Background
- LAC is currently reviewing its website to be relevant for today’s users and to align with the Government of Canada’s web standards and the Canada.ca look as mandated by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).
- Surveys, environmental scans and user feedback highlight significant online user experience issues including confusing navigation, lack of content clarity, difficulty in completing tasks, as well as system performance issues.
- Communications, in collaboration with Innovation and Chief Information Officer Branch (ICIOB) and Public Services Branch, leads Web Renewal (WR).
- Collaboration and ongoing engagement from everyone within LAC who has web content is key to the success of this initiative.
Consideration
- LAC’s website is vast, encompassing thousands of html pages, various servers and domains, legacy sites as well as applications and databases.
- A Web Governance Committee comprised of the three branches mentioned above provides strategic direction for the website.
- TBS introduced the WR Initiative in 2015. TBS expected departments to migrate their web content to the Canada.ca website. Policy change no longer requires LAC to migrate all of its content. However, in June 2019, TBS asked departments to comply with Canada.ca specifications by March 31, 2020.
- Work on improving LAC’s website has been ongoing since 2015. Progress has not been constant because of competing projects and resources. Management Board approved the WR project in 2017. It is divided into three phases.
- Phase I: Review and planning
- Phase II: Development and launch of new website
- Phase III: Optimization and launch of personalized “My LAC” functionalities
- In 2019–20, the focus of WR is on Phase II. Key tasks include:
- Upgrading the web content management system for web publishing;
- Applying the Canada.ca templates and design to the web content management system;
- Continuing work on decommissioning collections.gc.ca;
- Developing and building an information architecture based on user research and metrics;
- Leading outreach activities, including working with staff throughout LAC to review and rewrite content; and
- Change management to ensure staff are aware of and supportive of the need for a user-friendly website that can be and is accessed not only by traditional clients, but also by all Canadians.
Key public messages
- LAC is committed to connecting you with its services and Canadian documentary heritage through a simple, seamless and personalized web presence.
SME:
Cécile Lemaire, Director, Communications Branch
Email: cecile.lemaire@canada.ca
Tel: 819-934-5877