Federal Science eLibrary Pilot Project Final Report

Background

The proposed Federal Science eLibrary is "an initiative to deliver scientific, technical and medical (STM) digital resources seamlessly to the desktops of federal scientists, policy analysts and decision makers." ³ The Strategic Alliance of Federal Science and Technology Libraries (Strategic Alliance), a collaboration of six science-based Departments/Agencies, as well as representatives of the Council of Federal Libraries Secretariat is spearheading the initiative. The members of the Strategic Alliance are:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Environment Canada
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Health Canada
• National Research Council's Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (NRC-CISTI)
• Natural Resources Canada

The Government of Canada employs more than 22,000 professionals ⁴ to support key activities in strategic research, environmental and health protection, regulatory activity, defence and emergency preparedness. To perform high-calibre R&D work efficiently, these professionals need broad and immediate access to STM electronic journals. The federal government lags behind the academic and many private sectors in providing access to a significant number of e-journals. Scientists in remote regions and in the field may not have adequate access.

The proposed Federal Science eLibrary would give all Government of Canada STM professionals desktop electronic access to current, pertinent electronic publications and would guarantee access to researchers in every region and in every department, eliminating the patchwork of inequities that currently exist.

The Strategic Alliance has already made significant progress in demonstrating the value and feasibility of a Federal Science eLibrary. A feasibility study was conducted in 2003 and a business case was developed in 2005, both of which can be viewed at the Strategic Alliance Web site at /eng/index.html.

The feasibility study, which was supported and funded by the Chief Scientist at Health Canada, concluded "the establishment of a Federal Science eLibrary to deliver an e-journal program will contribute directly to the achievement of the government's goals for S&T research, and will promote collaboration, communication and linkages for federal researchers." ⁵

The feasibility study recommended that the Strategic Alliance sponsor a request for $45 million in transition funds over 5 years to build a Federal Science eLibrary. The Strategic Alliance is currently seeking government funding to make this initiative a reality.

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³ Strategic Alliance Web site /eng/about/index.html (Date Published: 2005-09-30; accessed March 2006).

⁴ The number of federal employees in the scientific and professional occupational category (Dec. 2001)

⁵ W. Stark and A.E. Bourgeois - Progestic International Inc. September 2003. Federal Science eLibrary: Building the STM Knowledge Infrastructure. A feasibility study. 2-3