaboration with partner organizations. Under Modernization, we intend to do more. This will include changes such as a thorough analysis of our full range of services in line with our view of what a modernized LAC would offer to individuals, other institutions and clients of all kinds. It will include new approaches to how we describe holdings that will make finding them simpler and more consistent. It will extend to updated processes that will accelerate the processing of the acquisitions we do make, so they are available for discovery sooner.

The need to ensure the Government of Canada institutions can manage their information resources properly

LAC's responsibilities related to government information management are critical to ensuring accountability to Canadians and supporting the best use of information as a business asset for effective decision making. Government institutions are now required to manage information in line with a new Directive on Recordkeeping. Our role is to provide guidance and support. We are addressing the need and mitigating the risks of inadequate information management within institutions by making our commitments a priority for action within LAC.

Expenditure Profile

The permanent funding of Library and Archives Canada has remained constant at approximately $100 million per fiscal year over the past four years. While we have experienced growth in our permanent funding for items such as, supporting our increased workload resulting from the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act and collective bargaining funding, we have equally contributed on a permanent basis to government-wide initiatives such as the strategic review exercise to relocate spending to higher priorities of government, which results in the appearance of our permanent funding remaining stable. For example, effective in 2010–11, LAC received a permanent amount of $4.0 million for collective bargaining; however, during this same time frame, LAC contributed $4.6 million towards the government-wide strategic review exercise. In response to this last reduction, LAC has revisited its activity base and will continue to do so throughout 2011–12 toward delivering its mandate in a more efficient manner.

Library and Archives Canada's spending trend beyond our $100 million permanent funding is related to specific projects for which we have received temporary funding. The spending fluctuation is mainly explained by the following temporary projects:

1. Between 2005–06 and 2010–11, we received approximately $24.5 million from the Department of Canadian Heritage in support of collaborative activities to advance the creation of cultural content online and other digitization projects;
2. Over three years beginning in 2007–08, we received $21.7 million to replace obsolete systems and provide the capacity for managing electronic publications and the digital records of the Government of Canada;
3. In 2008–09, we received approval for the construction of a preservation facility that will safeguard Canada's cellulose nitrate-based documentary heritage (photograph negatives and films). We spent $7.7 million in 2009–10 and are anticipating on spending an additional $4.5 million in 2010–11; and
4. In 2009-10, we received approval to initiate fit-up work for a Collection Storage Facility with a high-density shelving system. We have spent $1 million in 2009–10 and anticipate planned spending of $2.8 million in 2010–11, $14.1 million in 2011–12 and $17.5 million in 2012–13.

Projects three and four reflect the element of the LAC mandate to safeguard and preserve Canada's documentary heritage.

Library and Archives Canada is committed to prudent spending and ensuring measurable results are attained for Canadians. We work in close collaboration with other government departments and external partners to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of our activities and to provide increased access to the collection.

Figure 4: Departmental Spending Trend

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Figure 5: 2011–12 Planned Spending by Program Activity ($ thousands)

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Estimates by Vote
($ thousands)

Vote # or Statutory Item (S)	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2010–11 Main Estimates	2011–12 Main Estimates
55	Operating expenditures	97,071.1	90,855.2
57	Capital Expenditures	11,998.0	10,350.0
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	11,216.1	11,754.6
TOTAL		120,285.2	112,959.8

Estimates by Vote are presented in the 2011–12 Main Estimates which are available here:
www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20112012/me-bpd/info/info-eng.asp

An overall decrease of $7.3 million due mainly to the following:

• An increase of $1.2 million for the conversion of the asset in Gatineau, Quebec as a Collection Storage Facility with a high density shelving system;
  
  
• an increase of $539 thousand for Employee Benefits Plan (statutory);
  
  
• a decrease of $6.4 million for the construction of a preservation facility to safeguard Canada's cellulose nitrate-based documentary heritage;
  
  
• a decrease of $1.6 million to support the modernization of federal laboratories (horizontal item) (Budget 2009); and
  
  
• a decrease of $901.8 thousand for Cost Containment Measures (Budget 2010).

Section II - Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome(s)

Strategic Outcome 1 - Current government information is managed to support government accountability

Program Activity 1.1: Development of regulatory instruments and recordkeeping tools

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
121	5,128.9	121	5,125.1	121	5,125.1

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Regulatory regime is established across the Government of Canada and government information is managed and disposed of appropriately	Percentage of institutions that consider that recordkeeping and library services are integrated into their business culture	Baseline figure to be set by March 2012

Program Activity 1.2: Collaboration in the management of government records

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
89	2,406.2	89	2,406.2	89	2,406.2

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Increased capacity and readiness to manage Government of Canada information effectively	Percentage of Government of Canada institutions that show improvement in their capacity and readiness to manage information effectively	Baseline figure to be set by March 2012

Planning Highlights

LAC manages the two program activities under this strategic outcome through an integrated approach that supports information management across the Government of Canada (GC). We have substantially modernized our approach to this strategic outcome by supporting the GC in its implementation of the government-wide 2009 Directive on Recordkeeping. This approach helps guide decisions on what government records LAC acquires and manages. It also supports federal institutions to carry out their responsibilities vis-à-vis their own effective recordkeeping and information management.

Through our legislated mandate to provide leadership and horizontal coordination of federal library services, we will continue to implement a new vision and business model with federal libraries, institutions and key stakeholders. This exercise will explore strategies for making information more easily available to all public servants while benefiting from the burgeoning digital information industry and allowing federal libraries to more efficiently acquire and deliver information.

During 2011–12, a primary focus of our work will be collaboration with institutions through a new approach to the Records Disposition Authorities (RDAs). These set the terms and conditions that govern how government institutions dispose of records which no longer have business value, typically by permitting their destruction or by requiring their transfer to LAC.

Corporate Priority: LAC will redefine how it selects items to be acquired for the use of Canadians

In 2011–12, a new strategic government-wide plan will improve recordkeeping across the government and be better linked to LAC's acquisition mandate. The deliverables will include:

• a new and consistent methodology to support recordkeeping by federal institutions, demonstrated particularly through a shift to new disposition instruments that cover multiple institutions rather than the traditional use of unique authorities for individual institutions; and
  
  
• new mechanisms to support business value identification of information resources
  
  
• implementation of an engagement strategy for federal institutions that will enable Government of Canada employees to better understand and act on their recordkeeping and information management responsibilities.

Benefits for Canadians

• Implementation of the new recordkeeping regime across the Government of Canada will allow Canadians to exercise their rights as citizens to have access to government records of business value within federal institutions and access to records of archival value at LAC.
  
  
• A focus on identifying information resources of business value within Government of Canada institutions will facilitate the preservation and resource discovery of the information that is retained, enabling effective program delivery, timely responses to access to information and privacy requests and improved support for litigation.
  
  
• The commitment to store only information resources of ongoing business or archival value will benefit taxpayers through better-controlled document storage conditions and costs.

Strategic Outcome 2: Canada's continuing memory is documented and made accessible to current and future generations

Program Activity 2.1: Documentation of the Canadian experience

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
271	27,155.4	271	27,220.8	271	27,220.8

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
LAC's collection is relevant to and representative of the Canadian society	Percentage of users who consider that LAC's collection represents Canadian experience	Baseline figure to be set by March 2012

Planning Highlights

This program activity centres on our mandate to acquire published and unpublished documentary heritage that represent Canada's continuing memory, reflect Canadian society and will be of interest to current and future generations. During 2011–12, most of this LAC activity will continue to take place under our legislated requirements such as the legal deposit of materials by publishers and the government records mandate. Modernization is leading us to assess and update our appraisal and acquisition priorities and approaches. Our goal is to ensure a LAC collection that is coherent, relevant and takes into account LAC's roles among Canadian documentary heritage institutions. Because appraisal and acquisition sets the stage for the LAC preservation and resource discovery commitments that follow, this program activity is a focal point of Modernization Innovation Initiatives under two of the six corporate priorities listed in Section I.

Corporate Priority: LAC will adopt a more collaborative approach to fulfilling its mandate

LAC recognizes that it is neither possible nor necessary for us to acquire Canada's entire array of documentary heritage. Under Modernization, we see our future as a collaborative partner in a larger pan-Canadian documentary heritage network with shared roles and responsibilities for all documentary heritage institutions in Canada. During 2011–12, we intend to move forward on this MII and:

• implement an emergent and comprehensive external engagement strategy; and
• develop collaboratively a network model and a staged implementation of the pan-Canadian documentary heritage network.

These efforts will clarify the capacity and resources needed to build collaboration in pursuit of an effective, sustainable pan-Canadian network of memory institutions.

Corporate Priority: LAC will redefine how it selects items to be acquired for the use of Canadians

LAC needs to determine what constitutes "the best evidence of Canadian society" as this will shape our choices in what we acquire, preserve and make available for resource discovery. It will enable us to assess which current LAC holdings merit continued retention. This core issue is the basis for two Modernization Innovation Initiatives.

This MII would guide future acquisition and preservation choices by LAC. It could change the existing LAC acquisition models in which published documents are acquired comprehensively through Legal Deposit while other unpublished items in all media are acquired on a more selective or ad hoc basis through gifts, purchases and donations. This will require substantial consultation with documentary heritage stakeholders beginning in 2011–12, which will lead to:

• progress toward a new appraisal / acquisition policy framework.

Since we have acquired our holdings at different times and under different assumptions about what the LAC collection should include, some of which may no longer be in line with our mandate. They may not represent the best evidence of Canadian society or may duplicate holdings we already have in depth.

A systematic review of LAC holdings will identify items that could be transferred to memory institutions where they are more relevant or needed. We will draw on our experience with a similar systematic review of our government records holdings that allowed us to dispose of kilometres of documents from our storage shelves that had no business or archival value, reducing costs and making the remaining records easier to find and use. During 2011–12, this long-term process will begin with two initial steps:

• implementation of the policy instruments needed for the systematic review described above; and
  
  
• development of methodologies for a new reappraisal program to ensure retention of relevant holdings.

Benefits for Canadians

• As we move forward with Modernization and pursue the strategies and initiatives described under this program activity, the collection will increasingly reflect the diverse Canadian experience and respond to Canadians' broad variety of interests and needs in terms of documentary heritage.
  
  
• LAC will manage acquisitions in order to make holdings accessible to Canadians as quickly as possible.

Program Activity 2.2: Preservation of continuing memory

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
197	26,463.8	197	29,791.6	197	13,037.6

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
LAC collection is safeguarded in an appropriate way to make it accessible for current and future generations	Proportion of the collection in appropriate storage	45% by March 2012

Planning Highlights

This program activity centres on our ongoing mandate to manage the collection in ways that ensure its long-term preservation and accessibility to Canadians. During 2011–12, LAC specialists will continue to use an array of archival and preservation techniques on analogue and digital materials and support their circulation and storage. These specialists will continue their work to preserve and reproduce fragile materials and digitize documents to ensure accessibility for Canadians. While the work to pursue an external engagement strategy and to define a coherent "whole of society" approach described under Program Activity 2.1 will have implications for this program activity, another Modernization Innovation Initiative is of specific relevance here.

Corporate Priority: LAC will ensure digital preservation

This initiative will build on our ongoing work to respond to gaps and common needs among memory institutions related to digital preservation. We have been exploring how best to establish a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) capacity at LAC for some years. Our experience and the lessons learned from other countries have enabled us to identify how a LAC repository presence in a Canadian network of TDRs might work. Our experience underlines the need to move forward incrementally. In 2011–12, we will extend the progress that we expect to make in 2010–11 such as developing a project to review the TDR strategy related to digital government records. This progress will include:

• creating a project to manage TDR Core Project (Technical); and
• defining the TDR program architecture, technology, policies, organization and overall framework.

Benefits for Canadians

• Canada's digital documentary heritage will be better preserved and more accessible to Canadians both here and abroad.

Program Activity 2.3: Exploration of documentary resources

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
220	23,428.9	220	23,511.7	220	23,511.7

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Canadians have access to Canada's documentary heritage	Percentage of clients satisfied with modernized services across channels	By March 2012 Mail: 75% Online: 70% At exhibitions: 70%
	Percentage of clients who report being able to find what they are looking for by channel	Online: 60% Baselines to be set by March 2012 for: In-person; Telephone; and, Mail channels

Planning Highlights

This program activity involves distributing and making available Canadian documentary resources. This takes place through LAC programs, services and activities, many of which are delivered in collaboration with partners or online. For example, we are using the walls and screens of other institutions to deliver our Portrait Gallery of Canada program so Canadians outside of the National Capital Region can see LAC's portrait collection. The program activity includes the underlying work to describe and organize holdings that can result in databases, indexes and catalogues. LAC's responsibilities extend support to Canada's libraries and archival communities through initiatives such as the National Archival Development Program (NADP).

Because this program activity commonly represents the face of LAC to Canadians, it is a focal point for Modernization. We will pursue four MIIs under two corporate priorities as focal points for action under this program activity.

Corporate Priority: LAC will improve access to its holdings

This MII addresses our approach to making reproductions of non-digital material in our collection. We now make 750,000 photocopies annually for clients. The goal is to provide copies in digital format only and re-purpose the content we produce to make it available online. The steps in 2011–12 will include:

• assessing existing workflows and identifying a best service delivery model; and
  
  
• expanding digital reproduction to include responses to Access to Information and Privacy requests.

A comprehensive analysis and revision of our approaches to service delivery will help us identify the optimum mix of channels and service levels to meet evolving client expectations and to support broad use of our collection. We will make changes in order to maximize resources, including enabling electronic service delivery. To do this, we will:

• develop a model of tiered service for LAC; and
  
  
• pilot test possible tiers of service and evaluate them.

At the centre of this MII is our redesign of work processes related largely to our acquisition and resource discovery activities. In particular, we will look at improving the process and shortening the time between acquiring material and making it accessible to Canadians. On that foundation, we will:

• test a high-level new process model for LAC's supply chain.

LAC and its predecessor organizations have a long record of providing services to libraries and archival communities and to corporate entities such as publishers. These services include: national and international library and archival standards initiatives; interlibrary loans; national catalogues; early cataloguing of Canadian publications for distribution to booksellers and libraries; provision of international standard book and serial numbers to Canadian publishers; and the National Archival Development Program. To ensure that LAC is providing the best service mix in the most efficient manner to its institutional clients, LAC is undertaking a review of the broad range of services it provides. During 2011–12, and based on research and strategic analysis done in 2010–11, we intend to:

• propose, consult on, and develop a service strategy that will be refined as appropriate for institutional clients; and
  
  
• create and implement a phased implementation of that strategy.

Corporate Priority: LAC will modernize how it describes its collection to improve access

Metadata is commonly defined as "data about data." It offers standard ways to describe information in our collection, such as names of authors or subject categories. Metadata makes it easier for users to find the information most relevant to them and for our employees to manage the collection. LAC does not have a single descriptive framework for its holdings. Instead, we have distinct work processes for published material, private archives and government records, as well as for various formats.

Establishing a single descriptive metadata framework will take place in stages beginning with research into best practices elsewhere and then developing the policy framework that will guide subsequent choices. This will require consultation inside and outside of LAC and should help to identify how we can better use metadata generated by third parties who create documentary heritage.

In 2011–12, we intend to:

• develop a policy framework for a single metadata standard for description; and
  
  
• develop tools to capture metadata from publishers, donors, creators and users to supplement LAC descriptions.

Benefits for Canadians

• Canadians will have improved access to more of our collection as information will be easier and more consistent to find.
  
  
• Canadians will receive services aligned with their identified needs and that are cost effective for LAC to provide.

Internal Services

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
217	28,376.6	217	28,370.9	217	28,370.9

Planning Highlights

Internal services make fundamental contributions to the achievement of the two strategic outcomes and all corporate priorities of LAC. They ensure compliance with Government of Canada legislation, regulations, and policies. Our internal services include senior management functions, finance and accommodations, human resources, contracting, security, planning, information technology, information management, communications, audit and evaluation.

In addition to the ongoing activities that enable LAC to operate, this program activity is the focal point for one corporate priority.

Corporate Priority: LAC will build its capacity to manage and fully discharge accountabilities

Most of our corporate priorities depend significantly on internal service-related factors. For example, the government expects LAC to make the same improvement in information management under its Directive on Recordkeeping as all other federal institutions. However, two MIIs are specific to this corporate priority.

In 2004, the creation of LAC brought together the workforces of the two former institutions. Most work processes, as well as the competencies required to serve them, did not change. However, processes will evolve and new competencies will be required to meet the requirements of a modernized LAC.

We also recognize the government-wide emphasis on increasing professional competencies and the convergence of skills required to respond to an environment driven by information technology. The professional skills of new staff are reflecting the evolution of library, archives, and information management specializations within academic institutions and the variety of new approaches undertaken within other memory institutions.

To respond to these approaches and other trends shaping the workforce and workplace of the future, as well as the new rules and regulations under the Public Service Modernization Act, we have committed to ensuring that our workforce is even more competent, organized effectively, committed to our goals and representative of Canadian society. We intend to accelerate the development of LAC's employees and management staff through an innovative workforce strategy, which we believe will also help to increase employee engagement in Modernization. During 2011–12 under that effort, we will:

• identify the key competencies needed to deliver on the MIIs, as well as conduct an analysis of the LAC workforce to identify strengths and gaps;
  
  
• address the highest priority Human Resources (HR) policies that need to be improved to support the workforce strategy, followed by development of an action plan to address remaining HR policy priorities;
  
  
• propose a model to increase the efficiency and transparency of our staffing and classification processes; and
  
  
• implement a talent management framework to support employee career aspirations and maximize the use of their strengths in the workplace.

The digital environment is challenging our existing information technology infrastructure. Our IT environment is characterized by a lack of central, enterprise wide design or alignment; numerous IT systems across multiple business lines, sometimes with similar or overlapping functionalities; and competing demands for scarce IT resources across LAC. A current IT infrastructure that does not always meet client needs still has to serve as the foundation for some of our collaborative activities.

We know that properly applied, IT will play a pivotal role in achieving much of our Modernization vision, especially with respect to digital acquisition, analogue digitization, preservation, collaboration, discovery and sharing LAC holdings in new ways and using emerging technologies.

The path forward will be through enterprise architecture (EA), which is a business-driven, disciplined process through which we will define our business goals and strategies, the assets and processes required to execute them, as well as identify their impacts on information technology goals. We will use an EA approach to develop and document the core services, business objectives, values, stakeholders, drivers and vision for LAC, and develop a prioritized IT strategy roadmap that will best support our entire array of business activities, as well as our mission, vision and mandate.

Based on a 2010–11 assessment of IT opportunities in LAC and the development of an EA framework, we will have a coherent overview of LAC's current IT situation and the approach that we will need to address IT needs in a coherent, LAC-wide way. On that foundation, during 2011–12, we will:

• take the EA framework and determine how well current elements, such as services, applications and databases, fit within it - and what elements are needed to support Modernization most strategically;
  
  
• review our IT priorities in the context of the proposed enterprise architecture framework, and develop the governance for IT priority setting and our investment planning.

Benefits for Canadians

Effective internal services ensure that LAC is able to deliver on its mandate in cost-effective ways and meet the needs of Canadians efficiently and effectively.

Section III – Supplementary Information

Financial Highlights

Future-oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

The future-oriented financial highlights presented within this Report on Plans and Priorities are intended to serve as a general overview of the Library and Archives Canada financial position and operations. These future-oriented financial highlights are prepared on an accrual basis to strengthen accountability and improve transparency and financial management. Future-oriented financial statements can be found on LAC's website⁵.

For the Year Ended March 31
($ thousands)

	Future-oriented 2011–12
Expenses
Total Expenses	152,468
Revenues
Total Revenues	530
Net Cost of Operations	151,938

Supplementary Information Tables

• Summary of Capital Spending by Program Activity
• Upcoming Internal Audits and Evaluations over the next three fiscal years
• Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenue
• Greening Government Operations (GGO)

All electronic supplementary information tables found in the 2010–11 Report on Plans and Priorities can be found on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's web site: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/st-ts-eng.asp

⁵www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/about-us/012-2002-e.html

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Section IV - Other Items of Interest

This section presents some of Library and Archives Canada's key commitments that are not part of the Modernization Innovation Initiatives.

LAC's commitment to enhance the vitality of the official-language minority communities

In 2011–12, Library and Archives Canada will implement various measures to address the issues expressed by the Commissioner of Official Languages in its Annual Report. We will update our four-year action plan (2009–12) to integrate and strengthen all actions to ensure compliance with our official languages obligations and particularly to support the official-language minority communities in their development. LAC will self-assess our services to the public on a random basis to detect any official languages shortfalls and respond to them accordingly.

Measures taken to comply with the Directive on the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

In the 2009 federal Budget the Government of Canada decided to place certain restrictions to minimize the costs related to travel, hospitality and conferences on 2008–09 spending. LAC ensures the compliance with this new policy by an on-going monitoring. Hospitality expenditures to be approved by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada are first subjected to a quarterly pre-approval process while the travel and conferences plan are pre-approved on an annual basis. This process ensures that proposed activities are aligned with LAC's mandate and priorities and the most economical and efficient options have been reviewed.

The decision to pursue the National Archival Development Program (NADP) will be announced soon

LAC currently provides financial assistance through the National Archival Development Program (NADP) to Canadian archives and related organizations to increase their capacity to preserve and make accessible unique archival materials about Canada and Canadians. The five year program cycle ends in 2010–11. Following a Summative Evaluation, which was completed in 2010, a decision on continuation of the program is to be made prior to March 2011.