Library of Parliament
Library of Parliament | |
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45°25′32″N 75°42′01″W / 45.425466°N 75.700296°W | |
Type | Information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada |
Established | 1876 |
Collection | |
Size | 650,000 items |
Criteria for collection | Parliamentary business, research publications |
Other information | |
Director | Heather Lank |
Employees | 300 |
Website | Official website |
The Library of Parliament (
The library is overseen by the Parliamentary Librarian of Canada and an associate or assistant librarian. The Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate is considered to be an officer of the library.
Main branch characteristics
Designed by
The main reading room rises to a vaulted ceiling and the walls and stacks are lined with white pine panelling carved into a variety of textures, flowers, masks, and mythical creatures. In the galleries are displayed the coats of arms of the seven provinces that existed in 1876, as well as that of the Dominion of Canada, and standing directly in the centre of the room is a white marble statue of
The library's collection comprises 650,000 items, covering hundreds of years of history and tended by a staff of 300.[2] Access to the facility is generally restricted to those on parliamentary business, but research publications are produced by the library and are available to the public.[8] The main branch on Parliament Hill is only the central hub of a larger complex that spreads to other parliamentary buildings, where services are offered in a number of branch libraries and reading rooms.[9]
History
The Library of Parliament's roots lie in the 1790s, when the legislative libraries of Upper and Lower Canada were created; these operated separately until the creation of the Province of Canada in 1841 and the collections were amalgamated and followed the provincial capital as it moved between Kingston, Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec City. The library was to be established in Ottawa after, in 1867, Queen Victoria chose Bytown as the new seat for her crown in the Dominion of Canada, and the Library of Parliament Act formed the institution in 1871.[10]
Though construction of the present library began in 1859 and the collection arrived in Ottawa in 1866, work was halted in 1861 and was not completed until 1876, when the 47,000 volumes—including several donated by Queen Victoria—were installed. Around 1869, the builders discovered that they didn't have the technical knowledge to build the domed roof, meaning that Thomas Fairbairn Engineering Co. Ltd. of Manchester had to be contracted to provide a prefabricated dome within a few weeks; this gave the Library of Parliament the distinction of being the first building in North America to have a state-of-the-art wrought iron roof. Further, in 1883, the library's 300 gas lights were converted to electricity.[6] However, such additional costs brought the library's price to $301,812, a sum added on top of the total cost for all the parliament buildings, which had already gone far above the original allotted budget.[11] Within only 12 years, the entire roof was stripped of its slate shingles in a tornado that hit Parliament Hill in 1888; since then, the roof has been clad in copper.[6]
The library's contents grew over the next five decades and were saved from the 1916 fire that destroyed the majority of the Centre Block; the building was only connected to the main complex by a single corridor and the library clerk at the time,
The deficiencies, plus conservation, rehabilitation, and upgrading, were addressed when a major, $52 million renovation was researched in 1996 and undertaken between 2002 and 2006.
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A drafted architectural section of the original Centre Block, showing the Victoria Tower at the far left, and the Library of Parliament to the right
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The library of Parliament standing unharmed the day following the fire of 1916
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The library undergoing renovations in 2003
Parliamentary librarians
- 1870–1884: Alpheus Todd
- 1885–1920: Martin Joseph Griffin, Alfred Duclos DeCelles (Griffin and DeCelles shared the post)
- 1920–1938: Martin Burrell
- 1944–1959: Francis Aubrey Hardy
- 1960–1994: Erik John Spicer
- 1994–2005: Richard Paré
- 2005–2011: William R. Young[18]
- 2012–2018: Sonia L'Heureux[19]
- 2018–present: Heather Lank
Partnerships and collaboration
The Library of Parliament is a member of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.
See also
References
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "A Treasure to Explore > Parliament Hill > History of the Hill > Library of Parliament > Exterior". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ a b c Public Works and Government Services Canada. "A Treasure to Explore > Parliament Hill > History of the Hill > Library of Parliament > Interior". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "A Treasure to Explore > Parliament Hill > The History of Parliament Hill > Construction, 1859-1916 > The Library". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Library of Parliament. "Parliament Hill > Modernization of the Buildings > Library of Parliament > Exterior Work > Masonry". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ a b Library of Parliament. "Parliament of Canada > Library of Parliament". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ a b c d Chodikoff, Ian (September 2006). "Parliamentary Briefing". Canadian Architect. Toronto: Business Information Group. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Baker, Wendy. "Restoration of a Marble Sculpture from the Library of Parliament". CCI Newsletter, No. 35, June 2005. Canadian Conservation Institute. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "Research Publications". lop.parl.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ "Service Areas". lop.parl.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b Landry, Pierrette (1 August 2001). "The Library of Parliament Today" (PDF). Office of the Parliamentary Librarian. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ City of Ottawa. "Residents > Heritage > Archives > A Virtual Exhibit: Ottawa Becomes the Capital > Building the Physical Reality". City of Ottawa. Archived from the original on 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ Williams, Patricia (30 June 2006). "Canada's heritage top of mind in library restoration". Daily Commercial News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
- ^ "37th Parliament, 1st Session". Hansard (138). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. 4 February 2002. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "Parliament Hill > Modernization of the Buildings > Library of Parliament > Exterior Work". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "Parliament Hill > Modernization of the Buildings > Library of Parliament > Interior Work". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ a b Payton, Laura (3 November 2008). "Ottawa's Library of Parliament at centre of $21M lawsuit". National Post. [dead link]
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "Parliament Hill > Modernization of the Buildings > Library of Parliament". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ Parliament of Canada. "Officers and Officials of Parliament". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. "PM nominates next Parliamentary Librarian". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2012.