Availability of Publications in Canada: Background document

An overview of the availability and barriers to availability of Canadian publications. Describes the characteristics of Canadian readers, the nature of present publishing and bookselling activity, periodical publishing and distribution, and government publishing at all levels, with related document availability. Touches on microforms and paperbacks. Describes library holdings of all types of materials, by type of library, resource sharing agreements and inter-library loan arrangements. Also outlines the status of non-traditional materials: materials for the handicapped, film, databases, and gray literature.