annual report 2008–2009 - library of parliament€¦ · annual report 2008–2009. our vision is...
TRANSCRIPT
AnnuAl RepoRt2008–2009
ouR vision is to be pARliAment’s pRefeRRed
And tRusted souRce of infoRmAtion And
knowledge.
Message froM the ParliaMentary librarian 4
section 1: raison d’être 6
Mission 6
Vision 6
StrategicOutcomes 6
section 2: overview 7
OurClients 7
OurServices 7
OurStructure 8
section 3: oPerating environMent 9
ChallengesandRisks 9
section 4: strategic Priorities and highlights of
Key accoMPlishMents 12
PRIORITY1:ModernizingourKnowledgeManagementCapacity 12
PRIORITY2:StrengtheningourManagementSupportCapacity 14
PRIORITY3:OperationalizingtheParliamentaryBudgetOfficer(PBO) 15
section 5: year in review by strategic outcoMe 17
StrategicOutcome1:ParliamentariansareBetterInformed 17
StrategicOutcome2:Parliament’sInstitutionalMemoryisPreservedforFutureGenerations 20
StrategicOutcome3:CanadiansGainaBetterUnderstandingofParliament 2 1
LibraryofParliamentCorporateManagement 23
section 6: suMMary of resource inforMation 25
LibraryofParliamentActualExpenditures 25
SeniorManagementTeam 26
tAble of contents
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TheLibraryhasbeenprovidinginformationto
parliamentariansforcloseto140years.Since
itsformalestablishmentin1871,itsoperations
haveevolvedsignificantlytomeetthe
changinginformationneedsandexpectations
ofparliamentarians.Thetraditionallibrary
functions—collecting,cataloguing,conserving—
havebeensupplementedwithresearch,analysis,
informationanddocumentationservices.Partof
thisevolutionistheLibrary’snewresponsibility
toprovideanalysistoParliamentaboutthestate
ofthenation’sfinances,governmentestimates
andtrendsinthenationaleconomy.TheLibrary
isalsoproudtoprovideinformationproducts
andservices,onbehalfofParliament,thathelp
makeParliamentaccessibletothepublic.
In2008-2009,theLibraryofParliamentmade
greatstridesinaddressingthechallenges
ofservinga21st-centuryParliament.The
researchservicewasrestructuredtomeetthe
managementchallengesofamedium-sized
organizationandtocopewiththeimpactof
theretiringboomergeneration.AReference
andStrategicAnalysisunitwascreatedto
strengthenthelinksbetweenthereferenceand
researchfunctionsoftheLibrary.Italsolaidthe
foundationsforthedevelopmentofcapacity
tobettermonitorandanalyzeemergingpublic
policyissues.
TheLibrarytakesgreatprideinitsability
torespondtotheinformationandresearch
needsofparliamentariansandotherclients.
TheLibraryhastraditionallydependedon
itsemployees’closeworkingrelationships
andknowledgeofparliamentarians’needs
toguideitinchoosingwhatservicestooffer.
Butwiththeincreaseofretirements,andthe
highnumberofnewparliamentariansbrought
inbyclosely-spacedgeneralelections,ithas
becomeessentialtoadoptamorestrategic
andsystematicapproachtoconsultationwith
parliamentariansandtheirstaffaboutthevalue
theyareseekingfromLibraryproductsand
services.Ateamwasestablishedtodetermine
whatourparliamentaryclientsexpectfromus
and,incollaborationwiththefirmofHarris/
Decima,some30parliamentarianswere
consultedontheirexpectationsandperceptions
oftheLibrary.
Broaderaccesstoinformationanddigital
technologyischangingtheenvironmentin
whichtheLibraryoperatesonmanyfronts,
whichrequiresaradicalrethinkingofour
approachtoservicedelivery.Whilethedirect
relationshipbetweenparliamentariansand
Librarystaffremainsakeyelement,provision
ofinformationanddocumentationviaservice
pointssuchasLibrarybranchesarebeing
supplementedwithvirtualinteractions.
messAge fRom the pARliAmentARy libRARiAn
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Blackberries,laptopsandresearchtools
availableontheWebhavemodifiedourclients’
behaviourandexpectationsconsiderablywith
respecttotheso-calledtraditionalservices,
includingtraining.IntheHarris/Decima
PerceptionAudit,parliamentariansexpressed
theirconcernsabouttheLibrary’sabilityto
maximizetheuseoftechnologytoconduct
itsbusiness.TheLibraryacknowledgesthe
inefficiencyofmaintainingitscurrentmultitude
ofsingle-purposeapplications.Ithasbeen
addressingmodernizationofitsinformation
technologyandsystemsthatwillenhance
informationaccessandservicedeliveryto
itsparliamentaryclients.Oneexampleisthe
expandedreachoftheLibrary’sseminars
throughonlineaccess.
Toachievetheobjectiveofbeing“Parliament’s
preferredandtrustedsourceofinformation
andknowledge,”wehavetakenadecisiveturn
tomodernizetheLibrary.Theresultwillbean
organizationmorecloselytailoredtoourclients’
expectationsandbetterabletoconfrontthe
challengestheypose.
Inconclusion,Iwanttothankthestaffofthe
Libraryandthemanagementteamfortheir
continuedsupport,dedicationandhardwork.
WilliamR.Young
ParliamentaryLibrarian
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Mission
TheLibraryofParliamentcontributesto
Canadianparliamentarydemocracybycreating,
managinganddeliveringauthoritative,reliable
andrelevantinformationandknowledge
forParliament.
Vision
TobeParliament’spreferredandtrustedsource
ofinformationandknowledge
strategic outcoMes
• Parliamentariansarebetterinformed.
• Parliament’sinstitutionalmemoryis
preservedforfuturegenerations.
• Canadiansgainabetterunderstanding
ofParliament.
section 1: RAison d’êtRe
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section 2: oveRview of the oRgAnizAtion
Likeanydynamicorganization,theLibraryhas
evolvedovertheyearstomeetthechanging
needsandexpectationsofourstakeholders.
Ithasadoptednewtechnologies,changedthe
wayitdoesbusinessandfoundnewwaysto
collaboratewithlike-mindedorganizations.
our cLients
• Parliament
• Individualparliamentariansandtheirstaff
• Parliamentarycommitteesandassociations
• OrganizationsthatsupportParliament
• TheCanadianpublic,onbehalfof
parliamentarians
our serVices
• Providecustomizedresearchandanalysisto
parliamentariansandtheirstaff.
• Keepparliamentariansinformedand
up-to-date,anddeliverneed-to-knownews.
• Supportlegislatorsandcommitteeswiththe
informationtheyneedtoexaminetheissues
oftheday,considerlegislationandholdthe
governmentaccountable.
• PreserveParliament’sdocumentaryheritage
andensureaccesstocollections.
• HelpparliamentariansinformCanadians
aboutParliamentandtheissuesbeforeit.
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PARLIAMEnTARYInFORMATIOnAnDRESEARCHSERVICE:provides
parliamentarianswithresearch,referenceandanalysisservices;and
processesrequestsforinformationfromparliamentariansandthepublic.
PARLIAMEnTARYBUDGETOFFICER:isanofficeroftheLibraryofParliamentwhoprovidesanalysistoParliamentaboutthestateofthenation’sfinances,governmentestimatesandtrendsinthenationaleconomy.
InFORMATIOnAnDDOCUMEnTRESOURCESERVICE:managesandprovidesaccesstotheLibrary’sprintandelectronicresourcesandcollections.
LEARnInGAnDACCESSSERVICES:providestheLibrary’slearningandcentralizedoutreachservicestoparliamentaryclients;encouragespublicunderstandingandteachingaboutParliamentthroughavarietyofprogramsandproducts;andactsasstewardfortheParliamentaryPoetLaureate.
CORPORATESERVICES:providesbusinesssupportandservicestotheLibraryofParliament.
STAnDInGJOInTCOMMITTEEOnTHELIBRARYOFPARLIAMEnT:composedofbothsenatorsandMPs,isresponsibleforadvising
theSpeakersontheoperationsoftheLibrary.
SPEAKERSOFTHESEnATEAnDTHEHOUSEOFCOMMOnS:arevestedwiththe
directionandcontroloftheLibraryofParliamentinaccordancewiththe
Parliament of Canada Act.
PARLIAMEnTARYLIBRARIAn:exercisescontrolandmanagementoftheLibrary,andhasthestatusofa
DeputyHead,reportingtothetwoSpeakers.
library of ParliaMent
our structure
section 3: opeRAting enviRonment
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Theyear2008-2009wasnottypicalforthe
LibraryofParliamentgiventheOctober2008
generalelectionandtheprorogationthat
followedinDecember2008.Thisresultedin
ashorterthanusualsittingperiodforboth
theSenateandtheHouseofCommonswhich,
inturn,hadadirectimpactontheLibrary’s
workwithregardtothetypeanddistribution
ofrequestsforproductsandservicesfor
parliamentariansandtheirstaff.
chaLLenges and riskstechnology and inforMation
AccordingtothefindingsfromtheHarris/Decima
PerceptionAudit,parliamentariansandtheirstaff
areincreasinglytechnologicallysavvyandexpect
awiderrangeofelectronicservices.However,
theLibrarywasseenaslaggingwhenitcame
toimplementingelectronictechnology.Digital
technologyisalsochangingtheenvironmentin
whichemployeesconducttheirwork.Asdigital
imagingtechnologyhasadvanced,sohave
opportunitiesforpreservationofdocumentation
andirreplaceableartefacts.
Asanorganizationbasedonprovidingand
preservinginformation,itisessentialthatthe
Libraryrespondtoitsclients’expectations
withregardtoaccessinginformationanda
digitally-basedcollection.Ensuringinformation
isdeliveredusingtheparliamentaryclient’s
preferredmeans,andwitheaseofnavigation,
requiresthemodernizationofthefunctionality
andusabilityoftheLibrary’sunderlying
technologyplatform.Additionally,theneed
tomaintainamultitudeofsingle-purpose
applicationsresultsinLibrarystaffworkingwith
inefficientprocessesandinadequatetools.
PeoPle and deMograPhics
TheLibraryexiststoserveParliamentand
parliamentarians’informationneedsandis
directlyimpactedbyfactorsaffectingParliament
itself.Successiveminoritygovernmentshave
resultedinmanynewmembersofParliament
enteringtheHouseofCommons.Inthe40th
Parliament,almostonequarterofCanadian
MPsarenewlyelected,andtwo-thirdshaveless
thanfiveyearsexperience.Onlythreepercent
havemorethan15yearsexperience.1not
surprisingly,thePerceptionAuditindicatedthat
theLibrarymustmakeamoreconcertedeffort
topromoteitsservices—andtheirbenefits—to
allparliamentariansandtoexternalstakeholders.
TheLibraryhastakenamoreproactiveapproach
inpromotingitsservicesandofferedsessions
aimedatinformingclientsaboutissuesfacing
Parliament.Thisapproachmeantenhancingthe
Library’slearningservicestoincludethenew
orientationsessionafteranewParliamentplus1ThePublicPolicyForum(PPF)reportreleasedMay2009entitled(Less) Male, (Even Less) Educated, (Even Less) Experienced & (Even More) White.
offeringothersessionsaimedatkeepingclients
uptodateontheLibrary’sresources.
Attractingandretainingemployeesinavariety
ofexpertfieldscontinuedtobeachallengeand
apriorityfortheLibrary.Toworkeffectively
withintheParliamentaryenvironmentrequires
specializedskillsandknowledge.Theseare
acquiredoveranumberofyearsfromtraining
andexperience,andincludekeyelementssuch
asjudgment,abilitytobuildconsensusand
discretion.Knowledgeofthistypeisnoteasily
replacedandtheimpactofstaffturnovercan
besignificant.Atightlabourmarketandstiff
competitionfromtheprivateandpublicsectors
makesreplacingtheseemployeesevenmore
difficult.Withanumberofretirementsandnew
hires,itisessentialthattheLibraryprovide
newstaffwithtimelyaccesstoorientationand
trainingprogramstoacceleratetheknowledge
transferprocess.
establishing the ParliaMentary budget officer functionTheFederal Accountability Actamendedthe
ParliamentofCanadaActinin2006toestablish,
withintheLibraryofParliament,aposition
tobeknownastheParliamentaryBudget
Officer(PBO).ThePBO’smandateistoprovide
independentanalysistoParliamentonthe
stateofthenation’sfinances,thegovernment’s
estimatesandtrendsintheCanadianeconomy;
anduponrequestfromacommitteeor
parliamentarian,toestimatethefinancial
costofanyproposalformattersoverwhich
Parliamenthasjurisdiction.
AsthisisthefirstPBOwithinCanada’s
parliamentarycommunity,severalchallenges
aroseinputtingtheOfficer’slegislatedmandate
intopractice.Inresponse,theParliamentary
LibrarianandthePBOundertookextensive
consultationswithsenators,membersof
Parliament,keyparliamentarycommittees,
retiredandcurrentseniorbureaucrats,think
tanks,academicsandpeerorganizationsin
otherjurisdictions.Inaddition,itwasagreed
thattheJointCommitteeoftheLibraryof
Parliament(BILI)undertakeastudyonthe
LibraryofParliamentandtheOfficeofthe
ParliamentaryBudgetOfficer.Despitethe
challenges,thePBOmadeeveryefforttoensure
thatparliamentarianswerewellsupportedto
holdthegovernmenttoaccountforthegood
stewardshipofpublicresources.
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in 2008-2009, the libRARy of pARliAment mAde gReAt stRides in AddRessing the
chAllenges of seRving A 21st centuRy pARliAment.
During2008-2009,theLibraryfocusedonthree
StrategicPriorities:
1. Modernizeourknowledgemanagement
capacity.
2.Strengthenourmanagementsupport
capacity.
3.OperationalizeanewParliamentaryBudget
Officerfunction.
highlights of Key accoMPlishMents
Priority 1:
Modernizing our knowLedge ManageMent capacity taking a multidisciplinary approach
Thecomplexityofthetopicswithwhich
Parliamentdeals,andtheexpansionof
availableinformation,requirestheLibraryto
rethinkitsprocessesandre-alignitsresources
toperformmoreeffectively.Tomeetthese
challenges,andabovealltomaintainthequality
ofitsinformationandservices,theLibrary
restructureditsResearchServicetosupport
committeestacklingrelatedissues.Thechanges
wereaimedatcreatingateam-basedculture
basedonflexibility,collaborationandknowledge
transferamonganalysts.
• Atotalof11multidisciplinaryteamswitha
varietyofbackgroundshavebeensetup
underthedirectionofexperiencedchiefsthat
strivetobalancecontinuityofsupportwith
thelevelandtypeofexpertiserequired.The
teamsservecommitteesfromboththeSenate
andHouseofCommons,witheachmember
oftheteamequippedtoserveasaback-up
forhisorhercolleagueswhenrequired.Each
teamalsobenefitsfromaccesstothevast
informationresources,referencespecialists
andexpertiseacrosstheLibrary.
identifying emerging issues
• AStrategicAnalysisUnitwasestablished
tofosterthedevelopmentoftoolsand
approachessupportingcollaborativework
acrosstheLibrary.Amongotherthings,the
unitisworkingatharnessinginformationto
assisttheidentificationofemergingissues.
• Anumberofpublicationsonawiderange
oftopicswereproduced,includingtwo
compendiaonmajorissuesofinterest
toparliamentarians.Afirstcompendium
ontheArctichighlightedawiderangeof
Canadianandinternationalperspectiveson
thenorthernregion;andasecondoneon
thesharedinterestsandconcernsrelated
section 4: stRAtegic pRioRities
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toCanadaandtheUnitedStateswasissued
shortlybeforetheOttawavisitofU.S.
PresidentBarackObama.
building partnerships
• TheLibraryisanactivememberof
theInternationalFederationofLibrary
AssociationsandInstitutions(IFLA).2In
conjunctionwiththeIFLAconference
heldinQuebecCity,theLibraryhosteda
pre-conferenceinOttawainAugust2008
fortheLibraryandResearchServicesfor
ParliamentsSection.Thethemeofthe
pre-conferencewas“LegislativeLibraries:
PartnersinDemocracy”withafocusonhow
parliamentarylibrariesandresearchservices
worktoassistParliament,parliamentarians
andtheirstafftomakethedemocratic
processmoreeffective.About120officials,
librariansandresearchersrepresentingover
40international,national,andsub-national
legislativelibrariesparticipated.Thispre-
conferencewasanimportantsteptowards
developingclosereffectivepartnershipsand
formanyparticipantsitwasanexcellent
professionaldevelopmentopportunity.
• AlongwithIFLA,theInter-Parliamentary
Union(IPU)andtheAssociationof
SecretariesGeneralofParliaments
(ASGP),theLibraryalsoco-organizeda
one-daymeetinginGeneva,Switzerland
inOctober2008onthetheme“Informing
Democracy:BuildingCapacitytoMeet
Parliamentarians’InformationandKnowledge
needs”todiscussthechallengesfacedby
parliamentsinobtainingtheinformation
andknowledgetheyrequiretofunction
effectively.Thecontributionsofseveral
Canadianparliamentarianswereinvaluable
forparticipantsseekingtolearnmoreabout
ourclients’needsandexpectations.
• TheLibrarylaunchedtwoinitiatives:the
VisitingScholarandtheDistinguished
VisitorLecturer.Librarian-ScholarTim
MarkwasinvitedtotheLibraryasVisiting
Scholar.Hespentsixmonthsresearching
andwritingaboutdigitalpreservation,
draftedaDigitalAgendafortheLibrary
andsharedhisexpertisewithourgroupof
librarians.Dr.PeterH.Russell,Professor
Emeritus,UniversityofToronto,was
invitedasDistinguishedVisitorLecturer
toleadadiscussiononthesubjectof
minoritygovernment.
• TheLibraryparticipatedwiththeSenate
andHouseofCommonsintheParliamentary
OfficersStudyProgramtoprovidean
opportunityforseniorparliamentarystaff
fromforeignlegislaturesandCanadian
jurisdictionstolearnhowCanada’sParliament
works.Separateprogramswerealsoorganized
for15groupsofindividuals,includingvisitors
fromnigeria,Saskatchewan,Ghana,Ireland,
UnitedStates(CongressionalFellows),Mexico,
Uganda,SouthAfrica,Chile,China,Russia,
Egypt,IndiaandCambodia.
increasing access to information resources
• TheLibraryinitiatedacross-serviceworking
grouptohelpstreamlineitsserviceprocesses.
Theworkinggroupidentifiedarangeof
short-termprocessimprovementsincluding
theintroductionofelectronicworkflow,
enhancedtrackingandreportingonactivities,
andnewtemplatestostandardize,simplify
andacceleratetheproductionanddeliveryof
Libraryresearchproductsandpublicationsfor
parliamentaryclients.
• Workingtowardsamodernsetofintegrated
informationsystemsthatwillbetterservethe
needsoftheLibraryanditsparliamentary
clients,agroupofSubjectMatterExperts
(SME)andaworkinggroupidentified
theparametersofasingleclientrequest
trackingsystemtailoredtotheinformation
managementandrecord-keepingobjectives
oftheLibrary.Thissystemwillreplacethe
2TheInternationalFederationofLibraryAssociationsandInstitutions(IFLA)istheleadinginternationalbodyrepresentingtheinterestsoflibraryandinformationservicesandtheirusers.Itistheglobalvoiceofthelibraryandinformationprofession.
Library’scurrentin-housesystemswith
leading-edgetechnologythatwillimprove
theefficiencyofresearchers,librarians,and
techniciansandwillimprovethequalityofthe
informationcapturedandtracktheresponses
totheclient.
• Atwo-yearprojecttoupgradedatainthe
onlinecataloguewascompleted.Subsequent
tonumerouscollectionmovesandsoftware
migration,theLibraryprovidesthemost
accurateandcompletedataavailable.
• TheLibraryunveileditsrevisedE-Resources
pageonParliament’sinternalwebsite,
Intraparl.Thismodernportalbringstogether
alllibrary-evaluated,licensedandfree
electronicresourcesinonewindow.Itreceived
closeto43,000searcheslastyear,analmost
21percentincreaseoverthepreviousyear.
• Workbeganonasingleorganization-wide
taxonomythatwillenableuserstosearch
informationbysubjectacrossallLibrary
resources.Thistaxonomywillalsoprovidea
bridgebetweenvariousplannedIM/ITinitiatives.
• InresponsetotheintroductionofBillC-61—
anacttoamendtheCopyright Act —the
Librarycreatedaworkinggrouptoexamine
howthenewlegislationcouldaffectits
servicestoParliament.Aspartofthisstudy,
itcontractedoneofthecountry’sleading
expertsoncopyrighttoensurethatthe
Libraryunderstandsthespecificsofthis
agreementanditslevelofcompliancewith
currentlegislation.
strengthening stakeholder relations
• Aperceptionauditwasconductedon
behalfoftheLibrarytoinvestigatethe
currentawareness,perceptions,needsand
expectationsofitsclients,stakeholders,staff,
andcertainaudiencesamongthegeneral
public.Byevaluatingandidentifyingthekey
driversbehindeachoftheaudiencesqueried,
theLibraryincreaseditsknowledgeand
understandingofkeyareasforimprovement.
• TheLibraryofferedongoingorientationfor
newandreturningsenatorsandmembers
ofParliamentfollowingthe2008General
Election.Itdevelopedavarietyofmaterials
topromoteitsprintandelectronicservices,
includinganupdatedversionoftheGuide to
Library ServicesandaportaltotheLibrary’s
servicesontheIntraparl.
• AstheLibrarymovedtointegrateitsclient
servicesandalignproductsandservices
withclientneeds,thepublishing,editing
anddesignfunctionswereconsolidatedto
helpminimizeduplicationandtoallowfora
comprehensivenewpublicationsprogramthat
willbenefitclients.Asaresult,theProducts
andServicesForumwascreated.ThisForum
providesoversightandstrategicdirection
regardingproductsintendedfordissemination
eithertoparliamentaryclientsortothepublic
atlarge.
• Aninventoryofallproductsandserviceswas
developedtodeterminewhichareofmost
valuetoparliamentariansandtheirstaff.
• Anactionplanwasdevelopedtoenhancethe
Library’sseminarseries.Evaluationforms
wereusedtomeasurestakeholdersatisfaction
anddeterminethedirectionforfuture
programming.
Priority 2:
strengthening our ManageMent support capacity consolidating policy and planning
• TheLibraryconsolidateditscorporate
servicesfunction,increaseditspolicy
andplanningcapacityandestablisheda
planningcommitteeofLibraryspecialists
andmanagers.
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• TheLibraryrevisedandimplemented
numerouspoliciesandguidelinestoensure
betterservice.Forexample,itdevelopedguides
containinginformationontheservicestowhich
differentclientgroupsareentitledandupdated
theCollectionDevelopmentPolicy.
strengthening management support
• Humanandfinancialresourcestrainingwas
offeredtoallnewmanagersandtheLibrary’s
researchandanalysisservicespiloteda
professionaldevelopmentandtrainingweek
foritsstaff.
• Aleadershipdevelopmentprogram,
launchedin2007,providedlibrarianswith
theopportunitytofillavarietyofacting
managerialandseniorpositions.
• Researchteamleaderpositionswere
createdtoprovidestaffwithongoing
mentoringandguidance.
• AreviewoftheLibrary’sreference
practicesbeganidentifyingbestpractices
andchallengesfacedbytheLibrary’s
referenceemployees.
• Athree-yearHumanResourcesStrategy
wasdevelopedtoincludeamanagement
developmentprogram,continuouslearning,
successionplanningandlanguagetraining—
toensurethatknowledgeandexpertise
remainwithintheLibrary.
rebooting our it capacity
• AnewITdirectoratewasestablishedto
centrallymanageitsITfunction,supportthe
developmentofitselectronicproductsand
services,anddirecttheLibrary’sinformation
managementstrategyandplan.
• TheLibraryworkedcloselywiththeSenate
andHouseofCommonstostreamlinethe
wayitsharesparliamentaryinformation
andmodernizeprecinct-wideITpractices.
Forexample,theLibrarychairedthe
ParliamentaryInformationManagement
Committee(PIMC)thatcomestogetherto
ensureacoordinatedefforttowardsimproving
servicetoparliamentarians.
securing appropriate accommodations
• Amajoraccommodationprojectto
consolidateLibrarystafffromvarious
locationswascompleted.nearly300staff
movesandofficeset-upswerecarriedout.
Asaresult,65percentofLibrarystaffnow
workoutofthesamelocation,occupyingtwo
fewerbuildings.
Priority 3:
operationaLizing the parLiaMentary Budget officer (pBo)
ThefirstParliamentaryBudgetOfficer(PBO),
KevinPage,wasappointedinMarch2008.
Workingwithastaffof13skilledeconomists
andfinancialanalysts,thePBOproducedover
20reportsforparliamentarycommitteesand
individualparliamentarians.Twoofthesereports
werefirstsoftheirkind:ahorizontalcostingof
Canada’sinvolvementintheAfghanistanwar;
andacapitalbudgetmodelandfiscalcostingof
theAboriginaleducationalinfrastructure.The
PBOalsodevelopedashort-termworkplanthat
includedanupdateofthecurrenteconomicand
fiscalsituation,followedbyregulareconomic
andfiscalupdateseveryquarter.Inaddition,
thePBOprovidedregularanalysisofhow
thegovernment’sstimulusbudgetwasbeing
implementedinordertoimprovebudgetary
reportingandoversightpracticesforParliament.
Movingforward,theLibraryisconfidentthat
thePBOwillbecomeaninvaluableadditionto
theorganization.
the libRARy tAkes gReAt pRide in its
Ability to Respond to the infoRmAtion And
ReseARch needs of pARliAmentARiAns
And otheR clients.
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strategic outcoMe 1
parLiaMentarians are Better inforMed
section 5: yeAR in Review by stRAtegic outcome
*Includessub-committeesotherthanthosefocusedonagendaandprocedure.
business line 1.0: Knowledge creationdescription expected results Key Performance indicators
ProvideParliamentwithresearchandanalysisservices,documentation,dataandinformationforandaboutParliament.
ParliamentreliesontheLibraryasitsmainsourceofnon-partisanresearch,analysisandinformation.
ParliamentariansusetheLibraryservicesfortheirinformationneeds.
Parliamentary client base supported by the library committees and associations supported by the library
Senators 105 Committees* Senate 20
MPs 308 HouseofCommons 31
Total 413 Joint 2
Total 53
ParliamentaryAssociations 12
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highLights:supporting parliamentarians in the conduct of their parliamentary duties
• TheLibraryreceivedrequestsforresearch
from67senatorsand271MPsoverthe
courseoftheyear.
• 81Libraryanalystscompletednearly
3,198requestsforworkfromparliamentarians,
associationsandcommitteesfromboththe
SenateandtheHouseofCommons.
• Almost900oftheresearchrequestswere
receivedfrom20Senateand31House
ofCommonscommittees3andtwo
jointcommittees,andanalystsdevoted
approximately45,840hourstothese
committees,anddrafted39committeereports.
• Analystsprovidedexpertiseto12parliamentary
associationsanddelegations,devotingalmost
4,650hourstothem.
• Over600fileswereprocessedforthe
StandingJointCommitteefortheScrutiny
ofRegulations.
• 86newresearchpublicationsweredraftedfor
parliamentarians(andmadeavailabletothe
generalpublic).
• TheLibrary’sreferencelibrarians,library
techniciansandinformationofficers,and
clerksrespondedtoapproximately35,200
referencequestionsandotherrequestsfor
informationfromparliamentariansandother
clients.Thisexcludesthe3,198requests
completedbyanalystsaswellasrequests
fromthepublic.
• Summariesofgovernmentbillsfromthe
40thParliamentwerepreparedandmade
availableelectronicallywithin72hoursofthe
firstreading.Accesswasalsoprovided,where
applicable,tothe“RoyalRecommendations”
and“MajorSpeaker’sRulingandStatements”
throughlinkstotheSenateDebatesorthe
HouseofCommonsJournals.
• TheLibraryofferedparliamentaryclients
20seminarsandinformationsessionson
publicpolicyissues(6),accessingvarious
governmentprograms(8),andhowtousethe
Library’sdesktopresources(6).
table 1 — breaKdown of research requests coMPleted by analysts by user tyPe
3A“committee”isagroupofparliamentarians,fromeithertheSenate,theHouseofCommonsorboth,selectedtoconsidermatters,includingbills,referredtoitbytheSenateortheHouseofCommons.Thereareseveraltypesofcommittees:standing,legislative,specialandjointcommittees,aswellasCommitteesoftheWholeandtheLiaisonCommittee.(Reference:HouseofCommonswebsite,AboutCommittees–http://www2.parl.gc.ca/CommitteeBusiness/AboutCommittees.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2)
*DoesnotincludesupporttotheJointCommitteefortheScrutinyofRegulations.
311 SenateCommittees
1,363 M.P.s
777 Senators
180 Associations/Delegations
561 HoCCommittees
6 JointCommittees*
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table 2 — inforMation on the total nuMber of requests received by the library by user tyPe (fy 2008–2009)
(Thenumberofrequestsfromthegeneralpubliciscapturedlaterinthisdocumentunder
StrategicOutcome3:CanadiansGainaBetterUnderstandingofParliament.)
notes:Anadditional46,723requestswerereceivedfromthegeneralpublic.Thisinformation
isavailableunderStrategicOutcome3.
courtesy service—Areferenceserviceisgenerallyofferedonaquidproquobasistoother
librariesortoclientsofotherlibraries.TheLibraryofParliamenthasagreementswith
LibraryandArchivesCanadaandwithotherfederallibrariesforconsultationofmaterialonly
availableattheLibraryofParliament.Onoccasion,wemayalsoassistaLibraryvisitor(i.e.an
officerofparliamentfromanothercountryoraLibraryofParliamentconsultant).
other authorized users—Embassies;SupremeCourt;authorizedrepresentativesfrom
representedHoCparties;theParliamentaryCentre;internationalparliaments.
Cauc
us
users
Commission
sof
Inqu
iry
Cour
tesy
Ser
vice
Hous
eSt
aff
Libr
aryof
Par
liamen
t
Med
ia
MPOffi
ces
Other
Aut
horiz
edU
sers
Parli
amen
tary
Age
ncies
PublicSer
vice
-Fed
eral
PublicSer
vice
-Pro
v/Te
rr
Sena
teStaff
Sena
torO
ffice
s
44
1,593
334
2,617
13,449
1,823
10,361
598113
1,472
194
1,210
4,608
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strategic outcoMe 2
parLiaMent’s institutionaL MeMory is preserVed for future generations
highLights:Managing the library’s collection
• TheLibraryorderedapproximately
4,560titlesinvariousformats,andmade
83,000pagesofdebates,sessionalpapers
andotheressentialdocumentsavailablein
digitalformatthroughitscatalogue.
• Inaccordancewiththegovernment’srenewed
communicationpolicytostrengthenthe
managementofpublicopinionresearch
throughtheFederal Accountability Act,the
LibraryaddedthefulltextofallGovernment
ofCanadapublicopinionresearchreports—
4,674reports—goingbackto2006to
itscatalogueforaccesstomembersof
Parliamentandthepress.
• AMemorandumofUnderstandingwas
concludedwiththeHouseofCommons
regardingprintingandbindingparliamentary
papers,enablingtheLibrarytopreservekey
publicationsmoreefficiently.
• AsaresultoftheclosureofLibraryand
ArchivesCanada’s(LAC)CanadianBook
ExchangeCentre,theLibrarymade
arrangementswithanon-profitorganization,
Lafondationinternationaledesculturesà
partager,todistributeitsoutdatedmaterials
todevelopingnations.
Keeping parliamentarians informed
• ParlMediaistheLibrary’selectronicmedia
monitoringsystemontheParliamentary
Intranet,whichallowseligibleusersto
searchthefulltextandreceivemediaalerts
forconsultationandresearchpurposes.
Ofthecloseto12,400userslastyear,over
1,800benefitedfromitsalertsandsaved
searchesfeatures.
• TheLibrarypilotedanewsdeliverysolution
callednewsDeskwhichallowsusersto
readthefulltextofcurrentnewsitemson
theirmobiledevices.Thispilotprojectwas
carriedoutwithaviewtoupdatingthemedia
monitoringtechnologythathadbeeninuse
since1998.
• TheLibrarycontinuedtoseeanincreasein
thenumberofdownloadsofQuorum—its
dailycompilationofCanadiannewspaperson
currentissuesofinteresttoparliamentarians
—from1,941in2004to6,819in2008-2009.
Upto1,450printcopiescontinuetobe
distributeddailyduringsession.
business line 2.0: Knowledge ManageMentdescription expected results Key Performance indicators
Acquire,manageandpreservedocumentation,dataandinformationforandaboutParliament.
ParliamentreliesontheLibrarytoprovideleadingedgeinformationresources,aswellasthenecessarytechnologytoretrieve,disseminateandpreservetheseresources.
ParliamentariansusetheLibrary’sinformationresourcestoaccessitscollection.
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• Radar,availableinbothprintandelectronic
formats,highlightsnewsitemsfromthe
Library’scollectiononsubjectsofinterest
toparliamentarians.TheLibrarypublished
32editions,citingatotalof1,980items.
4,755requestsforRadaritemswerereceived,
themajorityofthesecomingfromthe
Library’sanalystsandparliamentaryoffices.
• HotTopics—anelectroniclistingof
documentsandreportsinthenewsthatareof
interesttoparliamentariansandtheirstaff—
wascontinuouslyupdatedtoremaincurrent
andrelevant.Twospecialeditionswere
produced,oneonthe2008federalelection
andanotheroncoalitiongovernments.
highLights:Providing information about Parliament
• ParlInfoisaninteractivedatabaseof
currentandhistoricalinformationaboutthe
institutions,peopleandeventsthathave
shapedParliamentsince1867.TheLibrary
improvedonParlInfobysigningdata-sharing
agreementswiththefollowinginstitutions:
— McGillUniversity
— ElectionsCanada
— McMasterUniversity
— UniversityofMichigan
— KutztownUniversity
— OxfordUniversity/WashingtonUniversity
• InpartnershipwiththeHouseofCommons,
changesweremadetoLEGISINFO —akey
resourceforalllegislativeinformationneeds.
Itreceived49,991viewsoverthecourseof
theyear.
• TheLibraryindexedover4,470pagesof
SenateCommitteeproceedings.
strategic outcoMe 3
canadians gain a Better understanding of parLiaMent
business line 3.0: Knowledge coMMunicationdescription expected results Key Performance indicators
Produce,communicateanddisseminateinformation,productsandservicesforandaboutParliament.
CanadiansrelyontheLibraryfortimelyaccesstoaccurateinformationanddocumentationonParliamentanditsrepresentatives,andformakingvisitstoParliamentanenrichingexperience.
ParliamentariansusetheLibraryresourcestocommunicateinformationaboutParliament,andthepublicusestheLibraryresourcestoaccessinformationaboutParliament.
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• AMemorandumofUnderstandingwassigned
withLibraryandArchivesCanada(LAC)
todigitisedebatesoftheSenateandHouse
ofCommonscoveringtheperiodfrom1901
to1994,whenonlinepublishingcommenced.
(Pre-1901debatesareavailableat
Canadiana.org.)
• TheLibrary’sinformationservicesstaff
respondedto46,730enquiriesfromthe
generalpublic.
visitor services
VisitstoParliament:
• TheLibrary’sguideswelcomedover356,000
visitorstoParliamentontours.
• Over1,370schooltoursweregivento51,000
studentsandteachers.
• Personal(informal)interpretationwasoffered
to9,600visitorsofparliamentariansand
parliamentarystaffbyguidesstationedinthe
mainLibrarybuilding.
VisitorPrograms:
• TheLibraryopenedanewexhibitintheMain
Libraryentitled“Canada-France: Imprint
on a Country,”whichcelebratedQuebec’s
400thanniversary.
VisitorFeedback:
• Over5,800commentcardsweresubmittedby
visitors,ofwhich79.4percentwerepositive.
education outreach
TeachersInstituteonCanadian
ParliamentaryDemocracy:
• The13thannualTeachersInstitute(TI)
sawaslightincreaseinthenumberof
applicationsasaresultofincreased
promotionthroughtheLibraryofParliament’s
educationalresourcesandtheTeachers
LeadershipProgram.Exitsurveyscontinue
todemonstratethevalueoftheTIprogram
amongeducators,with97percentparticipant
satisfaction.TheLibrarywouldliketo
acknowledgetheCanadianAssociationof
FormerParliamentariansandtheChurchill
SocietyfortheAdvancementofParliamentary
Democracyforprovidingbursariestoselected
participantsoftheTI.
TheTeachersLeadershipProgram:
• TheTeachersLeadershipProgram(TLP)
formsalinkbetweenParliamentandthe
educationcommunitybyextendingand
enrichingitsongoingdialoguewithteachers
throughpresentationsandin-service
opportunitiesacrossthecountry.Therewere
morethan3,500workshopparticipantsin
2008-2009at46educationalconferences
acrossCanada,markinga31percentincrease
fromthepreviousyear.
ParliamentaryGuideProgram:
• TheParliamentaryGuideProgramhired
47dynamicandengaginguniversitystudents
fromacrossthecountrytoworkfull-time
betweenMayandLabourDay.nearly
70studentsstudyinginthenationalCapital
Regionwerehiredpart-timeduringthe
fall-winterseason.TheLibraryfacilitated
theregionaldiversityofitsapplicantsby
placingadvertisementsinweeklyregional
newspapers,ratherthanuniversity
newspapers.
ResearchInterns:
• TheLibrary’sresearchservicesengaged
threegraduatestudentstoworkasinterns.
SupportedbytheCanadianAssociationof
FormerParliamentarians,internsundertook
aweek-longcomparativestudyataforeign
legislatureinadditiontotheirregularduties.
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Parliamentary Poet laureate
• TheParliamentaryPoetLaureateencourages
andpromotestheimportanceofliterature,
cultureandlanguageinCanadiansociety.
TheLibraryprovidesadministrativesupport
tothePoetLaureateandcoordinatesthe
selectionprocess.InDecember2008,John
Stefflerendedhistwo-yeartermasthe
ParliamentaryPoetLaureate.OneofMr.
Steffler’sprojectswastheundertakingof
acollaborativeprojectwithLibraryand
ArchivesCanada(LAC)tobeginworkon
anonlineaudioarchiveofCanadianpoets
readingselectionsoftheirpoetry.
LiBrary of parLiaMent corporate ManageMent
business line 4.0: internal servicesInternalServicesaregroupsofrelatedactivitiesandresourcesthatareadministeredtosupporttheneedsandcorporateobligationsoftheentireorganization.Thesegroupsare:GovernanceandManagementSupport,ResourceManagementServices,andAssetManagementServices.HighlightsofachievementsinthisareaarenotedandintegratedintoassistingtheLibrarytoachieveitsorganization-widePrioritiesandStrategicOutcomes.
description expected results Key Performance indicators
ProvidetheadministrativesupportservicesrequiredtocarryouttheLibrary’smission.
TheLibraryoptimizestheperformanceofitsprofessionalactivitiesandservicesthroughmodernandinnovativemanagementmethods.
EffectiveandefficientuseofLibraryresources.
highLights:HighlightsofachievementsforthisBusinessLine
arecapturedthroughouttheotherareasinthis
sectionandintegratedintoassistingtheLibrary
toachieveitsorganization-widePrioritiesand
StrategicOutcomes.
the libRARy of pARliAment is A knowledge oRgAnizAtion of
highly-tRAined ReseARcheRs, libRARiAns, infoRmAtion
speciAlists And otheR stAff thAt suppoRt the woRk of
pARliAmentARiAns.
LiBrary of parLiaMent actuaL eXpenditures
library of Parliament
2008-2009
Planned spending approved authorities actual spending
FTEs $ FTEs $ FTEs $
Salariesandwages* $31,698,000 $31,699,731 $30,741,656
Operations $7,994,000 $9,573,819 $8,627,817
Total 347 $39,692,000 $41,273,550 333 $39,369,473
TheLibraryofParliamentisaknowledge
organizationofhighly-trainedresearchers,
librarians,informationspecialistsandother
staffthatsupporttheworkofparliamentarians.
Morethanthree-quartersoftheLibrary’sannual
budgetisallocatedtothesalariesandwagesof
itsstaff.
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*IncludescontributiontoEmployeeBenefitPlans.
section 6: summARy of ResouRce infoRmAtion
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senior ManageMent teaM
TheLibraryExecutiveCommitteeprovidescorporate
leadershipandservesastheParliamentaryLibrarian’s
senioradvisoryandstrategicplanningforum.
1. dianne brydon
DirectorGeneral,LearningandAccess
Services(Interim)
2. cynthia hubbertz
Director,InformationandDocument
ResourceService(Acting)
3. sonia l’heureux
AssistantParliamentaryLibrarian,
ParliamentaryInformationResearchService
4. Kevin Page
ParliamentaryBudgetOfficer
5. sue stiMPson
DirectorGeneral,CorporateServices
6. williaM r. young
ParliamentaryLibrarian
2 3
5 6
1
4
Librarycontactinformation
Phone: 613-995-1166 Toll-free: 1-866-599-4999
Fax: 613-992-1269 E-mail: [email protected]
PublicLine: 613-992-4793 OnlineatIntraparl: LibraryandResearch