Library and Archives Canada Unveils 2016–2019 Three-Year Plan

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has published a three-year plan outlining its priorities and activities up to 2019:

"The plan is based on consultations with clients, partners and employees. From June to December 2015 we obtained feedback from our most active clients during a consultation meeting and four focus groups; we held five employee consultation sessions; we conducted a survey of website users; and we held a formal consultation session with our Stakeholders Forum—the 12 Canadian professional associations with which we have close relationships. Furthermore, our plan is based on a careful examination of the major current trends resulting from the rapid changes that are occurring in our environment. Finally, the three-year plan sets out what LAC will accomplish in the coming years to meet the expectations of Canadians as effectively and inclusively as possible."

The plan describes how the institution will respond to emerging trends in technology and knowledge production and defines the partnerships it intends to build or further develop to pursue strategies in areas such as digitization and preservation of Canada's documentary heritage.

One interesting dimension of the document is its definition of a series of  "expected results".

Examples include:

• Digitize 40 million pages in three years, including the 650,000 files of the Canadian Expeditionary Force that will be available online
•  Make one million pages of government records available each year by the block review process
• Assess and process 10 additional kilometres of archives so that they are discoverable for users
• Ensure that LAC's website continues to be one of the top ten most visited federal government sites
• Optimize our tools so that 95% of traffic to the LAC website results from a referral by a major search engine such as Google
•  Start to build a new state-of-the-art facility for preserving and providing access to the LAC's textual records
• Preserve 100% of LAC's digital acquisitions using a digital curation platform
• Set up a secretariat to manage implementation of a National Digitization Strategy
• Reach 10 agreements with new partners by 2019, including academia, non-profit organizations, the private sector, provincial institutions and other public institutions such as public libraries
• Allow the public to help enhance information related to two collections per year
• Have 10 Canadian representatives on the major international documentary heritage committees, including the International Council on Archives, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the International Internet Preservation Consortium

Update on Creation of New Canadian Federation of Library Associations

The membership of the Canadian Library Association (CLA) voted on January 27, 2016 to dissolve the organization and launch a new federation of Canadian library associations.

A few days ago, members of the initial board of directors of the new Canadian Federation of Library Associations/Fédétation canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA/FCAB) published an update explaining the way forward:

"Since January, representatives from provincial, territorial, and national associations have been meeting weekly via teleconference to incorporate and create the new CFLA/FCAB. We are excited about this new opportunity for Canada’s library community, and we have a lot of work ahead of us! Much of our work to date has been somewhat internal in constructing a legal and corporate framework and foundation for the existence of CFLA/FCAB and includes the following tasks in progress:

• Drafting and reviewing by-laws and implementing the steps needed to incorporate
• Identifying an inaugural board tasked with setting up the new organization (see below)
• Securing member dues and setting up a financial framework
• Hiring initial contract support to bring CFLA to operational readiness
• Liaising with CLA to steward any CLA initiatives that are within the scope of this new organization ..."

The target date for an official election of the CFLA board is January/February 2017.

Earlier Library Boy posts on the topic include:

• Proprosal to Create Federation of Library Associations to Replace Canadian Library Association (October 15, 2015)
• Results from Survey on Future Canadian Library Federation (December 8, 2015)
• Canadian Library Association Special Meeting in January to Vote on New Library Federation (January 6, 2016)
• Canadian Library Association Votes to Dissolve and Make Way for New Library Federation (January 28, 2016)
• Canadian Library Association CLA Digest for February 2016 - What Happens After CLA Dissolves (February 22, 2016)

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Online Webinar on Employment & Labour Law

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) is organizing a webinar on employment and labour law on April 20, 2016 from 1 to 2:30PM Eastern:

"The goals of the session are to distinguish between labour law and employment law, to examine the legislative framework that governs this body of law both provincially and federally and the enforcement mechanisms available under the legislation. We will also provide practical tips on locating and citing various board decisions."

The speaker will be Lou L. Poskitt, Associate at Harris & Company. She has appeared before the Human Rights Tribunal, the BC Labour Relations Board, various boards of arbitration, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Supreme Court of British Columbia and the BC Court of Appeal.

CALL/ACBD Member: $40 + $5.20 HST    = $45.20
Non-member: $60 + $7.80 HST    = $67.80
Student Rate: $25 + $3.25 HST    = $28.25

Highlights from the 2016-17 Reports on Plans and Priorities

The website Librarianship.ca has published Highlights from the 2016-17 Reports on Plans and Priorities.

Every year, the Treasury Board tables Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) in the House of Commons on behalf of dozens of federal government agencies and departments.

These RPPs set out departmental/agency priorities, provide performance measurement indicators, and explain expected results.

Librarianship.ca has gone through this year's RPPs to find "highlights of interest to the Canadian library and information management community as identified by individual departments and agencies."

Highlights from Federal Budget 2016

The website Librarianship.ca has published Highlights from Budget 2016 that lists some of the main elements contained in yesterday's federal budget.

The text is broken down into areas covering:

• access to information
• arts and culture spending
• digital economy
• First Nations
• government services
• open government
• research
• youth employment

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection for March 1-15, 2016 is now available on the Court website.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list. 

Statistics Canada Article on Adult Correctional Statistics

Statistics Canada has published an article entitled Adult correctional statistics in Canada, 2014/2015:

"In Canada, the administration of adult correctional services is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial/territorial governments. The federal system has jurisdiction over adult offenders (18 years and older) serving custodial sentences of two years or more and is responsible for supervising offenders on conditional release in the community (i.e. parole or statutory release). The provincial/territorial system is responsible for adults serving custodial sentences that are less than two years, those who are being held while awaiting trial or sentencing (remand), as well as offenders serving community sentences, such as probation."

"This Juristat article provides an overview of adult correctional services in Canada for 2014/2015. It presents three indicators that describe the use of correctional services: average daily counts, admissions and initial entry. Average counts provide a snapshot of the adult corrections population on any given day; initial entry provides an indication of the number of adults entering the corrections system during the year; and admissions measure the flow of adults through the system by counting adults each time they begin or move to a new type of custody or community supervision..."

American Association of Law Libraries 2016 Annual Conference in Chicago.

The 2016 annual conference of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) will take place in Chicago from July to 19.

In addition to regular workshops and sessions, the AALL is also offering a series of Innovation Labs on the Tuesday afternoon of the event, "specially curated programs ... [that] will take big ideas and mine them for real-world (your world) application".

The Innovation Labs include:

• Lean Startup and LeanUX
• A conversation with Judge Richard A. Posner of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (and senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School)--one of the most provocative voices of both the modern federal judiciary and legal academia.
• Design Thinking for Libraries -- the result of a collaboration between Chicago Public Libraries, Aarhus Public Libraries, and design company IDEO

Law Library of Congress Background Material on US Supreme Court Nominee Merrick B. Garland

The Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has compiled a list of resources about Merrick B. Garland.

Last week, American President Barack Obama announced Garland as his nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Law Library of Congress resources include:

• articles and books by Garland
• material about him
• Congressional materials dealing with Garland's nomination to lower federal courts
• web resources from major media outlets and the White House

Law Library of Congress Chart of Laws of 157 Countries on the Extradition of Citizens

The Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has published a chart on the conditions that apply to the extradition of citizens in 157 jurisdictions around the globe.

According to an explanatory blog post:

"Of the countries surveyed, 60 were found to have laws that prevent the extradition of their own citizens, while the laws of 31 other countries generally allow such requests."

"In the remaining 66 countries it appears that the extradition of a citizen may be approved in certain circumstances. For example, many require that such an extradition be provided for in a bilateral treaty with the requesting country or in an international convention signed by the countries. Other requirements may apply in different countries, or they may have a provision that simply allows a government minister to refuse the extradition of a citizen."

Canadian Bar Association Legal Futures Round-Up: March 14, 2016

CBA National, the magazine of the Canadian Bar Association, publishes a regular feature entitled Legal Futures round-up that tracks "noteworthy developments, opinions and news in the legal futures space as a means of furthering discussion about our changing legal marketplace."

The most recent instalment includes items on the future of legal education, the impact of debt on law studentd, new legal apps, the difficulties faced by women practitioners in criminal law, and much more.

Compiling a U.S. Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide

The Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has created a guide to help people conduct research into U.S. federal legislative history.

It covers:

• How to Locate a United States Congressional Committee Report:
• How to Locate a Published Congressional Hearing
• How to Locate an Unpublished Congressional Hearing
• Debates of Congress
• Locating a Congressional Committee Print
• Locating Congressional Documents
• Presidential Communications

Upcoming Hearings Calendar for Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its calendar of appeal hearings for the period of March 21 toApril 1, 2016.

To find out more about any particular case, the Court's website has a section that allows users to find docket information, case summaries as well as factums from the parties. All you need to do is click on a case name.

2016-2017 Reports on Plans and Priorities for Canadian Judiciary

The 2016-2017 Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) were tabled earlier this week in the House of Commons on behalf of federal government departments and agencies.

These RPPs set out departmental/agency priorities, provide performance measurement indicators, and explain expected results.

Here are the RPPs for a number of federal judiciary institutions:

• Supreme Court of Canada
• Courts Administration Service (Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, Tax Court of Canada, Court Martial Appeal Court)
• Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (administration of the federal judiciary, Canadian Judicial Council)

Library of Parliament Article on Computer Privacy and Security

The Library of Parliament's HillNotes blog published an article today called Computer Privacy and Security: Lawful and Unlawful Access that examines the challenges faced by law enforcement in investigating cybercrime.

The article explains the current legal environment and analyzes bills and court rulings from recent years that deal with the circumstances under which police may gain access to private computer information.

Earlier Library Boy posts on the topic include:

• Canadian Government Consultation on Lawful Access (September 14, 2007): "The purpose of this consultation is to provide a range of stakeholders - including police and industry representatives and groups interested in privacy and victims of crime issues - with an opportunity to identify their current views on possible approaches to updating Canada’s lawful access provisions as they relate to law enforcement and national security officials’ need to gain access to CNA [customer name and address] information in the course of their duties. The possible scope of CNA information to be obtained is later identified, but it should be noted from the outset that it would not, in any formulation, include the content of communications or the Web sites an individual visited while online."
• CIPPIC Paper on Government's Lawful Access Initiative (October 16, 2007): "This is a follow-up to the September 14, 2007 Library Boy post entitled Canadian Government Consultation on Lawful Access ... Yesterday, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) at the University of Ottawa made its submission available. In its conclusions, CIPPIC remains highly sceptical of government arguments about the need for greater access to CNA information: 'Information identifying telecommunications subscribers can be highly sensitive given the electronic trail of publicly available and otherwise accessible data that individuals now leave about themselves on the internet and other digital devices as they go about their daily lives. For this reason, we submit that CNA information raises a 'reasonable expectation of privacy' on which a Charter challenge to laws permitting warrantless access could be based' ..."
• Canadian Government Re-Introduces Internet Surveillance Bills (November 2, 2010): "The federal government has re-introduced two bills in the House of Commons that would allow police and intelligence officials to intercept online communications and get personal information from Internet service providers. The government explains that the legislation targets child sexual predators, distributors of pornography and identity thieves. The bills also go after people who use the Internet to plan terrorist acts."
• Library of Parliament Comparison of Lawful Access Laws in Canada, US, UK and Australia (December 13, 2012): "The Library of Parliament recently posted an updated version of a paper comparing Canadian legislative proposals relating to lawful access to the situation in the UK, the USA and Australia. 'Lawful access' refers to a police investigative technique that allows for the interception of electronic communications during a lawful search (...) This background paper compares Bill C-30 [introduced in the Canadian Parliament in the first session of the 41^st Parliament] with similar legislation in these three countries. Major differences and similarities are highlighted, with particular reference to three aspects covered in the Canadian bill: interception capability, requests to TSPs for information about subscribers and tracking warrants. The comparison is a useful one because Bill C-30 is the latest of several significant Canadian initiatives that have dealt with lawful access and that have proposed consistently similar provisions."

Library of Parliament Publication on Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform in Canada and Elsewhere

Earlier this year, the Library of Parliament published an overview of Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform in Canada and Elsewhere:

"Over the years, the system Canada uses to elect members of Parliament has been a frequent subject of discussion and examination. The electoral system Canada currently uses, known as a plurality or first-past-the-post system, has been employed for every federal election since Confederation."

"An understanding of the operation of Canada’s electoral system, along with its alternatives, is important for ensuring that the way citizens elect their representatives continues to reflect public expectations and demands."

"Recently, the government committed to establishing a special parliamentary committee to consult on electoral reform, including preferential ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting and online voting."

"This paper provides an overview of Canada’s electoral system, a description of the main alternative electoral systems used in other countries, a review of past Canadian federal and provincial electoral reform initiatives, and information on mandatory voting, online voting and lowering the voting age."

"The appendix contains a map showing electoral systems and voter turnout - one indicator of the efficacy of electoral systems - around the world."

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Mentorship Program Applications Now Open

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries Mentorship Program is open for 2016. This is a unique opportunity for CALL members to grow professionally and network within the profession:

"The CALL Mentorship Program is an initiative intended to connect law library professionals pursuing new professional development with more experienced professionals. The program aims to foster positive relationships between members that will promote growth, leadership, and commitment to the profession. Mentees can come from any background in legal librarianship or even straight from a library program at the university or college level. There is no maximum number of years in the profession for mentees - if you feel that you would like to grow as a professional in your job or your new tasks, and would benefit from the guidance and support of another professional, then being a mentee could be for you. Similarly, mentors can come from any area of legal librarianship with no set minimum number of years in the profession. As a guideline, however, we suggest five years’ experience. Mentors have the opportunity to help in the professional growth of a colleague and, by extension, strengthen legal librarianship as a profession."

The application form for both mentees and mentors is on the CALL website. Applications must be sent in by Thursday, March 24.

CLA Digest for March 2016 - Library Associations Opposed to Copyright Provisions of TPP

The March 2016 issue of the CLA Digest is available online. It is the news bulletin of the Canadian Library Association.

Among the items in this issue is an explanation of the opposition of a number of library associations to Chapter 18 of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement:

"The Canadian Library Association, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council have jointly prepared a statement in response to the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Our associations speak on behalf of Canadian researchers, students, educators and millions of others who rely on libraries for the development, preservation, and dissemination of Canadian content."

"We believe that Chapter 18 of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in its current form will have significant negative impacts on the way that knowledge is shared and culture is preserved in this country. By accepting the provisions in Chapter 18 Canada has agreed to changes in copyright that favour powerful foreign interests and ultimately constrain the preservation, access and use of Canada's historical knowledge and culture."

Canadian Lawyer Cover Story on New Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould

The newest issue of Canadian Lawyer features a cover profile of Canada's new Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould:

"It’s where the criminal law drafted in government offices meets the gritty reality of the streets. Homeless men lie passed out near the door of Vancouver’s Main Street courthouse. Drug syringes litter the ground. Indigenous women, like those who have been murdered or gone missing, dot the court docket. That courthouse is also where new federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould got her trial by fire as a lawyer — an experience that influences her to this day. 'I certainly look to my years as a prosecutor on the Downtown Eastside that opened my eyes wider to a lot of the inequalities that exist, that continue to exist in our society,' she says."

"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took many observers by surprise last November when he chose Wilson-Raybould, who turns 45 this month, to become Canada’s justice minister and attorney general — the first indigenous Canadian to ever fill that role."

University of Toronto Librarians Harvesting Government Websites

This is a follow-up to the Library Boy post of January 4, 2016 entitled Canadian Librarians Track Down Fugitive Federal Government Documents.

Last week, U of T News, a publication of the University of Toronto, had a profile of librarians from that institution who have been leading efforts to archive government websites: 

"U of T’s collection includes captures of about 200 Canadian federal government websites from the end of Library and Archives Canada’s web archiving program in 2007 as well as archives of 60 sites from the Ontario government web domain and 7 sites for the city of Toronto."

"The effort began three years ago when U of T Government Publications and Reference Librarian Sam-chin Li and librarians from other universities discovered that the Harper government was shutting down the Aboriginal Canada Portal site within a week. U of T librarians rushed to figure out how they’d capture the online information (...)"

"That was followed by another shock a few months later – a leaked document showing that more federal government websites could be terminated or at least 60 percent of their content reduced."

"It was a wake-up call to U of T librarians. They needed to begin archiving the website content themselves."

Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Elder Abuse

The Australian Law Reform Commission recently launched an inquiry on Protecting the Rights of Older Australians from Abuse.

According to the terms of reference for the inquiry set out by the country's Attorney-General, the Commission will examine:

• "existing Commonwealth laws and frameworks which seek to safeguard and protect older persons from misuse or abuse by formal and informal carers, supporters, representatives and others. These should include, but not be limited to, regulation of:
  • financial institutions
  • superannuation
  • social security
  • living and care arrangements, and
  • health
• the interaction and relationship of these laws with state and territory laws..."
  
  "In undertaking this reference, the ALRC should identify and model best-practice legal frameworks. The ALRC should also have regard to other inquiries and reviews that it considers relevant, including:
  
• the recommendations of ALRC Report 124, Equality, Capacity and Disability in Commonwealth Laws (2014)
• the recommendations of  the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs report on violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability (2015), and
• the recommendations of the Commonwealth House of Representatives report, Older People and the Law (2007)."

Registration Now Open for the 2016 New Law Librarians' Institute

Registration is now open for the 2016 New Law Librarians' Institute (NLLI) taking place at the University of Ottawa from June 12 - 16, 2016.

The Institute is an intensive, week-long program aimed at developing librarians' skills.

It is sponsored by the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and features instruction by law librarians and law professors on topics such as torts, contracts, criminal and constitutional law and legal research.

Programs from previous Institutes are available on the CALL website:

• NLLI 2014 (University of Ottawa)
• NLLI 2012 (University of Western Ontario)
• NLLI 2011 (University of Western Ontario)

Statistics Canada Report on Canadians’ Perceptions of neighbourhood Disorder

Ststistics Canada has released a report on Canadians’ perceptions of neighbourhood disorder, 2014:

"The neighbourhood is an important component of the daily lives of many citizens, and neighbourhoods with visible signs of disorder can contribute to perceptions of vulnerability and fear of crime (Pain 2000). Indeed, data from the General Social Survey on Victimization show that Canadians who perceive one or more indicators of neighbourhood disorder are more likely to report being afraid when walking alone after dark, using or taking public transportation, or when home alone in the evenings. Canadians who perceive disorder in their neighbourhoods also report lower average life satisfaction than those who do not. Conversely, cohesive neighbourhoods can foster a sense of belonging, community, perceptions of safety, and create connections and increased social capital (Forrest & Kearns 2001; Martin 2003)."

(...)

"This report examines Canadians’ perceptions of neighbourhood disorder based on results from the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization. An overview of the perceived prevalence of neighbourhood disorder is presented by province and census metropolitan area (CMA), and differences by demographic characteristics are explored. In addition, perceptions of neighbourhood disorder and selected neighbourhood-level characteristics, based on data from the National Household Survey (NHS) and the Census, are examined at the national level and for Canada’s eight largest CMAs..."

Among the highlights of the report:

• Just under one-quarter (23%) of Canadians aged 15 and over perceived disorder in their neighbourhood, down slightly from 2004 (25%).
• The most commonly identified neighbourhood disorder was people using or dealing drugs, which was considered a big or moderate problem by 10% of Canadians.
• Compared to the national average, residents of Alberta and Quebec were more likely to perceive neighbourhood disorder
• A higher proportion of those who live in the population core of a census metropolitan area perceived disorder compared to those who lived outside the core, such as in suburbs or rural areas.
• Generally, perceptions of neighbourhood disorder decrease with age, as Canadians between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to perceive disorder.
• Canadians who live in neighbourhoods with higher median household incomes, regardless of individual income, are less likely to perceive neighbourhood disorder.
• Residents of neighbourhoods with a relatively high proportion of low-income families and lone-parent families were more likely to perceive neighbourhood disorder, while those living in areas with higher proportions of homeowners and lower levels of resident turnover were less likely to perceive disorder.

March 2016 Issue of In Session: Canadian Association of Law Libraries' e-Newsletter

The March 2016 issue of In Session is available online.

It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection for February 16-29, 2016 is now available on the Court website.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list.