The National Library is an active member of the Information Management Forum which is chaired by the National Archives of Canada and was established in January 1977 to bring together government managers who share a common interest regarding the effective management of information. All these government organizations, as well as the library community, have expressed concern about preservation and long-term access to electronic government information. The purpose of the Information Management Forum is to identify information management issues common to government institutions and to develop practical solutions which have government-wide application. The approach does not depend on a rigid distinction between publications and records on the Internet or intranets, but rather gives government departments a management framework within which to manage networked electronic information. This initiative is a major step forward in identifying the respective roles and responsibilities of federal libraries and records managers in the digital environment.
Government organizations are accountable for the information they create and disseminate.
And they must also manage information that has long-term value to the public, maintaining its accessibility. The task is huge and the resources are limited. Government departments are encouraged to use a risk management approach and assess the degree to which accountability is threatened. The guidelines outline processes and practices for mitigating existing levels of risk. The risk management model is based on work done for the U.S. government by Charles McClure and Timothy Sprehe.