Toward a Canadian Digital Information Strategy Access 2006 October 12, Ottawa Susan Haigh 2 Presentation Overview Background and rationale What we heard on Content Preservation Access Next steps 3 The survey found no existing mechanisms to address digital information issues at the national, multi-sectoral level. John MacDonald and Kathleen Shearer. Towards a National Digital Information Strategy: Mapping the Current Situation in Canada Sept. 2005 4 Why a Canadian Digital Information Strategy? In the context of a rapidly-changing information environment, Canadian activity is: Fragmented, uncoordinated Inconsistent across the country Under-resourced Incapable of preserving what we create Comparatively weak in scale of results; unremarkable when compared to other G8 and EU countries Not contributing substantially to global digital information R&D 5 Why a strategy now? We are 10+ years in: Substantial accrued experience Volume of digital content rising sharply How to do it has become more clear (content, access, preservation) Some costs have come down (storage, digitization) Users are expecting digital Digital information is at risk of loss Connectivity is largely addressed; time now to address how we use it to achieve Canadas objectives. 6 What a strategy can serve Nurturing, managing and leveraging our nations information assets will support: A stronger research environment E-learning Broadened information access Community building National identity and pride E-democracy Public accountability 7 A national strategy should Provide an overarching framework for collective and cohesive action Acknowledge the intricate dependencies among information creators, distributors, managers and consumers Be flexible to allow for multiple strategies, initiatives, new funding in areas of need, new governance models, a research component 8 Potential parameters Content/Production Born digital information Digitization Preservation Access With due consideration of enablers such as: Leadership and coordination Laws and policy Technical infrastructure Standards and practices Education, training and skills development Funding R & D 9 A broad landscape Digital information media of all types: publications, records, still images, music, film, broadcast media, data, web content, games, software, learning objects, museum content, digital works of art, scientific and health information 10 Outcomes we seek Vast body of Canadian digital content Visible Usable Flexible Enduring Long-term access to Canadas digital heritage As much free and open access to digital content as possible Reduction or elimination of barriers to digital access Toward more content, well produced 12 Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it. People are going deep into the catalog, down the long, long list of available titles. And the more they find, the more they like. Chris Anderson, The Long Tail Wired Oct. 2004 13 What we heard - Meeting 1: Digitization on a national scale Aim to digitize Canadas published heritage as comprehensively as possible within rights framework Bottom-up model for content emerging provincial digitization strategies National overlay standards, guidance, tools, interoperability, funding Regional centres of digitization expertise and services AlouetteCanada initiative could be viable emerging approach for open access content; find ways to strengthen commercial digitization too 14 What we heard - Meeting 2: Optimizing born-digital production Use funding incentives to: Encourage public-private collaborations Foster sound practices to produce flexible and endurable content Consider targeted support to strengthen Aboriginal, multi-cultural, bilingual, and French-language content Toward a national capacity to preserve 16 Long term preservation of digital information on a scale adequate for the future demands of research and scholarship will require a deep infrastructure capable of supporting a distributed system of [trusted] digital archives. Commission on Preservation and Access and RLG Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information, 1996 17 The preservation and re-use of digital data and information forms both the cornerstone of future economic growth and development, and the foundation for the future of memory. Seamus Ross, University of Glasgow, 2000 18 What we heard - Meeting 3: Building a digital preservation infrastructure Develop means to profile this issue and translate awareness into action Build a formalized network of certifiable Trusted Digital Repositories Explore and cost organizational model(s) Determine certification approach Develop an R&D component that serves our needs and contributes to the international effort Work with creators and managers to improve practices Toward optimal access 20 The third objective of i2010 is the promotion of an increasingly inclusive and secure information society, based on the exploitation of ICTs to improve our health care, education, life-long learning, quality of life and social inclusion. My hope is to make Europes rich literary and audio-visual heritage available to all and to give a spur to enterprises that can create value by reusing these vast resources. Viviane Reding European Commissioner for Information Society and Media 21 What we heard - Meeting 4: Fostering access and use within a rights framework Hone rights framework to serve maximum information access for Canadians New business models for commercial producers Creator-assigned licenses that give clarity regarding allowed uses Shared information to bring clarity and transparency to public domain Consortial licensing of commercial content through libraries Review policy on crown copyright, orphaned works, and public access to publicly-funded information and research Improve national interoperability of systems Examine impacts of systemic barriers on digital information access Whats next 23 More work and refinement Focus on key elements and explore them further research, consultation Work with initiatives that are progressing Raise the profile of the issue and build momentum toward a strategic approach 24 National Summit December 5 & 6, 2006 100 key stakeholders representing Canadas information environment will come together at Chteau Montebello Purpose To seek agreement on the elements of a national strategy and the forms of collaboration and investment best positioned to strengthen and sustain Canadas digital heritage Objectives To broaden and deepen community consensus To reach agreement on key elements of a national strategy To prioritize actions to support key elements 25 Possible LAC roles in a national strategy Facilitating and leading development and implementation of overarching strategy Taking a lead role in national system of digital preservation, fostering both LAC- based and decentralized approaches Providing and preserving our own content Fostering enabling infrastructure 26 More information. Background reports Discussion papers Presentations Meeting reports Updates