Budget 2012 Implications for Canadian Government Publishing
Posted by CLA Govt Library and Info Mgmt Professionals Network on 2012/04/17
Source: http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/home.html
Further to the 2012 Budget, the decision has been made to completely transition all publications published by the Publishing Program and publications provided by departments to the Depository Services Program from traditional print to exclusively electronic publication in two years. This aligns with the Government of Canada’s greening government initiatives. This also aligns directly with Canadians’ increasing access to electronic information and use of e-publications. Recent statistics from publications.gc.ca show a significant increase in the number of unique visitors to the site which was close to 2.2 million and the number of downloads close to 10 million annually. The resulting demand for paper publications has greatly declined. This decline is expected to continue as the trend towards the use of the Internet to access publications increases. By fully transitioning to free Web-based publications we will eliminate the costs associated with producing, printing, distributing and warehousing hard copies.
In 2014, Publishing and Depository Services will no longer be producing, printing, or warehousing hard copies of publications. However the Depository Services Program will continue to provide electronic access to Government of Canada publications through our Web site, publications.gc.ca. Other services provided by Publishing and Depository Services remain as they are.
We will also discontinue coordination services for Crown Copyright and Licensing. PWGSC provides assistance, advice and support to the private and public sector on intellectual property issues, specifically copyright. Once this coordination ceases, Canadians will need to contact departments directly for all assistance on Crown Copyright and Licensing.
Please be assured of our utmost co-operation in limiting the impact of this decision on your operations and in continuing to offer a high-quality service. More details on these changes will be forthcoming as updates on this site.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to communicate with us at: publications@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
