Operational Standard for the Protection of Digital Archival Records

1. Effective date

This Standard was approved by the Director General, Government Record Branch, and takes effect on April 10, 2026

2. Application

This Standard applies to all government records in digital format, including digitized records, under the control of government institutions, as defined by the Library and Archives of Canada Act (LAC Act) that are considered to have archival value (hereinafter referred to as “digital archival records”). Archival value is determined by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) through Disposition Authorizations, under its authorities articulated in sections 12 and 13 of the (LAC Act).

Some requirements in this Standard reference Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) policy. TBS policies only apply to government institutions that are defined as “departments” in section 2 of Financial Administration Act (FAA). Arm’s-length institutions that are only subject to limited portions of the FAA (i.e., Crown corporations), those are not subject to the FAA at all (e.g., shared governance organizations), or those excluded by other exceptions, are not subject to TBS policy but may still use the requirements in this Standard as best practices, as they support the effective protection and transfer of digital archival records to LAC.

This Standard forms part of the policy suite governed by the LAC Evaluation and Acquisition Policy Framework and associated Policy on Making Holdings Available and Policy on Making Holdings Discoverable. This Standard also supports LAC’s Preservation Policy Framework and associated Policy on Digital Preservation as well as the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Policy on Service and Digital, Directive on Service and Digital, Standard on At-Risk Information Technology, Standard on Systems that Manage Information and Data, Directive on Open Government, Standard for Managing Metadata, and Metadata Reference Standard. It aligns with relevant legislation, regulations, and established standards for metadata, recordkeeping, and digital preservation (outlined in Appendix B).

3. Definitions

See Appendix A.

4. Context

The LAC Act requires that government records identified as having archival value are transferred to LAC under the terms set by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, contained in instruments known as Disposition Authorizations.

Within LAC’s government records disposition program, government institutions are required to protect archival records and transfer them to LAC at the expiry of their retention periods, in accordance with all applicable LAC policy instruments. This Standard outlines requirements for government institutions to protect digital archival records and their metadata until their transfer to LAC.

The obligation to protect digital archival records and their metadata to ensure their integrity, authenticity, and compatibility with transfer specifications is further expressed in the Operational Standard for Digital Archival Records’ Metadata, the Procedures for the transfer of digital government records, and Guidelines on File Formats for Transfer. These three instruments along with this Standard form a suite of policy instruments governing the management and transfer of digital archival records from GC institutions to LAC.

5. Purpose

These Standard supports government institutions in protecting the integrity and authenticity of digital archival records and their metadata and helps to ensure their compatibility with LAC transfer specifications. To fulfill its legislated mandate to preserve and provide access to archival records, LAC requires that the integrity of digital archival records is maintained throughout their entire lifecycle, including prior to their transfer to LAC. This commitment is essential to safeguarding the authenticity, reliability, and long-term accessibility of the digital records acquired for the documentary heritage of Canada and the continuing memory of the government of Canada.

6. Requirements

Throughout their lifecycle, including at the point of transfer to LAC, digital archival records must be:

6.1. managed in a system or environment that meets the requirements of TBS policy, including the Directive on Service and Digital and the Standard on Systems that Manage Information and Data^Footnote1;
6.2. maintained in a technologically current state, such that they can meet LAC transfer specifications as defined by the Procedures for the transfer of digital government records and the Guidelines on File Formats for Transfer, as well as meet the requirements of TBS policy including the Directive on Service and Digital, the Standard on Systems that Manage Information and Data, and the Standard on At-Risk Information Technology^Footnote2; and,
6.3. accompanied by all metadata required by LAC’s Operational Standard for Digital Archival Records’ Metadata, which is also referenced by the TBS Metadata Reference Standard (MDRS), as well as any additional documentation (for example, data dictionaries) required to read and understand the records and their metadata.

7. Roles and Responsibilities

7.1 LAC’s Activities

The Director General, Government Record Branch ensures that LAC:

7.1.1 Establishes and maintains this standard.

7.1.2 Provides advice and services, as required, on the interpretation, application, and use of this standard.

7.1.3 Develops guidelines and tools, as needed, to support the application of this standard.

7.2 Government Institutions’ Activities

The government institution’s Chief Information Officer or equivalent:

7.2.1 Ensures that digital archival records are maintained in a system or environment that meets the requirements outlined in section 6.1 above and notifies LAC prior to any major changes to digital recordkeeping systems or environments. These changes include the migration of records to a new recordkeeping system or environment, the decommissioning of a recordkeeping system, or significant changes in the use of the system.

7.2.2 Ensures that their institution has appropriate provisions in place to ensure digital archival records are maintained in a technologically current state as outlined in section 6.2 above.

7.2.3 Ensures that digital archival records are accompanied by required metadata and documentation outlined in section 6.3 above and providing necessary documentation (for example, data dictionaries) to LAC upon request.

7.2.4 Facilitates any LAC requests to monitor digital archival records to ensure their integrity and that transfer specifications, as defined by the Procedures for the transfer of digital government records, can be met upon expiry of their retention periods.

8. Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

LAC will continually monitor compliance with this Standard and will review and update it every 5 years or as needed.

9. Consequences

Consequences of non-compliance with this instrument include delayed or rejected transfers of digital archival records from GC institutions to LAC. Non-compliance may result in corrective action ranging from informal follow-ups by LAC, to formal direction from LAC on corrective measures to be put in place by the institution, to review, suspension, or revocation of Disposition Authorizations as determined appropriate by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, or their delegate.

10. Information

If you have any questions about this Standard, please contact:

Liaison Centre
Library and Archives Canada
550 de la Cité Boulevard
Gatineau, QC
J8T 0A7
centredeliaison-liaisoncentre@bac-lac.gc.ca

Appendix A: Definitions

Archival record [document archivistique]

A government record that has continuing usefulness or significance to Canadian society and is required to be transferred to LAC when its retention period has expired. This identification is carried out by LAC and recorded in a disposition authorization.

Authenticity [authenticité]

Authenticity is the quality of being genuine, not a counterfeit, and free from tampering during creation, maintenance and preservation of records. It refers to a publication or record's reliability over time, and is typically inferred from internal and external evidence.

Control [contrôle]

The authority to make decisions about publications and records and their management for the purpose of preservation, access, and disposition, whether exercised or not and regardless of who has custody. LAC control over publications and records may be partial or complete and may be subject to agreements. See also “Custody”.

Custody [garde]

The possession of publications and records, regardless of who has control over it. Custody may be shared and may be subject to agreements. See also “Control”.

Digital object [objet numérique]

A discrete unit of information in digital (i.e., binary) form that constitutes either a representation, a file (e.g., .doc, .pdf, .jpg, which may itself contain sub-components or embedded objects but is identified and managed as a single information resource), a bitstream, or a filestream.

Digital record [document numérique]

A record in digital (i.e., binary) form, including digitized records. A digital record may be a single digital object, or it may consist of a series of interrelated, nested, or linked digital objects.

Disposition [disposition]

Either the transfer of archival records to LAC or the destruction or alienation of non-archival records by the institution. Disposition can occur only when the retention period of a record has expired.

Disposition authorization [autorisation de disposition]

In accordance with the provisions of section 12(1) of the Library and Archives of Canada Act, a disposition authorization is the instrument that the Librarian and Archivist of Canada issues to enable government institutions to dispose of records when their retention periods have expired, either by permitting their destruction, by requiring their transfer to Library and Archives Canada, or by agreeing to their alienation from institutions subject to the LAC Act. Disposition authorizations are granted in two ways: i) on an institution-specific basis, or ii) on a multi-institutional basis. In these procedures, this term encompasses all the documents issued by Library and Archives Canada and that make it possible to determine the archival value of the records of a government institution. This includes records disposition authorizations, multi-institution and institution-specific disposition authorizations, disposition authorizations, disposition frameworks, and application guides.

Government institution [institution fédérale]

Has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Access to Information Act or in section 3 of the Privacy Act, or means an institution designated by the Governor in Council.

Government record [document fédéral]

A record that is under the control of a government institution.

Integrity [intégrité]

Integrity is the quality of being whole and unaltered through loss, tampering, or corruption. It refers to a publication or record's reliability and stability over time and is typically inferred from internal and external evidence.

Metadata [métadonnées]

Information used to contextualize, manage, preserve, and provide access to records.

Preservation [préservation]

All actions taken to slow deterioration of or prevent damage to the collections, and to ensure that its access, use, meaning, and capacity to be accepted as evidence of what it purports to publish and record are maintained over time.

Protection [protection]

Taking actions to prevent serious damage or loss^Footnote3
In the context of digital records, protection can be interpreted as undertaking digital preservation, which comprises a combination of policies, strategies, and actions ensuring the ongoing accessibility of authenticatable digital content over time regardless of technological changes.^Footnote4

Record [document]

Any documentary material other than a publication, regardless of medium or form.

Retention period [délai de conservation]

The amount of time a record must be kept under the control of a government institution to meet operational, administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical requirements.

Transfer [transfert]

The process of relocating records from a government institution into the custody and control of LAC. This process includes the reassignment of physical and intellectual ownership of the records to LAC.

Appendix B: Related Documents

Legislation

LAC Policy Instruments

TBS Policy Instruments

National Standards

CAN/CGSB-72.34-2017 Electronic records as documentary evidence (Canadian General Standards Board)

International Standards

ISO 16175-1:2020 Information and documentation – Processes and functional requirements for software for managing records – Part 1: Functional requirements and associated guidance for any applications that manage digital records^Footnote5

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This requirement only applies to government institutions that are defined as “departments” in section 2 of Financial Administration Act (FAA). Institutions that are not subject to TBS policy are recommended to follow this requirement as best practice for managing digital archival records.

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Footnote 2

The TBS policies listed as part of this requirement only apply to government institutions that are defined as “departments” in section 2 of Financial Administration Act (FAA). Institutions that are not subject to TBS policy are required to meet the listed LAC policy requirements; it is recommended that these institutions follow the TBS policy requirements as best practice for maintaining digital archival records in a technologically current state.

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Footnote 3

Adapted from: Library and Archives Canada, Operational Standard for the Use of Disposition Authorizations, last modified September 16, 2022, https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/services/government-canada/information-disposition/disposition-government-records/pages/operational-standard-disposition.aspx.

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Footnote 4

ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section, Working Group on Defining Digital Preservation, “Definitions of Digital Preservation”, June 24, 2007, https://www.ala.org/alcts/resources/preserv/defdigpres0408.

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Footnote 5

Access to the GC network is required.

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2026-06-23

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