LAC’s 2025–2030 evaluation coverage
This table outlines Library and Archives Canada's (LAC) five-year program evaluation coverage for the 2025–26 to 2029–30 fiscal years. Program evaluation is the collection and analysis of evidence to inform decision making, improvements, innovation and accountability.
Evaluations typically focus on programs and priorities and examine questions related to relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. This schedule reflects a review of LAC's activities conducted by the Departmental Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation Committee. It is important to note that this coverage will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains aligned with LAC's operational priorities and evolving needs.
| Name of the organization | Library and Archives of Canada |
|---|---|
| Planning year (Year 1) | 2025–26 |
| Number of programs in the program inventory | 7 |
| Total 2025-26 planned spending from Departmental Plan (in dollars) | $208,150,119 |
| Core responsibility | Program (from 2025–26 Program inventory) or other | Last evaluation (of program as a whole, or in part; or same theme) and Fiscal Year approved or Never evaluated | Title of planned evaluation | Planned evaluation approval (fiscal year) | Evaluation focus and scope | Total spending covered by evaluation (in dollars) | 2025–26 Total planned program spending (in dollars based on 2025–26 Departmental Plan amounts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition and preservation of documentary heritage | Acquisition and processing of Private Archives Program | Never Evaluated | Evaluation of the acquisition of private archives, 2019–20 to 2023–24 | 2025–26 | The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the performance of the acquisition component of the Private Archives Program, to examine how it contributes to the progress made by the program in achieving its short-, medium- and long-term results, and to recommend improvements where necessary. This is the first time that this component has been evaluated. Emphasis will be placed on the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes for acquiring private archives in digital and analog formats, as well as on the experience of donors. | $7,067,501 | $6,875,475 |
| Providing access to documentary heritage | Public Services Program | Evaluation of the Access to Documentary Heritage Program, 2011–12 to 2015–16 (Approved 2016–17) | Evaluation of online access to documentary heritage, 2019–20 to 2023–24 | 2025–26 | The evaluation will examine the efficiency, effectiveness and achievement of short- and medium-term results and the improvements made to online access since the last evaluation of the Public Services Program. It will assess how LAC’s internal processes and its other programs facilitate online access to LAC collections. | $8,419,883 | $54,666,740 |
| Providing access to documentary heritage | Access to Information and Privacy Program | Partially assessed as a part of the Evaluation of the Access to Documentary Heritage Program, 2011–12 to 2015–16 (Approved 2016–17) | Evaluation of the Access to Information and Privacy Program, 2020–21 to 2024–25 | 2026–27 | Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP), previously part of the Public Services Program, is a new program in its own right in LAC’s Program Inventory since 2022–23. The evaluation will examine the efficiency, effectiveness and achievement of the program’s results. The evaluation questions will also examine the processes and factors that influence the effectiveness of ATIP. Finally, the evaluation will examine the progress made in achieving short- and medium-term results. | $29,051,063 | $29,051,063 |
| Acquisition and preservation of documentary heritage | Acquisition and processing of Published Heritage Program | Never Evaluated | Evaluation of the acquisition of published heritage, 2021–22 to 2025–26 | 2027–28 | Evaluation focus and scope to be determined in the next year | $3,861,266 | $10,480,057 |
| Providing access to documentary heritage | Public Services Program | Evaluation of the Access to Documentary Heritage Program, 2011–12 to 2015–16 (Approved 2016–17) | A comparative analysis of in-person vs. online access provision | 2028–29 | Evaluation focus and scope to be determined in the next years | TBD | $0 |
| Acquisition and preservation of documentary heritage | Acquisition and processing of Government Records Program, acquisition and processing of Private Archives Program, acquisition and processing of Published Heritage Program | Evaluation of the processing of private archives, 2015–20 (Approved 2019–20) and Evaluation of the description of published heritage, 2015–20 (Approved 2019–20) | Process evaluation of government records, private archives, and published heritage processing at LAC | 2029–30 | Evaluation focus and scope to be determined in the next years | $11,740,440 | $11,232,388 |
| Providing access to documentary heritage | Public Services Program; and Outreach and Support to Communities Program | Evaluation of the Access to Documentary Heritage Program, 2011–12 to 2015–16 (Approved 2016–17) and Evaluation of the public programming activity of the Outreach and Support to Communities Program, 2016–17 to 2020–21 (Approved 2022–23) | Impact evaluation of Ādisōke | 2030–31 or later | Evaluation focus and scope to be determined in the next years | $10,351,747 | $7,245,381 |
| Acquisition and preservation of documentary heritage | Preservation Program | Evaluation report on the digital preservation component of the Preservation Program (2015–20) (Approved 2021–22) | N/A | N/A | N/A | $0 | $44,339,771 |
| N/A | Internal Services | Never Evaluated | N/A | N/A | N/A | $0 | $44,259,244 |
| Totals | $70,491,900 | $208,150,119 |