National Library of Canada

The National Library of Canada, located on OTTAWA's Wellington Street, was originally established by an Act of Parliament in 1953. It joined with the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA in 2004 to become LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA. The post of National Librarian (W.K. LAMB 1953-68; G. SYLVESTRE 1968-83; M. Scott 1984-1999; R. CARRIER 1999-2004) was a Governor-in-Council appointment reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Library's original mandate to acquire, preserve, promote and provide access to the published heritage of Canada for all Canadians is continued through Library and Archives Canada. In achieving this mandate, the National Library dedicated itself to the following objectives: Building a world-class national resource that will enable Canadians to know their country and themselves through their published heritage; and Facilitating access for all Canadians to national and international networks of information resources.

As the National Library, the institution played a prime role in acquiring through legal deposit and preserving a comprehensive collection of literary and musical works published in Canada, about Canada or written by Canadians. This unique collection of Canadiana continues to serve as an information and cultural resource for Canadians both now and in the future, as it is now an integral part of Library and Archives Canada.

During its over 50-year existence, the National Library created Canada's national bibliography by building a bibliographic database to serve as a comprehensive record of Canadian publishing output, to facilitate access to the collection, and to assist libraries, the book trade and other information providers in identifying, acquiring and making available Canadiana materials. Reference, research and referral services to Canadians and to Canadian libraries are based on the former National Library's comprehensive collection of Canadiana.

Library and Archives Canada continues to offer the client services of the former National Library. For instance, Library and Archives Canada inherited the former National Library's bibliographic database, AMICUS, which includes records of items in the National Library's collection as well as holdings reported by over 350 Canadian libraries. Over the years the National Library had acquired an international reputation in forums such as the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) for its leadership on issues such as the development of standards for the exchange of bibliographic data, the preservation of library materials, the application of information technology to library services, and the promotion of universal and equitable access to basic information services. Library and Archives Canada continues to build on the groundbreaking work of its predecessor.

Author MARIANNE SCOTT and GUY SYLVESTRE Rev: LORRAINE SNYDER

Links to Other Sites
Library and Archives Canada
The website for Library and Archives Canada. Offers searchable online collections of textual documents, photographs, audio recordings, and other digitized resources. Also includes virtual exhibits about Canadian history and culture, and research aids that assist in locating material in the physical collections.

Roch Carrier
A profile of Roch Carrier, esteemed author, teacher, and former national librarian of Canada. From athabascau.ca.

Sheet music from Canada's past
A very extensive collection of digitalized copies of sheet music published before Confederation and during the First World War. Includes patriotic and parlour songs, piano pieces, sacred music, novelty numbers, and more. Also, check out the sheet music covers that appear in the Gallery section. From Library and Archives Canada.

Canadian Music Periodical Index
An index of article titles from Canadian music periodicals. Full text articles can be obtained through interlibrary loans at local libraries in Canada. From Library and Archives Canada.

Women in Canadian Librarianship and Bibliography
This Library and Archives Canada site features biographies of women who have made significant contributions to the development of library services and bibliographical research in Canada.

Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation
CAML is dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of music, particularly music in Canada. Check out the "CAML Review" for many full text reviews of books and recordings from the Canadian music scene.