Learn about what we do
On this page
Who we are
Government of Canada Publications is a part of Public Services and Procurement Canada. Our mandate is to provide the public with centralized access to Government of Canada publications.
Government policy requires that federal institutions provide us with portable electronic copies of every publication they author in all available language editions. In this way, the public may access government publications through a single window: our searchable catalogue.
Our program, created in 1927, has a rich history. We invite you to learn more about its evolution over the years in our commemorative Weekly Checklist issues.
Our catalogue acts as an important information safety net. Researchers, the public and parliamentarians need a centralized repository to identify, locate and acquire published information. Our catalogue includes publications on a wide range of subjects and in a variety of formats, making it easier to find what you need.
What we do
Government of Canada Publications:
- acquires electronic Government of Canada publications
- provides access to these electronic publications in our online catalogue
- issues ISBN and catalogue numbers for government publications
- provides bibliographic information related to print publications
- produces a weekly report known as the Weekly Acquisitions List that consolidates all publications added to our catalogue in a given week
- guides government departments and agencies in meeting their publishing requirements
- responds to public inquiries about locating government publications
- collaborates with the library community to understand the needs of Canadians and exchange ideas
- work closely with Document Imaging Solutions Centre to promote the digitization of government information assets
Our collection
We acquire and catalogue an extensive variety of electronic government publications. Some print publications are included in our collection, purely for reference purposes.
Weekly Acquisitions List and archived checklists
Each week, we produce the Weekly Acquisitions List. The list is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week. Previously, we produced the weekly checklist of Canadian Government publications and supplementary checklists, which served the same function. These archives remain available to the public.
International Standard Book Numbers and catalogue numbers
We assign International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) and catalogue numbers for Government of Canada departments and agencies to include in their publications.
Learn about and apply for ISBNs and catalogue numbers.Digitization services
We encourage departments and agencies to digitize their paper publications and submit them to our online catalogue.