Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for this opportunity to participate in this committee's study of emerging and digital media.
My name is Kelly Moore. I'm the executive director of the Canadian Library Association. CLA is Canada's largest national and broad-based library association, representing the interests of public, academic, school, and special libraries, professional librarians, library workers, and trustees, and all those concerned about enhancing the quality of life of Canadians through information and literacy.
Libraries of all kinds serve two primary functions: to provide access to information in whatever format it is produced or used, and to preserve information to ensure that it may be accessed in future. The digital revolution has caused an explosion in both the quantity of information and the variety of formats being produced, and the rate of change in technology is impacting information in ways we may not even understand. Certainly without strong digital and information policies, we risk losing material simply because we can no longer access it in the format in which it was produced.
Libraries are working to keep pace with the necessary changes to the ways we provide access, the materials we collect, the formats we preserve. Long gone are the days when a library's information was measured by stacks of books and drawers of card catalogues. Today, libraries are true centres of information within communities, schools, research institutions, and public and private sector work environments. In terms of digital information, libraries provide access not just to the Internet generally but also to electronic databases, e-journals, data sets, and other resources that are impractical or unaffordable for individuals themselves to maintain.
Libraries in Canada have some demonstrated successes with emerging and digital media. One key example is the metadata that allows digital images to be retrieved and which was developed by librarians. In Canada, initiatives such as Canadiana.org, already mentioned by Mr. Wilson, and the OurOntario project are using this metadata to help researchers access the digital files of items held in various different collections through a single search. It's no longer necessary to know that you must search for particular items in the holdings of a specific institution; you can find related items located in different physical spaces through a single virtual access point.
I would like to highlight some suggestions that CLA believes will help Canadians to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by emerging and digital media. For the most part, they will speak to questions 4, 5, and 6 in the terms of reference that this committee set out for the study. I will look at the need for a national digital strategy, the effect on copyright, access to broadband services, and the importance of open access to public information.
So what policies can the federal government develop to ensure that Canadians have both access to emerging and digital media and the skills needed to make the best use of the opportunities that these media provide? The first is the development of a national digital strategy. As has been mentioned in earlier submissions, various countries around the world have been investing in national strategies to take advantage of digital initiatives. Canada has no such plan to strategically digitize existing analog material to make it available online and to preserve and provide ongoing access to digitized or born-digital material. At present, there is no comprehensive overview of digitization projects already under way across the country. Efforts to develop and implement the national digital strategy are crucial to ensure that all information of enduring value to Canadians is and will continue to made accessible.
Such a digital strategy must also take into account the need for access to information at all stages of life. Canada's classrooms now have access to an unparalleled assortment of Internet and electronic copyrighted resources that allow for excellent access to information; however, too often access to such resources is limited to students, and there is often little opportunity for similar levels of access after students graduate. So these same resources must become seamlessly available to individuals as they progress through their careers. This will require support for the creation and purchase of digital content available to Canadians through public and academic libraries and in their work environments. In short, we must not let the fact that someone is no longer a student limit their ability to learn.
We must pass and implement a balanced copyright legislation. It is important to underline how decisions we make about copyright today will affect access in the future. CLA has issued a position paper on Bill C-32, and I believe that this committee, in some capacity, will be dealing with it in the coming months, but it is important here to reinforce the need for balanced copyright to truly benefit from emerging and digital media.
While there are elements of the bill that are very good, we are concerned that Bill C-32, as written, is not balanced. It provides copyright holders of material in an electronic format with almost unlimited power to determine the conditions under which people may use the material.
Libraries are built on the concept that most creative and innovative individuals cannot afford to purchase all of the material they must consult during their lives. All copyrighted material should be reasonably available through libraries, and copyright holders should not be allowed to lock out public use. Digital locks will act as a brake on the development of new applications and services. Allowing copyright holders the ability to determine how their products will be used creates barriers to the development of content for the new digital media.
The third point is to ensure access to sufficient bandwidth. In consideration of the impact of digital media, it is important that we think about how this information actually gets to users. There's a need to ensure that all Canadians have the means to access services and cultural content. Certainly access to broadband Internet in rural areas is a challenge that can affect the ability to take advantage of digital media. It is equally important to recognize that while there is sufficient bandwidth in most Canadian cities, cities are also places where the economically disadvantaged, new Canadians, and people with special needs who require services tend to reside. These Canadians often cannot afford broadband access, even when it is physically available to them. In order to participate in the digital environment, many urban residents also need high-speed Internet access in public places.
Libraries are here to fill this role. As Canada develops more digital content, more Canadians, both rural and urban, will turn to libraries for assistance. The reasons are clear. Libraries offer direction, assistance, and access to the technologies people require. For example, it is almost impossible for unemployed Canadians to find appropriate jobs without regularly checking online sites and having the ability to submit resumés electronically. The community access program offers some rudimentary access in this regard but is currently without secure funding. As we move forward, it will be important that CAP is strengthened and guaranteed.
The final point is to implement open access policies for public information and data. Emerging digital media requires content, and quality content can be developed through open access to Canada's public sector information and data. We encourage the government to make its information freely available in machine-readable formats based on common standards that can be exploited without the use of specific software.
There should also be a mandate from all major federal granting agencies that requires open access to publicly funded research. All researchers supported by Canadian taxpayers would be required to make public the published results of their research and the research data, with an embargo period of no more than six months. This initiative has already been undertaken in other national jurisdictions.
I want to thank you again for the opportunity to appear here today, and I will welcome any questions you might have. Thank you.