This workshop is the first in a series of initiatives to support responsible and rational advances in electronic publishing and the delivery of federal government information. The National Library's mandate, to collect, preserve and promote access to Canada's published heritage, includes electronic publications. The collection includes such key federal documents as the budget, the debates of the House of Commons and the public accounts. The National Library of Canada has agreements with such departments as the House of Commons, the Department of Finance, the National Research Council Research Press and Statistics Canada to preserve their electronic publications. The National Library is undertaking joint projects with the Canadian Association of Law Libraries and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to address issues relating to preservation and long- term access to government and legal electronic information.
Bibliographic control is an important component of long-term access.
The National Library provides full cataloguing of all titles in its electronic collection. Libraries can rely on the stability of links to titles in the National Library's electronic collection. In addition, the Library intends to prepare a unique identifier scheme for electronic government publications in conjunction with evolving international standards. In the digital environment, the distinction between government records and government publications must be refined. The National Library is working with the National Archives to clarify the roles of the two institutions in managing government information holdings.