The Ontario Library Association (OLA) was established in 1900 and is the oldest continually operating

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

association in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. With over 4,000 members, OLA is also the largest library association in Canada and among the 10 largest library associations in North America. The stated purpose of the OLA is to "give profile to the librarians, library workers and trustees in the

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

, college, university,

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

and special libraries of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and to foster provincial programs that will improve library services in the institutions and communities our members serve and that will ensure equitable access to information for all citizens of the province."

History

Founded in 1900, the OLA was formed after a meeting of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

held that same year in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, where it was decided that a Canadian association was not currently practical. Between 2006 and 2013, the OLA's office was at 50 Wellington Street, Toronto, Ontario. In 2013, the OLA moved to 2 Toronto Street, then to Danforth Avenue in 2021, and to 192 Spadina Avenue in 2023.

Structure and leadership

The OLA has seven divisions: * Association des bibliothèques de l’Ontario-Franco (ABO-Franco) *Ontario College and University Library Association (OCULA) *Ontario Health Library and Information Association (OHLIA) *Ontario Library Boards’ Association (OLBA) *Ontario Library and Information Technology Association (OLITA) * Ontario Public Library Association (OPLA) * Ontario School Library Association (OSLA) Each division is headed by a president and elected council, and past division presidents serve on the OLA board of directors. The board of directors also includes the Executive Director and the executive committee, composed of the president, vice -president, past president, and treasurer.

Affiliates

The OLA is affiliated with: *

Canadian Federation of Library Associations The Canadian Federation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA-FCAB) is a non-profit federation of Canada’s library associations. It was incorporated on 16 May 2016 and replaced the Canadian L ...

* Ex Libris Association *

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

Stakeholder Group * Ontario Health Libraries Association * The Partnership

Events and programs

The OLA runs several programs, services, and events. Three of its most prominent are the

Forest of Reading The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve ...

program, the Library Marketplace, and the OLA Super Conference.

Forest of Reading

OLA's

is Canada's largest recreational reading program, which has grown to ten reading programs since the early 1990s. More than 270,000 readers participate annually from their school and/or public libraries. The Forest award winners are chosen by votes cast by readers in the target age ranges for each of the specific book categories. Award winners are announced annually at the Forest of Reading Festival in Toronto. The ten awards offered under the Forest of Reading umbrella are: * Blue Spruce Award - ages 4–7 (junior kindergarten–grade 2), English, picture books * Silver Birch Express Award - ages 8–10 (grades 3–4), English, fiction/non-fiction * Silver Birch Fiction Award - ages 8–12 (grades 3–6 ), English, fiction * Yellow Cedar Award - ages 9–14 (grades 4–8), English, non-fiction * Red Maple Award - ages 12–14 (grades 7–8), English, fiction *

White Pine Award The White Pine Award is one of the annual literature Forest of Reading awards sponsored by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Every year, 10 books are nominated for the award and students vote their favourite book. The White Pine Nonfictio ...

- high school (grades 9–12), English, fiction * Le prix Peuplier - ages vary, French, picture books * Le prix Mélèze (formerly Le prix Tamarac Express) - ages vary, short chapter books or advanced picture books, French, fiction/nonfiction * Le prix Tamarac - ages vary, chapter books, French, fiction/nonfiction * Evergreen Award - adult, fiction/non-fiction

OLA Super Conference

Begun in 1902 as the OLA's annual conference, the event was rebranded in 1995 as the Super Conference. Super Conference is the largest continuing education event in librarianship. The Super Conference also includes within it Canada's largest library

trade show A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...

. The event is held annually in Toronto, Ontario.

External links

Official website

References

{{Authority control Canadian library associations Professional associations based in Ontario Educational organizations established in 1900 1900 establishments in Ontario Libraries in Ontario