Statement of services to the public

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (hereinafter called "BAnQ") is a library-science and archival cultural institution of national stature charged with the preservation of Québec's documentary heritage and with the showcasing and dissemination of the heritage collection, of its archival fonds and collections, and of a universal lending and reference collection. It is also a public library of resources for all Quebecers. In addition, it acts as a catalyst for Québec documentary institutions. Moreover, the Archives Act confers on BAnQ a power to intervene and advise in regard to the management of active, semi-active and inactive documents. Lastly, BAnQ is also responsible for promoting the preservation and accessibility of private archives.

Its mission

BAnQ has a broad mission:

it gathers and permanently preserves, according to the highest standards in the field, Québec's published documentary heritage, as well as all Québec-related documents published outside Québec;
it gathers and preserves the archival heritage bearing witness to the collective history of Quebecers;
it disseminates Québec's published documentary heritage and the archives in its custody;
it provides access to culture and universal knowledge;

in a physical and virtual environment with open and free access for all Quebecers.

Entrusted with this mission, BAnQ also pursues the following objectives:

to encourage reading, research and the enrichment of knowledge;
to promote Québec publishing;
to facilitate ongoing self-education;
to foster the integration of persons new to Québec;
to strengthen cooperation and exchange between libraries;
to stimulate Québec's participation in the development of the virtual library;
to stimulate the interest of Quebecers in their collective heritage;
to promote the dissemination of archives to the public.

Top Its commitments

BAnQ makes the following commitments:

to constitute, maintain, develop, preserve and disseminate:
- a heritage collection;
- a universal lending and reference collection;
- archival fonds and collections;

to foster the optimal use of its collections and fonds;

to see that its management and all staff comply with its codes of conduct and ethics;

to take all measures, in compliance with law, likely to foster the autonomy of clients, and their freedom of consultation, reading and information;

to implement, maintain and develop a management philosophy that permanently fosters an excellent client focus;

to publicly report on its management on an annual basis;

to carry out a program for the continual improvement of its services;

to measure, by various means, client satisfaction and expectations regarding the collections and services provided and to take the corrective measures required to adequately meet client needs.

Top Its clientele

BAnQ undertakes to welcome:

all people, regardless of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, state of health, civil status, religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition or disability;
and, more particularly, people from Québec;
researchers;
users of bibliographic services;
people in the publishing community, such as authors, publishers, booksellers, distributors and producers of documentary resources;
representatives of local, regional, national and foreign documentary, archival and cultural institutions, and other representatives of the documentary and archival communities;
representatives of government departments and agencies, and of bodies in the municipal, health and education sectors, in regard to public archives.

Top Its services

BAnQ offers the following free services*:

reception, orientation and on-site and remote reference;
document loans, including interlibrary loans;
activities, exhibitions, publications, lectures, conferences;
documentary training and assistance in using equipment;
allocation of ISBNs for Canadian French-language publishers;
production of CIP records for Québec French-language publishers;
development of Québec documentary institutions;
consulting for the archive community.

* Some services require client registration.

Top Its means

BAnQ aims to be an institution of expertise and excellence that offers quality services adapted to the needs of its various clienteles. Service quality includes the following elements:

Accessibility

Accessibility implies that most services are provided free of charge, that there are areas accessible to persons with disabilities, that documentary and computer systems are user-friendly and that care is taken to make the services provided accessible to the largest possible number of people regardless of where they live.

Reception of clientele

In their relations with clientele, BAnQ staff are diligent, courteous and respectful. They must show empathy, readiness to help, honesty and integrity.

Handling of requests

Requests for information are dealt with rapidly, fairly and impartially.

Follow-up of services rendered

To guarantee the quality of its services, BAnQ continually re-evaluates its modes of operation, its procedures, the nature of its facilities and the functioning of its equipment.

Reajustement of objectives

BAnQ maintains a high level of vigilance in order to ensure the effectiveness of its client services programs. It reviews its objectives as required and makes its evaluations publicly available.

BAnQ defines the duties of personnel toward the institution, clients, the profession and colleagues, in order to prevent conflicts of interest, foster confidentiality and promote the quality of services. These obligations are set out in BAnQ's by-laws on conduct and ethics regarding management (Règlement sur le code d'éthique et de déontologie des administrateurs publics de la Bibliothèque nationale du Québec) and staff (Règlement relativement au code d'éthique et de déontologie du personnel de la Bibliothèque nationale du Québec).