What is the present situation with the distribution of B.C. Government publications?

The British Columbia government and its various agencies publish substantial amounts oc information about our province and about our society. The free flow of this information is vital to public understanding of the environmental, social, economic and political issues which confront British Columbians.

At present, however, not enough of this information reaches the general public. This failure of dissemination stems in part from the reticence of some government ministries and agencies and in part from the lack of a coherent policy on the distribution of government publications.

The British Columbia governmer:t currently has 10 formal system for making publications accessible to the public throughout the province. Depertments and agencies accordingly accept varying degrevs of responsibility for this function and distribute their publications in different numbers through different means.

The results are predictably haphazard. Members of the public are never certain whether, when, or where publications will be made available. British Columbia needs a formal system to ensure that the public has reliable and convenient access to this important dody of information. ; Libraries can and should play a central role in such a system. Public, college and university libraries are the primary institutions to which members of the public turn when they want information about our province and our society.

V’hat Is the problem with the present situation?

At present, British Columbia libraries are unable to provide the public with effective access to the full range of governinent publications. For libraries, there are three main problems underlying this deficiency in service.

First, there is the problem of discovering what has been published by the zovernment. The Legislative

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Library attempts to maintain an up-to-date checklist *

of government publications for the use of other libraries. However, not all departments an agencies supply the Legislative Library with the full range of their publications on a regular and current basis. The Legislative Library checklist is therefore

. often incomplete and out of date.

Second, there is the problem of obtaining publications from the government in a timely fashion. While some departments and agencies directly supply some publications to some libraries promptiy and unsolicited, others supply publications to libraries only upon request. The delay attendant on the process of identifying and requesting government publications often mearis that libraries do not receive the publications until long after public interest has been expressed. In some cases, publications are unavailable by the time libraries are able to make their request.

Third, there is the problem of cost Some publications are supplied to libraries free of charge. Others are soid to libraries at the same price as to private companies. For many library systems, the expense cf maintaining a collection of even basic legislative and legal publications is . nc inconsiderable.

A program to disseminate government publications at no cost to libraries is essentiz]. Libraries will contribute to the program: space: management of the government publications; and staff to assist the public.

Government and libraries working together results in imeceased public access to government publications.

What Is a Goverment Publication

“Depository Library Program?’

A Government Publication Depository Library Program will provide, through libraries, a formal mechanism for systematically identifying and distributing government publications to the public. The Federal Government has maintained such a program since 1927. Ontario, Quebec and No Scotia also have depository library progr.

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