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Institutional Messages

Retention Guidelines

• Full Depository Libraries
• Selective Depository Libraries
• Disposal of materials removed from Depository Libraries
• Library use of electronic publications

The guidelines apply to Full and Selective Depository Libraries for federal government publications in either or both official languages.

The Depository Services Program is a collaborative arrangement between the Government of Canada and authorized Depository Libraries, including Academic, College, Public, Federal Departmental, Legislative, National, Foreign Educational and Foreign Exchange libraries. Most Depository Libraries receive the materials at no direct cost; in return, they make them available to their users and to the general public.

Recognizing that libraries must continually renew their collections, that older material must sometimes make way for new, and that over time there is a decline in the number of copies that need to be held in order to fulfill public need for access, the following guidelines indicate what depository materials may be removed from library collections.

These guidelines outline the terms and conditions under which publications supplied by the DSP may be removed from Depository Library collections.

These guidelines also recognize that Full Depository Libraries have a special role in the permanent preservation of and access to federal government publications. Full Depository Libraries also act as de facto back up libraries for Selective Depository Libraries. For that reason, we make a distinction between guidelines affecting Full Depository Libraries and the more flexible guidelines affecting Selective Depository Libraries.

These guidelines apply solely to hard-copy formats, e.g. paper, microforms, audio and videotape, diskette, CD, CD-ROM, DVD, etc.

Full Depository Libraries

The following kinds of material may be removed from the collection at the discretion of the librarian responsible. There is no requirement that these publications must be removed:

1. Ephemera, including pamphlets, brochures and leaflets, and defined as "any print publication in the form of a single sheet (loose-leaf service excepted), a double or triple folded single sheet, or a booklet of 15 pages or fewer", after one year of receipt from the DSP. In addition,
   1. generally, the DSP will not distribute print copies of ephemera to Depository Libraries;
   2. the DSP will list in the Weekly Checklist print editions of ephemera "For Information Only";
   3. the DSP will provide, whenever possible, author department contact information in the Weekly Checklist entry so that Depository Libraries may order copies of these types of publications if required;
   4. the DSP will acquire and include in its permanent E-collection a PDF edition of these types of publications, if these are made available by the author department;
   5. the DSP will distribute some ephemera in print format as exceptions including, but not limited to:
      • any Statistics Canada products
      • budget publications
      • others, as may be determined from time to time.
   6. these types of publications, if received from the DSP in print format, may be catalogued at the discretion of the library.
2. loose-leaf pages that are up-dated;
3. order Papers and Notice Papers;
4. publications replaced by a revised edition;
5. separate parts upon receipt of complete volumes, e.g. monthly issues replaced by an annual cumulation;
6. material which carries an expiry date. (For such material, only the latest issue need be retained);
7. any serial which has either ceased publication or migrated to a Web-based format and for which print holdings consist of less than one full volume or year may be discarded. In addition, if holdings consist of only partial volumes or years, all issues may be discarded. It is recommended that the Depository Library retain such material for at least one year past the last issue, in case publication resumes;
8. directories which have ceased publication or migrated to an electronic format such as a searchable database or a Web-based document;
9. any print publication that is replaced by an alternate hard copy format such as a microform, CD-ROM, DVD, etc., provided that:
   1. a copy of the alternate format is held by the Depository Library,
   2. full access is maintained by means of bibliographic cataloguing and appropriate equipment and,
   3. the hard-copy edition provided by the DSP has been retained for two years;
10. any print publication that is replaced by an equivalent online electronic edition hosted on either the Library server, the DSP server, the Statistics Canada server or on the Library and Archives Canada server, provided that:
    1. full access is maintained by means of bibliographic cataloguing and appropriate equipment and,
    2. the hard-copy edition provided by the DSP has been retained for two years.
    3. Statutes present a special case, in that only print versions are officially valid. Depository Libraries should be guided by this fact in deciding whether to substitute electronic versions for paper;
11. bills when they are replaced by successive readings. Bills that do not progress any further than first reading, must be retained;
12. office consolidations of statutes and regulations when they are rendered out of date by subsequent consolidations;
13. hard copy publications that, in the judgment of the librarian, have suffered sufficient damage as to render them unusable by the library;
14. electronic media that have become unreadable because of file corruption or media obsolescence;
15. offprints belong to the library and are not subject to these Retention Guidelines.

Selective Depository Libraries

The guidelines above for Full Depository Libraries apply equally to Selective Depository Libraries. In addition, Selective Depository Libraries may remove any publication five years after receiving it from the DSP.

Disposal of materials removed from Depository Libraries

Material meeting the criteria for disposal outlined above, may be dealt with as the Library sees fit.

Library use of electronic publications

Re-hosting

In line with the Government of Canada's "Important Notices" surrounding non-commercial reproductions, Depository Libraries are permitted to download and post to their servers, one copy of the PDF files/documents in the Depository Services Program electronic collection. Written permission from the author department is required if additional copies are required on library servers.

Offprints

Libraries are permitted to print and bind a single copy of a publication in the DSP electronic collection for preservation and consultation purposes.