Information and Bibliographic Needs in Canadian Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Five issues must be considered if a more effective information and bibliographic delivery system is to be developed for Canadian education. (1) The size and characteristics of the reference group in Canadian education should be studied. With all its subgroups, this group may comprise as many as 200,000 people. (2) The number and types of documents being produced in Canadian education should be reviewed. There may be as many as 5,000 items produced each year in Canada. (2) The number of documents produced in Canada that actually enter the existing information delivery system must be examined. There is no well conceived, systematic procedure to insure that every document produced on Canadian education actually is disseminated. (4) An evaluation of current practices in describing, organizing, and providing information about education documents is needed. The best sources of bibliographic information include "Canadiana" and the "Canadian Education Index." (5) Existing bibliographic materials on Canadian education should be documented, and unmet needs should be noted. The preparation of a "Guide to Information and Bibliographic Resources Related to Canadian Education" and the formation of a task group on the improvement of information and bibliographic services in Canadian education are recommended. (DGC)