2007-602 Evaluation of the Publishing and Depository Services Program, Final Report

2008-05-02

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Publishing and Depository Services Profile
  • 2.1 Background
  • 2.2 Resources
  • 2.3 Logic Model
  • Figure 1: Consolidated Summary Logic Model of Publishing and Depository Services including Crown Copyright and Licensing
• 3. Focus of the Evaluation
  • 3.1 Revelance
  • 3.2 Success
  • 3.3 Cost-Effectiveness/Alternatives
• 4. Findings
  • 4.1 Revelance
  • 4.2 Success
  • 4.3 Cost-Effectiveness/Alternatives
• 5. Conclusions
  • 5.1 Revelance
  • 5.2 Success
  • 5.3 Cost-Effectiveness/Alternatives
• 6. Management Response
• 7. Recommendations and Management Action Plan
• 8. About this Evaluation
  • 8.1 Objective
  • 8.2 Evaluation Methodology
  • 8.3 The Planning Phase
  • 8.4 The Assessment Phase
  • 8.5 The Reporting Phase
  • 8.6 Limitations of the Methodology
• Appendices
  • Appendix A: Definition of Publication
  • Appendix B: Publishing and Depository Services Summary Process Chart
  • Appendix C: Evaluation Matrix
  • Appendix D: Documents Reviewed
  • Appendix E: People Consulted

Please note that under the Access to Information Act a limited amount of text within these documents may not be disclosed, and will be shown as [ * ].

Executive Summary

What we examined

This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Publishing and Depository Services Program (PDS). The evaluation assessed the relevance and cost-effectiveness of the PDS Program and the extent to which it is successful in meeting its objectives within a changing environment.

PDS is part of the Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch of Public Works and Government Services Canada. The Program derives its authority from an Order-in-Council (1927), Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and the Common Services Policy.

The focus of the evaluation is the three PDS components related to publishing, namely: Publishing, Depository Services, and Crown Copyright and Licensing. The primary objectives of PDS are to ensure Canadians have continuing access to centralized federal government publications and to protect intellectual property found in these publications.

PDS provides both mandatory and optional services to federal organizations on a partly revenue dependent basis. Services include publishing, printing, warehousing, selling priced publications, and distributing priced and free publications. It manages the Government of Canada's (GC's) publications database as well as provides advice and guidance on production, pricing, marketing and promotion. PDS also manages the depository library network and distributes publications for free to approximately 900 depository libraries. The 49 full depository libraries are sent copies of all priced and free publications in the PDS Weekly Checklist. The other depository libraries select and choose publications from the Checklist. Finally, PDS is responsible to administer and protect the copyright in works authored by federal organizations as well as negotiate and issue licensing agreements for commercial and non-commercial rights associated with works subject to Crown Copyright.

Federal organizations are required by the GC Communications Policy to submit copies of their publications to PDS for sale and distribution. It makes these publications accessible to Canadians through libraries, bookstores and on-line through various formats (print, electronic, audio, video, Braille) and delivery channels (phone, fax, e-mail, regular mail and on-line).

Why it is important

The Program's public value lies in making GC information and knowledge easily accessible to individuals and organizations. Accessibility to GC information is a fundamental democratic value and can lead to innovation and, in turn, to increased productivity and prosperity for Canada. The evaluation was conducted because of the increase in e-publishing and the trends of decreasing PDS sales and revenue.

What we found

The evaluation resulted in the following findings and conclusions based on the issues of relevance, success and cost effectiveness.

PDS is relevant and consistent with government policies and priorities and addresses an ongoing need. The legislation, the GC policies and the 1927 Order-in-Council provide the mandate and basis for the publishing and depository services. Given that it is consistent with GC policies and the prominence of ‘publications' in the GC web portal, PDS is relevant and meets the continuing publishing and distribution needs of federal organizations. PDS is adapting to the changing environment, and Canadians are accessing more publications.

The Internet has greatly increased the number of titles available to the public, reduced revenues from priced publications as clients opt for free electronic versions, and required additional investments from PDS.

Canadians are accessing more GC publications. The number of e-publications downloaded has increased by 153% since 2004-05, with a 92% increase between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Over these two years, the number of copies of free printed publications that were distributed increased by 76%, the number of copies of printed publications distributed to depository libraries increased by 2% and the number of copies of priced publications sold decreased by 28%.

Through the encouragement of PDS, many federal organizations have begun taking steps to increase compliance and adopt best practices for managing publications. PDS has an opportunity to do even more.

PDS is only accountable to make accessible publications that are provided to it by federal organizations. The Program's effectiveness is affected by its reliance on the uneven compliance history of federal organizations with the Communications Policy. In many departments, publishing is fragmented across different branches and regions, often with no single unit exercising central control and ensuring compliance.

Declining revenues and increased operating costs are also affecting effectiveness. PDS revenues are based on other federal organizations production of priced publications. With the increase in e-publishing and downloading, there has been a consistent decrease in net revenues over the last five-years. PDS is frequently forced to seek supplemental funding during the year in order to carry out planned activities. By year-end, if revenues meet or exceed forecast, PDS lapses funds. For effective decision making the Program needs predictable and stable funding for its core activities.

We found that a centralized publishing and depository services function is the most efficient means for ensuring accessibility. Decentralizing the function does not appear as an appropriate alternative, as it is expected that the costs to federal organizations, depository libraries, and their users would increase.

Management Response

Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch accepts the evaluation findings and intends to act on the recommendations of the evaluation by implementing their Management Action Plan detailed as follows.

Recommendations and Management Action Plan

Based on key findings and conclusions contained in this report, the Audit and Evaluation Branch recommends that the Assistant Deputy Minister Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch ensure that the Publishing and Depository Services address the following recommendations.

Recommendation 1: Increase and formalize its efforts to engage federal organizations to improve their compliance with the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and reduce the number of fugitive publications and increase the number of publications made available to Canadians.

Action Plan:

1. Continue the information/awareness activities by PDS staff with respect to OGDs.

   Implementation date: On-going 2008-09

2. Following the adoption by the Treasury Board of the new Communications Policy and Publishing Directive (September 2008, to be determined), PDS will:
   1. Send to each department a request to designate a departmental co-coordinator to oversee the carrying out and co-ordination of the department's publishing activities and, in particular, maintain a directory of all publications issued and regularly inform PDS.

      Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

   2. Organize a round table of departmental co-coordinators for the purpose of exchanging information to support the departments and increase the number of publications available to Canadians through PDS.

      Implementation date: November 28^th, 2008

   3. Co-ordinate at least one presentation to the DGs of Communications or anyone else responsible for publishing activities on the requirements of the new Communications Policy and Publishing Directive.

      Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

   4. Work with the Treasury Board and the School of Public Service on the preparation of a workshop/course on PDS to be offered in 2009-10 (subject to funding).

      Implementation date: March 31^st, 2009

   5. Establish a community of practice that will meet at least once a year to share information on innovative approaches related to publishing activities in the departments and effective dissemination of publications for Canadians.

      Implementation date: March 31^st, 2009

Recommendation 2: Ensure the Program has predictable funding for effective decision-making.

Action Plan:

1. Engage resources to conduct an independent Activity-Based Costing Exercise in order to determine the sources and types of funding pressures.

   Implementation date: September 30^th, 2008

2. Make a presentation with funding options to be presented to the Departmental Policy Committee

   Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

1. Introduction

This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Publishing and Depository Services (PDS) Program. Public Works and Government Services Canada's (PWGSC's) Audit and Evaluation Committee approved the conduct of this evaluation as part of the 2007-08 to 2009-10 PWGSC Risk-Based Multi-Year Audit and Evaluation Plan.

The evaluation assessed the relevance and cost-effectiveness of the PDS Program and the extent to which it is successful in meeting its objectives within a changing environment.

The Program is part of the Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch of PWGSC. PDS has three components directly related to publishing, namely: Publishing, Depository Services, and Crown Copyright and Licensing (CCL). A fourth component, PromoCanada, is not included in this evaluation because it is not related to publishing. The primary objectives of PDS are to ensure that Canadians have continuing access to federal government publications and to protect intellectual property found in these publications.

This report has seven sections:

• Section 1 provides an introduction.
• Section 2 provides the profile of PDS, including background, a description of the relevant process, an overview of the Program's resources, and the Logic Model.
• Section 3 presents the Evaluation Issues and Evaluation Questions developed during the planning phase.
• Key findings from the evaluation are included in Section 4.
• Conclusions based on the evaluation issues are in Section 5.
• Recommendations are presented in Section 6.
• Section 7 presents the project methodology.

2. Publishing and Depository Services Profile

2.1 Background

In 2001, the publishing and depository services function for the Government of Canada (GC) was transferred from PWGSC to Communication Canada. On April 1, 2004, it was transferred back to PWGSC as PDS, where it is positioned as the center of government expertise for publishing, copyright and depository services.

PDS is the GC's official publisher, and provides mandatory and optional services to federal organizations. Mandatory services include publishing, printing and sale of priced publications, except if federal organizations have a delegated or statutory exemption. It also assigns International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) to federal organizations for their publications on behalf of the Library and Archives of Canada. PDS manages the GC publications database, Government of Canada Publications website, and provides advice and guidance on the Official Languages Act and the Federal Identity Program. It acts as a central warehouse and distribution channel for priced and free publications of federal organizations. Since April 2004, the management of centralized order completing, warehousing and distribution services has been outsourced to Gilmore Global Logistics Services Inc.

Depository Services manages the distribution of GC priced and free print publications to a network of depository libraries. PDS produces the “Weekly Checklist”, which lists all publications submitted to PDS by federal organizations the previous week. The Weekly Checklist is provided to depository libraries, Parliamentarians and other audiences. The electronic version is posted on the publications database.

The Program processes applications requesting permission to reproduce GC publications or parts thereof that are protected under Canadian copyright law. It negotiates and grants commercial and non-commercial licenses, investigates cases of infringement, and maintains a centralized database of copyright requests and decisions. PDS is entitled to keep the fees received from the licensee.

PWGSC derives its authority for publishing and depository services from the 1927 Order-in-Council, Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, the Common Services Policy and the Policy on Information Management. The 1927 Order-in-Council establishes the authority for Depository Services. The Act outlines the Minister's powers, duties and functions, one of which is “…the acquisition and provision of printing and publishing services for departments”.

The Communications Policy requires federal organizations to submit to PDS, without compensation, copies of their (a) priced and free publications to distribute through its depository library network, and (b) priced publications to sell through the GC central publishing database. PDS pays for the printing of the priced publications, order processing, and marketing of free and priced publications. It retains the net revenue as part of its Reference Level funding. For about the last twelve years, PDS began collecting and cataloguing e-publications in PDF format in the publications database, which are downloadable for free.¹

The Common Services Policy states that, unless they have existing authority, federal organizations “must negotiate a signed delegation instrument from the Minister of Public Works and Government Services to exercise the following authorities on a delegated basis: printing, publishing, and related services”. The Common Services Policy states that the “The Depository Services Program is not a common service, but is a Treasury Board mandated government-wide program”, and is subject to the Communications Policy and its related procedures.

The Policy on Information Management does not specifically refer to PWGSC or PDS but clearly encourages accessibility to GC information. Part of its objective is to “preserve and ensure access to information and records for the benefit of present and future generations”.

The PDS database has a comprehensive collection of GC publications (see Appendix A for the PDS definition of publications), with 136,000 free and priced publications and 42,000 downloadable e-publications. Publications come in a range of formats, including printed books, brochures, periodicals, maps, prints, audio and video recordings, films, microforms, CD-ROMs and diskettes, as well as alternate formats including Braille and large print. The Program makes publications accessible through multiple delivery channels, including phone, fax, e-mail, regular mail and on-line, as well as depository libraries and bookstores.

The depository library network comprises over 900 depository libraries across Canada, including about 150 abroad. PDS automatically sends all publications listed in the Weekly Checklist to the 49 full depository libraries, of which 45 are in Canada. These include Library and Archives Canada, Library of Parliament, several provincial legislature and university libraries, as well as a few major public libraries. The four foreign full depository libraries are: Staatsibiliothek Zu Berlin in Germany, the British Library in the United Kingdom, Diet Library in Japan, and Library of Congress in the United States. The remaining are selective depository libraries, which choose publications from the Weekly Checklist to meet the needs of their clients. All depository libraries receive priced publications for free. Parliamentarians, along with certain press and federal organization libraries also have selective depository status.

An overview of the process underlying the interaction between PDS and its internal and external users is presented in Appendix B. The process begins with federal organizations deciding on the content and timing of their publications. It continues through to distribution channels and ultimately to the users of GC publications.

2.2 Resources

PDS has 53 full-time employees (2007-08). It is funded annually through the Approved Reference Levels. PDS operates on a net vote, which means it has respendable revenue plus appropriation funding as its funding source. PDS revenue is generated by activities under Publishing, CCL, and Depository Services.

In 2006-07, PDS actual revenues were $3.69M. The adjusted net vote available was $7.4M. This gave PDS a total funding level of $11.1M. Actual expenditures were $10.5M

Four federal organizations have delegated authority to sell their publications directly to the public, although PDS can also sell them. Because of their delegated status, the Program pays them for the depository. In 2006-07, PDS paid these organizations close to $2.8M of their 7.2M Depository Service Program budget.²

For its top 10 groups or types of publications,³ actual gross revenue, prior to discounts, was just over $5M in 2005-06 and almost $4M in 2006-07.⁴ Based on the 2006-07 gross revenue, the top four Groups were Government and Legislation, Labour, Language and Writing Aids, and Health.; They accounted for nearly 91% of overall gross revenue and over 94% of the total items sold.

The top four purchasers of GC publications in 2005-06 and 2006-07 were: the Government of Canada; retailers; companies; and associations and professionals. Together, in both years, they accounted for over 90% of the publishing revenue and the quantity purchased, with the GC providing 39% and 36%, respectively, of the revenue in the two years. The GC accounted for over 50% of the total quantity purchased during each of the two years. Other purchasers include educational institutions (including their libraries), the general public, provincial and municipal governments, public libraries and foreign governments.

2.3 Logic Model

A Logic Model is an essential tool in conducting an evaluation study. It shows, in a succinct fashion, the logic of how a program, policy or initiative expects to achieve its objectives. Generally, a Logic Model graphically displays the linkage and causal connections between the program's activities that are supported by inputs and the different levels of results – including outputs, strategic outcomes (immediate and intermediate) and ultimate outcomes (or long-term results).

The consolidated PDS Logic Model presented in Figure 1 illustrates how the activities carried out by PDS contribute to the achievement of the stated objective and desired outcomes. This Logic Model is based on more detailed logic models prepared by PDS for each of the three components.

PDS has three groups of activities, namely: (i) educate, promote and market itself, (ii) maintain the integrity of the database, and (iii) deliver the services required in the applicable policies.

Figure 1: Consolidated Summary Logic Model of Publishing and Depository Services including Crown Copyright and Licensing

3. Focus of the Evaluation

The evaluation assessed the relevance and cost-effectiveness of the PDS Program and the extent to which it is successful in achieving its objectives within the changing technology environment. The Evaluation Matrix, including the issues, evaluation questions, indicators and data sources, was developed during the planning phase. It is presented in Appendix C. Section 7, About this Evaluation, provides more information on the approach and methodologies used to conduct this evaluation.

3.1 Relevance

Evaluation Issue:

• Is the Publishing and Depository Services Program consistent with government policies and priorities and does it address a continuing need?

Evaluation Questions:

1. Does PDS continue to be consistent with PWGSC and GC policies and priorities?
2. In light of evolving technology and a shift toward web-based electronic publishing and web-based service access, is PDS meeting an on-going need of federal organizations and other stakeholders?

3.2 Success

Evaluation Issue:

• Is the Publishing and Depository Services Program successful in achieving its intended outcomes?

Evaluation Questions:

1. To what extent are government publications managed by PDS accessible to Canadians?
2. To what extent is the integrity of government information protected by Crown Copyright and Licensing?
3. To what extent does PDS contribute to increased compliance to relevant GC policies and technical aspects of publishing, e.g., publishing standards, price setting, marketing, co-publishing?

3.3 Cost-Effectiveness / Alternatives

Evaluation Issue:

• Are the Publishing and Depository Services cost-effective?

Evaluation Question:

1. Is a centralized PDS within PWGSC the most appropriate and efficient means for achieving its objectives and outcomes?

4. Findings

Our findings with respect to the evaluation are presented below.

4.1 Relevance

4.1.1 The PDS Program is consistent with PWGSC and GC policies and priorities

As discussed in Section 2, Background, the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, the 1927 Order-in-Council and related policies provide the authority and basis for the Program's continuing relevance. Legislation and policies give PDS a role in publishing, printing, depository services and protection of GC intellectual property.

The PDS publications database and the depository library network support the GC single access priority. Canadians can access government publications through the GC publications database at Government of Canada Publications website, as well as Service Canada's 1-800-O-Canada and the Canada portal. Prominently displayed on the left hand side of the portal is “Publications and Reports”, which opens to the GC publications database.

4.1.2 PDS meets the ongoing needs of federal organizations and other users

Interviews with representatives of federal organizations support the finding that PDS benefits these organizations by providing a broadly based depository library network to reach Canadians, as well as a centralized publications database. Federal organizations do not have to respond to multiple publication requests from different depository libraries and Canadians as PDS handles the distribution. Interviews and correspondence with the library community indicated that the Program also benefits depository libraries and their clients in providing a single access point for GC publications. PDS also serves private and public sector publishers who seek permission to reproduce, translate and adapt published information, and has adapted to increased requests for Crown copyright clearance.

In 2006-07, PDS carried out satisfaction surveys of publishing, CCL, and depository services.⁵ In the publishing survey, all 54 GC clients who used the Publishing services in 2006 were contacted, and 28 responded. Of those that responded, the survey indicated high levels of satisfaction, with 77% reporting a positive impression of publishing, including 29% being very satisfied. The majority of respondents had nothing to offer on what improvements they would like to see.

All 65 CCL clients were sent an electronic invitation to participate in the on-line survey, and 40 responded. Ninety-three percent of respondents were satisfied with the overall experience, of which 61% were very satisfied.

The depository services survey conducted 16 telephone interviews with representatives of depository libraries and had an on-line portion with 332 usable questionnaires representing a response rate of 18%. The survey indicated that 79% of those surveyed were satisfied with the service. Interviews conducted during the evaluation supported the results from the surveys.

Librarians and booksellers indicated that PDS meets their needs, although a few commented about GC publications not listed on the Weekly Checklist. Those who commented called these publications ‘fugitive publications'.⁶ They indicated that it is both difficult and resource intensive to search for the publications with no guarantee of finding them. Concern was expressed that, if those who are working with government collections have difficulty finding publications, then the general public will have even more. They also indicated that the number of GC web sites compounded the situation.

4.1.3 PDS more relevant than ever

The increased use of desktop publishing, the availability of inexpensive, high quality laser printing, and the Internet are creating challenges for PDS. The Program is adapting well to the evolving e-publishing environment. These challenges have been the subject of considerable scrutiny in recent years.

The evaluation team was provided with five documents prepared by Consulting and Audit Canada (now known as Government Consulting Services). They voice the common themes of the relevance and importance of the publishing, depository services and CCL, and more generally the importance and necessity of making GC publications and information accessible to Canadians.⁷ These documents conclude that the Internet has had the largest single influence on the business model of PDS. They indicate that the Internet has had three important impacts on PDS. It has:

• greatly increased the number of titles available to the public,
• reduced revenues from priced publications as clients opt for free electronic versions, and
• required additional investments from PDS.

The PDS response to evolving technologies and the increase in e-publications is to more actively collect PDF versions on the publications database. Table 1 provides the number of downloadable publications (i.e., e-publications), as well as total listed titles.⁸ The number of e-publications in the PDS database grew by 235% over the period 2002-03 to 2006-07 compared to a 55% increase in listed titles of print publications. This increase is due in part to the Program's efforts in collecting electronic versions of earlier GC publications. This may also impact the Policy on Information Management requirement that Deputy Heads ensure electronic systems be the preferred means of creating, using and managing information.

Table 1: Downloadable e-Publications in Central Publishing Database

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Print publications	81,915	90,331	98,286	108,673	127,382
Downloadable e-publications	10,169	13,039	16,153	21,743	34,060

Table 2 below provides another indicator of the ongoing relevance in light of evolving technologies. It presents the number of e-publications downloaded relative to other ways of accessing GC publications. The number of e-publications downloaded has increased by 153% since 2004-05, with a 92% increase between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Over these two years, the number of copies of free printed publications that were distributed increased by 76%, the number of copies of printed publications distributed to depository libraries increased by 2% and the number of copies of priced publications sold decreased by 28%.

Table 2: Downloaded e-Publications and Publications Distributed

	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Number of e-publications downloaded	2.5M	3.9M	6.2M
Change in number of e-publications downloaded (%)		61%	92%
Number of copies of priced publications sold (approx)		373,000~	233,000
Number of copies of free printed publications distributed to individuals (approx)		135,000	238,000
Number of copies of printed publications distributed to depository libraries		562,000	572,000

~ A large portion was the sale of collective bargaining booklets, which was a one-time occurrence.

With evolving e-publishing technologies, many publications are now ‘born' digitally and never formally printed but published directly on one of the federal organization's websites, effectively, becoming fugitive publications. All lines of evidence indicated that these e-publications might never be captured by the central publications database and become much more difficult for users to find, if they can be found at all. We were told that there is a high risk that these publications could be lost to Canadians when federal organizations remove them from their websites.

4.2 Success

4.2.1 Canadians are accessing more GC publications

As indicated in Tables 1 and 2 (see Section 4.1.3 above), the number of publications that were distributed 2005-2006 to 2006-2007 increased by category were:

• 10,000 copies of printed publications to depository libraries;
• 103,000 copies of free printed publications to individuals; and,
• 2.3 million downloaded copies of e-publications from the PDS database.

Increasing accessibility has resulted in increased workload. PDS managers indicated that there is potential to market and promote the Program to further encourage accessibility. However, the Program informed the evaluation team that they are cautious in expanding their services to federal organizations, given the anticipated increase in workload without any matching increase in revenue or resources.

4.2.2 PDS administers and protects the integrity of government information

PDS has streamlined the copyright clearance application process. PDS has implemented agreements with federal organizations that permit PDS the right to automatically approve reproduction of specific GC works with certain parameters. Educational institutions, whose applications may be fairly routine, benefit from these agreements with federal organizations. The results being faster turnaround times and improved service levels. Between 2002-03 and 2006-07, the number of applications for copyright clearance to PDS increased by 133% from over 6,000 to over 14,000.

4.2.3 PDS taking steps to improve accessibility of GC publications

As stated in the 1927 Order in Council, PDS must supply copies “without charge only in so far as the same may have been deposited with it for that purpose by the Department issuing the publication”. As such, PDS is only accountable to make accessible publications that are provided to it by the federal organizations.

PDS relies on federal organizations to comply with the Communications Policy to fulfill its mandate. Of the representatives interviewed, some federal organizations have centralized control of their publications, some are working toward centralized control and some are beginning to think about centralized control. Generally, those with centralized control are more compliant with the Communications Policy; i.e., submitting publications to PDS and/or requesting ISBNs.

Attempts by PDS and Library and Archives Canada to estimate the percentage of publications submitted to them suggest that currently at best 40% of them are submitted. This implies that there may be 60% or more that are fugitive. We found that estimates of fugitive publications are similar in the United States. Library and Archives Canada has tested web crawler technology to uncover fugitive publications. If appropriate technology is made available, then PDS could better acquire fugitive publications.

Within federal organizations, we found the publishing function to be fragmented. The fragmentation and lack of control is a major barrier to ensuring access to GC publications. We observed that publishing functions are carried out by different units, including (a) communicators (who may not be limited to a national headquarters Communications Branch), (b) programs, branches and regions that decide to produce a publication, (c) the federal organization's libraries, (d) webmasters (who may be part of the information technology, information management, communications, program or regional branches), and (e) contracting officers and materiel managers responsible for printing. The relationships, communications and co-ordination among the different units within a federal organization vary substantially. Frequently, this ‘silo' effect produces a range of program compliance within organizations, from full compliance to none.

PDS has used the number of assigned ISBNs⁹ as a performance measure of federal organization compliance to the Communications Policy. According to the Policy, each ISBN assigned should result in a publication record in the database. However, each ISBN does not necessarily result in a publication, organizations do not always ask PDS for ISBNs and, if they do, copies are not always submitted to PDS. Also the measure does not include serial publications.

In its most recent study in June 2007, PDS analysed the compliance performance of 28 federal organizations. An organization's level of compliance was expressed as a percentage of publications received by PDS that had ISBNs compared to the number of ISBNs assigned. Five organizations scored 80% or better, and 13 between 60% and 79%. In earlier versions of these reports, which were given in confidence to Directors General of Communications, scores were reported to be substantially lower.

Given the uneven record of federal organizations compliance, PDS has taken action to reduce the number of fugitive publications. In response to low ISBN scores, PDS created an acquisition unit, which currently comprises 3½ full time equivalents (FTEs). It works to track down and acquire publications with ISBNs that have not been submitted to PDS. There is evidence that this unit has been reasonably successful in finding missing publications.

During the past five years, PDS assigned almost 18,000 ISBNs, and over 13,000 publications with ISBNs entered the publication database. Table 3 indicates that the number of publications submitted to the database rose by almost 350%, with most of it in the last two years. The increase is related to the creation of the acquisition unit and the roundtable sessions carried out with Directors General Communications.

Table 3: Number of Publications Submitted to PDS Database with an ISBN

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Number of publications submitted to PDS database	1,258	1,922	1,982	2,414	5,637
Acquisition FTEs		1	1	2	3.5

PDS has organized several roundtables with Directors General of Communications Branches to discuss their organization's performance in complying with policy requirements, and the need to reduce the number of fugitive publications.

Interviewees in Communications Branches told us that they want to increase compliance and to respond to Deputy Heads' requests for more information on and control of their organizations' publications. They are initiating measures to do so.

Most Communications Branch interviewees indicated that they believe that PDS is doing a good job and has very good staff. They also indicated that they want more support, including face-to-face meetings, from PDS to better understand their policy obligations and to share information with program and regional staff. As well, they want PDS to continue its efforts in gaining more senior management support to increase compliance.

During the interviews, interviewees shared the following best practices that they are currently following or are planning to follow to increase compliance:

• Establish a centralized publishing coordinator within the Communications Branch who maintains the publishing index/catalogue, tracks publications, and is the central contact for PDS;
• Establish internal policy and procedures for dealing with publishing and depository services;
• Have senior management issue a directive requiring all publication authors to obtain an ISBN and catalogue number from the Regional Librarian before publishing;
• Develop and make widely available to the organization's authors an Internet-based publishing tool box that dispenses expertise and is available to everyone including suppliers;
• Distribute a weekly newsletter to publication authors within the organization offering on-going publishing information and tips;
• Place the federal organization's websites under the control of one senior executive, preferably in Communications, to facilitate better communications between the webmaster and Communications, ensure that publications can only be posted on-line through that executive, and ensure that all publications have ISBNs, comply with the Communications Policy and are submitted to PDS;
• Require contract officers and materiel managers dealing with publishing-related contracts to obtain a ‘communications' number from a central coordinator before awarding graphic design or printing contracts; and,
• Incorporate into printing contract specifications the requirement that sufficient copies be printed and submitted directly to PDS by the printer.

4.3 Cost Effectiveness / Alternatives

4.3.1 A centralized publishing and depository function is effective

The intent of the depository library network is to ensure that the information and knowledge published by federal organizations are accessible. Knowledge is valuable and can lead to downstream benefits of innovation, increased productivity and prosperity.

While it is difficult to assess the economic, social and political benefits of the depository library network, it is generally accepted that the transfer of information and knowledge yields a net benefit to Canadians.¹⁰

Findings from interviews, the document review and comparative analysis indicate that a centralized publishing and depository function efficiently ensures access to government publications and protects published GC intellectual property. This allows for a centre of expertise, quality assurance role, and consistent service levels and advice (e.g., Official Languages Act, Federal Identity Program). Centralization can result in economies of scale with respect to warehousing and distribution costs, and greater convenience for federal organizations, depository libraries and users. Even those federal organizations that have authority to sell their own publications recognize the benefits of centralization. The Program's publications database helps preserve publications, as most federal organizations do not have a good record of doing so. Similarly, the Program's copyright protection database facilitates sharing of information among organizations. PDS has built an effective centre of excellence and networks of depository libraries and purchasers of GC publications.

We found no evidence to suggest that there would be any efficiencies gained should PDS change its structure or move to another federal organization. As well, PDS is making headway in bringing order and structure to GC publications, and it has the confidence of federal organizations seeking its support.

4.3.2 Increasing costs, declining revenues and funding uncertainty impedes effective management

The costs to support technology infrastructure and on-line services have significantly increased since 2005-2006 from about $1.2M to almost $2.5M. The Program has not received additional funding for system maintenance and enhancements.

With the increase in e-publishing and downloading over the five year period from 2002-03 to 2006-07, there has been a drastic decrease in the PDS net revenue, as indicated in Table 4. Publishing net revenue decreased from $5M to $3.6M, depository services from $118,000 to $63,000, and CCL from $165,000 to $7,000.

Table 4: PDS Net Revenue and Expenditures 2002-03 - 2006-07

	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007
Revenues	5,286	4,176	2,848	4,701	3,690
Cost of Sales	3,336	2,968	1,966	2,373	1,890
Net Revenues	1,950	1,208	882	2,328	1,800
Salaries	2,413	2,378	2,579	2,799	2,737
O&M	8,476	7,510	5,014	6,353	5,891
Capital	50	53	1,184	-	-
Net Expenditures	8,989	8,733	7,895	6,824	6,828
Approved Reference Levels	7,878	7,689	7,711	5,733	7,615
Surplus/(Deficit)	(1,111)	(1,044)	(184)	(1,091)	787
Net Expenditures	8,990	8,733	7,895	6,824	6,828
Reference Levels at year end	10,423	10,267	9,400	8,952	7,436
Surplus/(Deficit)	1,433	1,534	1,505	2,128	608

Note: Based on reports from the departmental financial system, excluding PromoCanada

The Program's Approved Reference levels include respendable revenue and appropriations as PDS operates on a partial revenue dependency basis. Annual appropriated net vote amounts for publishing and for depository services are added to revenue estimates to establish the Approved Reference Levels.

Because of its dependency on federal organizations planned production of priced publications, PDS has difficulty in forecasting revenue flow year after year. If sales or revenues are not materializing early in the year as budgeted, PDS may delay carrying out some planned activities or projects until it is assured of receiving adequate funding.

When there is concern about meeting revenue targets, PDS seeks supplemental funding from the Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch. However, PDS may still not be able to carry out all its planned activities and projects within that fiscal year by the time this funding is made available. When revenue or supplemental funding arrives late in the year and activities have been postponed, PDS ends up showing surplus funds at year-end. Stable funding would help resolve this situation and result in better execution of the Program's business plan.

4.3.4 Canada faces challenges similar to other jurisdictions

The United States, United Kingdom and Australia are committed to maximizing accessibility of government publications. Like Canada, they face challenges regarding (a) the increase of free e-publications and its impact on their business model, and (b) fugitive publications.

United States

The United States equivalent to PDS, the Government Printing Office, has as a mission “to provide direct on-line access to basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society … [and] support the public's right to know about the essential activities of their Government”.¹¹ It gathers, catalogues, produces, distributes and preserves information in all its forms. Through the Federal Depository Library Program, it also distributes federal publications to over 1,250 federal depository libraries nationwide at no cost to them. The libraries are responsible for assuring that the public has free access to the material provided. The Government Printing Office also provides free electronic access to federal government information, and has an on-line bookstore for federal government publications.

The relatively low technology costs associated with e-publications is contributing to the shift from print to electronic and the commensurate decline in the Government Printing Office's printing volumes, revenue and document sales. This increasingly jeopardizes the financial sustainability of its present business model. The Government Printing Office is moving toward a new model whereby core content is made available without charge, and fees are attached depending on the format or distribution channel.¹²

The number of fugitive publications has grown considerably as agencies continue to upload documents to their websites without consideration for the depository and archival requirements of the Federal Depository Library Program. The Government Publishing Office responded by contracting a private firm for web harvesting using a webcrawler to find fugitive publications on the 24 websites at the Environmental Protection Agency. It expected to find 30,000 to 40,000 publications but identified over 200,000 fugitive documents.¹³

There is no government copyright protection in the United States and the Government Printing Office is challenged by its diminished ability to protect government publications. They are often re-purposed by third parties for sale, frequently leading to a material misstatement of original content.

United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Stationery Office in the United Kingdom parallels the PDS program and has a major policy thrust of providing efficient public access to benefit the knowledge economy.¹⁴ The Stationery Office is being challenged by the rapid shift in demand from print to electronic publishing. This is outstripping the resources required to capture, catalogue and archive e-publications on the United Kingdom's official government publications database.

Like the United States, the Stationery Office has embraced a business model where core content (i.e., legal documents) is available at no charge on-line. There are charges for print versions. The individual government departments finance the non-core publications and decide which are priced and which are free. They are responsible for arranging for the sale of their priced publications. Free publications would be accessible on-line through the database.

A private sector contractor handles the database of core and non-core government publications via an official publications website, as well as depository responsibilities. These responsibilities include depositing a copy of each print publication at no charge with the British Library. An additional five libraries are entitled to receive, on request, one free copy of any print publication. These libraries together with the British Library are collectively known as the legal deposit libraries. Departments also have a legal requirement to list their publications in a departmental Information Asset Register.

The Stationery Office uses copyright, wordmarks, logos and designs as a ‘branding' instrument, assuring users of the authenticity of the information resident in associated documents. As in the United States and Australia, the United Kingdom has effectively ceded responsibility for Crown copyright. The United Kingdom instituted a ‘Click-Use' license that makes government information available without the need for permission. The Stationery Office experts only process complex information requests, resulting in large in-house savings.¹⁵

Australia

The Commonwealth Library Deposit and Free Issue Schemes are the equivalent to the GC depository services and enhance public access to Australian government publications. Under the program, government departments and agencies are required to provide one copy of each print publication to each of 38 depository libraries.¹⁶ Compliance with the program fulfills legal deposit requirements for federal organizations (similar to the Library and Archives of Canada Act requirements). Australia does not have a publishing component equivalent to Canada's PDS.

The Australian Government publication website (www)aims to assist citizens to find publications and/or information on how to obtain the publication on the website of the publishing agency. The website does not directly sell or otherwise provide publications to the public.

The Commonwealth Copyright Administration protects copyright on Australian publications. Australia follows a copyright management model similar to the United Kingdom and has experienced comparable success.¹⁷

5. Conclusions

Our conclusions are presented below.

5.1 Relevance

Evaluation Issue:

• Is the Publishing and Depository Services Program consistent with government policies and priorities and does it address a continuing need?

All lines of evidence indicate that PDS is relevant and consistent with GC policies and priorities and addresses a continuing need of federal organizations and users. PDS is adapting to the changing electronic environment. Making GC publications accessible to Canadians is fundamental to democratic values and reflects the belief that the information and knowledge developed by the GC is of value to Canadians and should be shared. This is consistent with the approach used by other jurisdictions. Between the related policies, the Order-in-Council, the prominence of ‘publications' in the GC web portal, and the Program's efforts to adapt to the changing electronic environment, PDS provides value to Canadians.

Evidence indicates that the technological change and the resultant increase in e-publications has enhanced PDS' relevance.

5.2 Success

Evaluation Issue:

• Is the Publishing and Depository Services Program successful in achieving its intended outcomes?

We conclude that PDS is successful in addressing the increase in the number of publications, making the publications in its database accessible, and dealing with CCL applications. However, PDS' reliance on the compliance of federal organizations to relevant GC policies inhibits it from maximizing its public value.

Federal organizations are adopting best practices for managing and controlling their publications and increasing compliance. PDS is approaching federal organizations to improve their compliance; it now needs to do more to ensure that its database captures most GC publications. The evidence supports the conclusion that the Program can achieve these results by enhancing the understanding of policy requirements and sharing the best practices of the most compliant organizations.

5.3 Cost-Effectiveness/Alternatives

Evaluation Issue:

• Is Publishing and Depository Services cost-effective?

Based on our findings from all lines of evidence, we conclude that a centralized publishing and depository services function is the most efficient means for ensuring accessibility.

Decentralizing the function would mean the end of the ‘single window' publications database and more bureaucratic, complicated and costly distribution to depository libraries.

The publications database and depository library network are valuable channels for transferring GC information and knowledge to individuals and organizations to constructively benefit Canada and create prosperity. The on-line database and depository libraries are needed, regardless of organizational setting, to ensure the broadest possible accessibility.

In terms of alternative organizational settings, we conclude that there are no substantial savings to be realized by moving the Program in part or in its entirety elsewhere. PDS has the experience, expertise and credibility to continue bringing order and structure to GC publications. Essentially, an alternative setting would only move the compliance issue to another federal organization.

6. Management Response

Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch accepts the evaluation findings and intends to act on the recommendations of the evaluation by implementing their Management Action Plan detailed as follows.

7. Recommendations and Management Action Plan

Based on key findings and conclusions contained in this report, the Audit and Evaluation Branch recommends that the Assistant Deputy Minister Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch ensure that the Publishing and Depository Services address the following recommendations.

Recommendation 1: Increase and formalize its efforts to engage federal organizations to improve their compliance with the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and reduce the number of fugitive publications and increase the number of publications made available to Canadians.

Action Plan:

1. Continue the information/awareness activities by PDS staff with respect to OGDs.

   Implementation date: On-going 2008-09

2. Following the adoption by the Treasury Board of the new Communications Policy and Publishing Directive (September 2008, to be confirmed), PDS will:
   1. Send to each department a request to designate a departmental co-coordinator to oversee the carrying out and co-ordination of the department's publishing activities and, in particular, maintain a directory of all publications issued and regularly inform PDS.

      Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

   2. Organize a round table of departmental co-coordinators for the purpose of exchanging information to support the departments and increase the number of publications available to Canadians through PDS.

      Implementation date: November 28^th, 2008

   3. Co-ordinate at least one presentation to the DGs of Communications or anyone else responsible for publishing activities on the requirements of the new Communications Policy and Publishing Directive.

      Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

   4. Work with the Treasury Board and the School of Public Service on the preparation of a workshop/course on PDS to be offered in 2009-10 (subject to funding).

      Implementation date: March 31^st, 2009

   5. Establish a community of practice that will meet at least once a year to share information on innovative approaches related to publishing activities in the departments and effective dissemination of publications for Canadians.

      Implementation date: March 31^st, 2009

Recommendation 2: Ensure the Program has predictable funding for effective decision-making.

Action Plan:

1. Engage resources to conduct an independent Activity-Based Costing Exercise in order to determine the sources and types of funding pressures.

   Implementation date: September 30^th, 2008

2. Make a presentation with funding options to be presented to the Departmental Policy Committee.

   Implementation date: October 31^st, 2008

8. About this Evaluation

8.1 Objective

The objective of this evaluation is to assess the relevance, cost-effectiveness and extent to which Publishing and Depository Services have been successful in achieving planned results/outcomes.

8.2 Evaluation Methodology

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Evaluation Standards of the Government of Canada and the Audit and Evaluation Branch of PWGSC. The evaluation took place between April and November 2007 and was conducted in two phases, the planning and the assessment phases. To assess the evaluation issues and questions, the following lines of evidence were used: document review; literature review; financial data analysis; and interviews.

Document review: Documents were reviewed in the planning stage, with a more comprehensive review done during the assessment phase. Documents included the DPWGS Act, the relevant policies and strategic documents such as departmental Reports on Plan and Priorities, Departmental Performance Reports, as well as PDS documents such as the logic models and client satisfaction surveys relevant to Publications, Depository Services and CCL, and Consulting and Audit Canada studies. A complete list is provided in Appendix D.

Literature review: A review of other jurisdictions, which comprised the Unites States, the United Kingdom and Australia, was undertaken. Documents were provided by PDS and a review of the other jurisdiction websites was conducted.

Financial data analysis: Financial data related to the PDS budgets, revenues and expenditures were analyzed.

Interviews: Preliminary interviews were conducted with key program staff including the Director General Communication Services, responsible for PDS, the Director of PDS and Director Communications at TBS. With the assistance of PDS staff, a list of relevant interviewees was developed. During the assessment phase 39 people were interviewed, individually or in small groups. The evaluation team developed and used interview guides to conduct the interviews. Some interviews were conducted by phone, however, the majority were conducted face-to-face. These interviews were with staff from PDS and from other federal organizations both in Communications and in departmental libraries. Also, staff from depository libraries and their associations, as well as booksellers, were interviewed. A complete list of interviewees is provided in Appendix E.

8.3 The Planning Phase

The planning phase of the evaluation included:

• Reviewing relevant policies and practices pertaining to PDS activities;
• Identifying users;
• Conducting preliminary interviews, primarily with PDS managers;
• Consolidating the logic models the Program had developed into one logic model; and
• Developing an Evaluation Matrix containing the evaluation issues and strategy for the assessment phase.

8.4 The Assessment Phase

The assessment phase included:

• Reviewing documentation, including government policies, processes, mechanisms and client satisfaction surveys;
• Conducting interviews with: the GC communications community; the library community, including depository libraries, departmental libraries and Library and Archives Canada; book distributors; and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat;
• Analyzing data on participation and co-operation by federal organizations with PDS;
• Conducting literature review of other jurisdictions' response to their publishing and depository services environment; and,
• Reviewing financial data and the PDS funding model.

8.5 The Reporting Phase

We documented our findings and conclusions in a Director's Draft Report, which was internally cleared through Audit and Evaluation's Quality Assurance function. We provided the Program's Director General with the Director's Draft Report with a request to validate facts and comment on the Report. A Chief Audit Executive Draft Report was prepared and provided to the Office of Primary Interest's Assistant Deputy Minister for acceptance. The Office of Primary Interest was requested to respond with a Management Action Plan. The Draft Final Report, including the PDS Management Action Plan, was then presented to PWGSC's Audit and Evaluation Committee for the Deputy Minister's approval. Once finalized, this Report will be submitted to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and posted on the PWGSC website.

8.6 Limitations of the Methodology

It should be noted that PDS management provided a majority of the documents and data reviewed. That does not inherently imply that PDS data were biased, however, it is a limitation of the evaluation methodology. The multiple lines of enquiry involved and the number of interviews conducted served to mitigate this. Furthermore, we interviewed several people in federal organizations' Communications Branches who had not been referred to us by PDS. Another limitation is that, for the other jurisdictions, only documentation was reviewed and no direct contact was made with representatives of these jurisdictions.

Appendices

Appendix A: Definition of Publication

Publications Subject to Distribution by Depository Services Program

Electronic text files, electronic publishing and the Web have made a precise and comprehensive definition of "publication" difficult to arrive at but a definition based upon the traditional print format is a good place to start and the PDS has adopted the following:

A publication is a physical entity~ with intellectual content or containing a work or several works capable of being read or otherwise perceived by human beings (i.e., not machine readable files), that is issued to the general public, in multiple copies, with or without charge.

Publications exist in a wide range of formats, including printed books, brochures, pamphlets, periodicals, printed sheets (maps, charts, prints, etc.), audio recordings, video recordings, films, microforms, CD-ROM's, diskettes, and electronic documents, regardless of file types.

A Government publication is a publication funded by/or produced by a government organization.

~(If it is understood that all electronic files or documents must be housed in some form of physical storage (hard drive, server, diskette etc.) then all “virtual” entities within this definition are also “physical entities”.)

Electronic Publications

Electronic documents present the greatest difficulty for the interpretation and application of this definition because almost any textual material that is disseminated electronically on the Web, by email distribution, listserv postings etc. has been distributed to the general public in a manner that has the effect of multiple copy distribution.

However, some defining characteristics of electronic publications (as distinct from intellectual content "published" on Web pages) are as follows:

• Document and content identity
  • Extent and nature of the document can be easily determined (e.g., does not consist of an indeterminate number of linked Web pages)
  • The author, title and publication date of the document have been made explicit or can be easily determined
• Document and content stability
  • The author, title and publication date once established do not change and are not subject to amendment (such changes would require the publication of a new issue or edition)
  • The text or intellectual content are not subject to change or updating after publication (such changes would require the publication of a new issue or edition)
  • The document is published in a stable file format (e.g., Static HTML, PDF, RTF or MS-Word) and is not produced dynamically such that the document form and content may change with each subsequent viewing
  • The document has a stable and / or persistent URL and will be maintained by the author or host organization for an extended period of time

What publications does the PDS distribute?

• Annual publications (e.g., Part III Estimates, Report on Plans and Priorities, Year in Review, Yearbooks)
• Annual reports
• Booklets, brochures and pamphlets
• Commission, Judicial, Regulatory or Tribunal decisions and proceedings
• Consultant's reports funded by government and intended for public distribution
• Dictionaries or glossaries intended for public use
• Directories
• Environmental, Health or Safety notifications or advisories
• Guides and handbooks intended for public use or information
• Kits intended for public use
• Loose-leaf services
• Maps and Charts
• Manuals intended for use by the public or by businesses
• Monographic series
• Monographs
• Public policy documents
• Reports of inter-governmental organizations or proceedings when the GC is a participant or has provided funding
• Research reports
• Standards and Regulations
• Survey reports
• Serial publications including:
  • Bulletins
  • Journals
  • Magazines
  • Newsletters
  • Newspapers
  • Periodicals
• Technical reports
• Treaties, International and Inter-Governmental Agreements
• White papers intended for public distribution

Note:

1. In addition to all GC publications in English and French, the PDS also distributes publications produced by the GC in other languages (e.g., Aboriginal languages, European and Asian languages)
2. Each publication format (print, CD, DVD, PDF, Diskette, HTML, Video cassette) should be considered as distinct and separate addition to which the application of unique GC Catalogue numbers and ISBNs or ISSNs should be applied.

What publications does the PDS not distribute?

The PDS does not distribute the following types of publications or documents because:

1. They do not contain sufficient or substantive information for them to be of long-term interest to libraries, researchers or the public; and
2. They are internal operational or administrative document or records that are not intended or are not suitable for public distribution.

• Calendars
• Catalogues
• Fact sheets
• Flyers
• Forms and applications and associated information packages
• News releases and communiqués
• Posters (exception: posters with substantive information content such as health and or safety information; i.e., not promotional)
• Presentation decks
• Promotional material (Bookmarks, stickers, etc.)
• Business cards
• Business or organizational records
• Correspondence
• Course outlines and schedules
• Documents dealing with employer-staff relations within the Public Service
• Email
• Data files or "raw data"
• Employee newsletters
• "Grey literature" (e.g., informal or internal reports)
• Internal or staff procedure manuals and service standards
• Memoranda
• System or computer application documentation

If in doubt, it is recommended that you seek advice from PDS staff.

For more information on the Publishing and PDS, please visit the website at Government of Canada Publications.

Appendix B: Publishing and Depository Services Summary Process Chart

Appendix C: Evaluation Matrix

Appendix D: Documents Reviewed

1. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Published Policy and Procedures – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, September 2006.
2. Canadian Digital Information Strategy, Library and Archives Canada, Consultation version draft October 7, 2007.
3. Common Services Policy, TBS, 2006
4. Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, TBS, in effect since August 1, 2006.
5. Communications Policy of the Government of Canada: Procedures, TBS, 2006.
6. Crown Copyright and Licensing Client Satisfaction Survey 2007: Publishing and Depository Services, PWGSC, Decima Research, March 27, 2007 (Hard copy)
7. Departmental Performance Report 2005-2006, PWGSC
8. Department of Public Works and Government Service Act (1996, c.16), Department of Justice Canada, Current to September 26, 2007, Department of Justice Website
9. Depository Services Program. Activity Mapping and Transition Workshop, prepared by Consulting and Audit Canada, February 2004
10. Depository Services Program 2006 Client Satisfaction Survey, PWGSC, Draft Report, Les Études De Marché Créatec+ , November 10, 2006 (Hard copy)
11. Depository Services Program website
12. Expenditure Review Tests: Canadian Government Publishing, PDS, March 29, 2004, (hard copy provided May 10, 2007)
13. Expenditure Review Tests: Depository Services Program, PDS, March 29, 2004, (hard copy provided May 10, 2007)
14. Government of Canada Publications website
15. Information for Canadians, PWGSC, PWGSC website
16. ISBN Assignment Report, Sept. 2007 – Distribution Source: Author Department, and Distribution Source: CGP
17. Logic Model for Canadian Government Publishing and Process Maps, prepared by Government Consulting Services, final July 03, 2007
18. Logic Model for Crown Copyright and Licensing and Process Maps, prepared by Government Consulting Services, final July 03, 2007
19. Logic Model for Depository Services Program and Process Maps, prepared by Government Consulting Services, final July 03, 2007
20. Meeting with Ingrid Parent (LAC) and Jean Pierre Blais (PCH), May 10, 2007
21. Minutes of the Depository Services Program Library Advisory Committee, August 27-28, 2007.
22. Overview of the e-Bookstore Project (version 1.1), prepared by Government Consulting Services, PWGSC, November 22, 2006
23. PDS Mandate: Extracted from Revised Communications Policy, PDS, Annex A, no date (hard copy)
24. Policy on the Management of Government Information, TBS, policy took effect in May 1, 2003 and is subject to review in 5 years from the date of its approval.
25. Position Paper on the Role of Canadian Government Publishing and the Depository Services Program, PDS, December 17, 1999, PDS website
26. Publishing and Depository Services Program – Key Services, PDS, provided hard copy on May 10, 2007
27. Publishing and Depository Services – Reaching Canadian Citizens – Provided by Doreen Keogh, Manager, Customer Relations, PDS
28. Publishing Programs Client Satisfaction Survey 2007: Publishing and Depository Services – PWGSC, Decima Research, March 27, 2007 (Hard copy)
29. Publications Subject to Distribution by Depository Services Program, PDS, May 2006 (hard copy only) Defines “Publications”
30. Publishing and Depository Services, Business Case, prepared by Consulting and Audit Canada, October 2005
31. Publishing and Depository Services Strategic Options, prepared by Consulting and Audit Canada, November 2005
32. PWGSC Fact Sheets: Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch, PWGSC, February 7, 2007, PWGSC website
33. Report on Plans and Priorities of PWGSC 2007-2008, TBS website
34. Roles and Responsibilities Action Plan, CISSB, PWGSC, May 2007 Expenditure
35. Testimonials from libraries on the use of the Publishing and Depository Program and government publications in libraries sent by Christine Leduc, Director, PDS on September 13 and Joanne Fink, Administrative Assistant, PDS, October 2, 2007
36. Quick Reference Guide for Depository Libraries, PWGSC, PDS, 2007

    Other Jurisdictions
    Australia

37. Australian Government, Department of Finance and Administration, Australian Government Information Management Office, AGIMO website(www)
38. Responsive Government a New Service Agenda: 2006 e-Government Strategy, Australian Government: Department of Finance and Administration, AGIMO, March 2006, AGIMO website

    United Kingdom

39. Carol Tullo Visit Report, CISSB, March 12, 2007 - March 13, 2007 (hard copy)
40. About the Office of the Public Sector Information, Office of the Public Sector Information, August 6, 2007, OPSI website(www)

    United States

41. Actions to Strengthen and Sustain GPOs Transformation, United States General Accounting Office, June 2004.
42. GPO website, Government Printing Office(www)
    • Core Documents of U.S. Democracy(www)
    • Frequently Asked Questions about the GPO(www)
43. Management Report, Communications Sector, CISSB, Washington Visit 01-09-07 to 01-12-07 (hard copy)

Appendix E: People Consulted

Planning Phase

• Marc Saint-Pierre – Director General
  Communication Services, Consulting Information and Shared Services Branch (CISSB)
  Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
• Christine Leduc – Director
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Gay Lepkey – Manager
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Doreen Keogh – Manager Customer Relations
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Joanne Joanisse – Manager
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Hugo Pagé – Director
  Policy, Planning and Business Transformation, Business, Planning and Management Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Clara Hamory – Senior Occupational Researcher
  Skills and Labour Market Information Division, Workplace Partnerships Directorate, Human Resources Social and Development Canada
• Cynthia Hubbertz – A/Associate Director
  Information and Document Resource Service, Library of Parliament
• Michelle Shipman – Director
  Communications Policy and Federal Identity Program, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• Robert Bousquet – Manager
  Communications Policy and Federal Identity Program, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• [ * ] – Manager
  Global Partnership, Gilmore Global Logistics Services Inc.
• [ * ] – President
  Renouf Books
• [ * ] – Manager
  Canadian Government Publications Renouf Books

Assessment Phase

• Marc Saint-Pierre – Director General
  Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Christine Leduc – Director
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Norm Newton – Library Technician
  Publishing and Depository Services, Communication Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Hugo Pagé – Director
  Policy, Planning and Business Transformation, Business, Planning and Management Services, CISSB, PWGSC
• Susan Thomas – Financial Advisor
  Financial Services for Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch
• Fiona Trent – Financial Management Advisor
  Financial Services for Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch
• Henne Kahwa – Manager
  Library Services, Corporate Services, Policy and Communications Branch, PWGSC
• Jean-François Fleury – Director
  Operations, Communications Services Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Pierre Paquette – A/Assistant Director
  Electronic and Print Media Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency
• Debbie Schroeder – Team Leader
  Assistant Director's Office, Canada Revenue Agency
• Jean-Christophe Vlasiu – Senior Communications Advisor
  Corporate Communications Services, Canadian Heritage
• Marc Rockbrune – Distribution Officer
  Communications Branch, Canadian International Development Agency
• Stephan Belanger – Director
  E-Communications, Communications Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Elizabeth Collymore – Publishing Contract Officer Communications Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Dawn Taylor-Prime – Regional Librarian
  Atlantic Region, Information Management Services, Environment Canada
• Janice Keenan – Director
  E-Communications, Communications Products and Services, Communications Bureau, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• Ginette LeBreton – Deputy Director
  Strategic Planning, E-Communications, Communications Products and Services, Communications Bureau, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• Stephan Banville – Publishing Administrative Officer
  Marketing, and Corporate Communication Division, Health Canada
• Marianne Gareau – Project Coordinator
  HECS Publishing, Office of Business Services, Health Canada
• Annie Gauvin – Manager
  Multimedia Services Section, Communications & Marketing Branch, Industry Canada
• Andrée-Anne Crête – Publishing and Policies Advisor
  Communications & Marketing Branch, Industry Canada
  
• Peter Smith – Publishing Advisor
  Communications & Marketing Branch, Industry Canada
• Ivy Fortin – Publishing and Policies Advisor
  Communications & Marketing Branch, Industry Canada
• Jean-Eudes Beriault Director
  Acquisitions Division, Library and Archives Canada
• John Stegenga – Manager
  Legal Deposit Section, Acquisitions Division, Library and Archives Canada
• Janet Campbell – Head Reference Services
  Library Information Centre, Privy Council Office
• Josette Couture – Director
  Employment Policy and Program Operations Communications, Service Canada
• Stéphane Ippersiel – Manager
  Creative Services, Employment Policy and Program Operations Communications, Service Canada
• Philip Hurcomb – Assistant Secretary
  Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• Michelle Shipman – Director
  Communications Policy and Federal Identity Program, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• Greg Renaud – Senior Information Analyst
  Information Standards and Interoperability, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• Craig Kennedy – Publishing Planning Officer
  Publishing and Distribution Services, Information Management and Technology Directorate, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• Shawn Dunn – Publishing Planning Officer
  Publishing and Distribution Services Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
• [ * ] – Head Government Information Services, Theses and MBA Research Papers Webster Library Concordia University
• [ * ] – Dept, Head and Data Librarian
  Harriet Irving Library University of New Brunswick
• [ * ] – Librarian, Former Chair: Access to Government Information Interest Group, York University
• [ * ] – Executive Director
  Canadian Association of Research Libraries
• [ * ] – Executive Director
  Canadian Library Association
• [ * ] – President
  Federal Publications Inc. (Toronto)
• [ * ] – Manager
  Les Publications Governementales (Montreal)

---

¹ The only exception with respect to electronic copies is Statistics Canada, which submits a link to its secure URLs where the publications are maintained in HTML and can be downloaded for free.

² The Program paid the National Research Council of Canada $1.6M, the Mapping Services Branch of Natural Resources Canada almost $0.143M, the Canadian General Standards Board over $0.019M, and Statistics Canada (for all publications in all formats) over $0.8M.

³ PDS has identified the following top 10 groups of publications for the purposes of reporting on gross revenue: (i) Government and Legislation (including House of Commons, Justice and other Government); (ii) Labour; (iii) Language and Writing Arts; (iv) Health; (v) Reference Material; (vi) Culture and Heritage; (vii) Transportation; (viii) Defense and Military History; (ix) Natural Resources and Environment; and (x) Publications Ontario.

⁴ Gross revenue does not take into account the discounts offered to certain customers, e.g., retailers, and accordingly is slightly higher than the net revenue indicated in Table 4.

⁵ Publishing and Depository Services Program Qualitative Survey prepared for PWGSC by Government, Publishing and Depository Services, April 2007; Crown Copyright and Licensing Client Satisfaction Survey: Publishing and Depository Services, PWGSC, Decima Research, March 27, 2007; Publishing Programs Client Satisfaction Survey: Publishing and Depository Services PWGSC, March 27, 2007, and Depository Services Program 2006 Client Satisfaction Survey, PWGSC, Draft Report, Les Études De Marché Créatec+, November 10, 2006.

⁶ Fugitive publications are defined as those publications produced by federal organizations that have not been submitted to PDS for distribution. The term ‘fugitive publication' would also apply to those priced publications intended for sale directly by a federal organization that does not have statutory or delegated authority to sell publications. Fugitive publications may have been issued an ISBN by PDS, but most have likely not.

⁷ (i) Position Paper on the Role of Canadian Government Publishing and the Depository Services Program (Dec, 1999); (ii) Funding Proposal for Canadian Government Publishing (May, 2002); (iii) Business Case: Canadian Government Publishing (Jan, 2003); (iv) Publishing and Depository Services: Business Case (Oct, 2005); and (v) Publishing and Depository Services Strategic Options (Nov, 2005).

⁸ Titles include individual issues of serials and master records of serials, which, overstates the size of the database by the number of the serial masters by approximately four percent. In effect, the number of titles represents the number of publications and serial master records that would be accessible by the general public when visiting the database.

⁹ The ISBN serves as a limited proxy measure because it does not address fugitive publications.

¹⁰ “Canadian Digital Information Strategy: Draft Consultation Version”, Library and Archives Canada (October 2007) reported that a 2006 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report on public sector information details the important economic and social benefits that arise from providing the broadest possible access to this information.

¹¹ United States General Accounting Office: Government Printing Office; Actions to Strengthen and Sustain GPO's Transformation, Report to Congressional Addresses, (Washington, D.C., June 2004).

¹² Notes from Management Report, ADM Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch, PWGSC meeting with Superintendent of Documents, Government Publishing Office, Washington, United States, January 9-12, 2007.

¹³ Web Site for The Government Printing Office Access Services (US)

¹⁴ Notes from Management Report, ADM, Consulting, Information and Shared Services Branch, PWGSC meeting with Carol Tullo, UK Director of the Office of Public Sector Information, Controller of HMSO and Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Canada, March 12-13, 2007

¹⁵ About the Office of the Public Sector Information, Office of the Public Sector Information, August 6, 2007, OPSI website

¹⁶ Australian Government, Responsive Government, A New Service Agenda: 2006 e-Government Strategy, March 2006

¹⁷ Australian Government Publication Guilines