Directions for Change

Section 2:
What will guide LAC?

2.3 Effective stewardship through management of risk

In the past, both the National Archives and the National Library tended to be risk averse, to try to do everything, to manage all our holdings as equal, and to make decisions on an ad hoc basis. We had an inadequate understanding of the impacts of our decisions to take (or not to take) an action because we did not fully understand or assess risk.

Risk management as a basis for decisionmaking

A risk management framework developed and implemented corporately, will be integrated into every step in the information life cycle process. Risk assessment will inform if, how and when we acquire material, preserve our holdings, develop systems, and implement new services. It will help us understand at the outset what the impacts will be of our accommodation, collection management, financial, and human resource decisions. Managers will be trained to apply risk management concepts, techniques and tools.

Managing risk for responsible stewardship

While risk management applies to all areas of decision-making, it holds particular importance for LAC with regard to the collection. LAC has stewardship responsibility for the largest, most valuable set of information assets within the federal government, and one of the richest cultural collections in the country. We have always been conscientious in that role, but are having to come to terms with the reality that comprehensive preservation is an unattainable goal. So for the collection, we need to assess risks actively and continually so that we can prioritize our preservation activities. Knowing risks, we will also be able to put in place risk mitigation strategies and preventive conservation measures.

Increasing our understanding and use of tools such as the total cost of ownership methodology and an integrated risk management framework will allow us to document, project and contain the costs associated with the ever-growing collection of Canada's documentary heritage. By taking a holistic view of the relative value of, and risks to, the various parts of our collection, we will be able to identify immediate preservation and accommodation priorities, and to take measures for adequate housing and care of our entire collection to support its accessibility over the long-term.

Preservation is part of access

We must view preservation activities as an integral part of our commitment to provide Canadians with continued access to our collection. Preservation and access are not polarities between which we must choose; preservation activities are essential for the collection's long-term availability, and as such, preservation is of concern to everyone at LAC.

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