Libraries in Canada
Official name of the federated
state/autonomous territory: Ontario
Province
Official language: English and
French
Official name of Parliament:
Legislative Assembly / Assemblée
Législative
- Unicameral -
Address
Ontario Legislative Library
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
Canada
M7A 1A9
Tel. (1)(416)325-3900
Fax (1)(416)325-3909
Cable address: Comparlas Ontario
E-mail:
vicki_whitmell@ontla.ola.or
Home-Page: http://www.ontla.on.ca
Details on the Library
Year of foundation: 1867
Person in charge: Ms Vicki
Whitmell
Position or official title: Executive
Director
Number of library staff: 68
Number of professional librarians:
22
Number of research and subject analyst staff
in the library: 15
Number of secretarial and support
staff: 11
Number of other staff: 20 (library
technicians)
Size of collection:
900.000(est.)
Number of annual
accessions:46.548
Annual acquisitions budget: 535.000
C$ (US$ 350.000)
Number of current periodicals:
546
Periodicals indexed for relevant
articles: Yes, by the Library
Number of periodicals which are currently
indexed for articles: 500 selectively
Number of periodical articles indexed per
year: 500
Number of current newspapers:
69
Press cuttings: Yes, by current data
file, electronic Ontario Press Highlights
Indexing of Parliamentary Papers:
Yes, by the Library, by Hansard (debates)
Library in charge of the archival materials
of the Parliament: No
Library uses a thesaurus or a classification
system for subject indexing: Thesaurus and classification
system
Automation of cataloguing: Yes
Is the automated library catalogue
accessible as an online catalogue to outside users?:
No
Restricted to members of parliament:
No,
Who else may use library: Members of
the Provincial Parliament and their staff are the primary clients;
explicit more restricted levels of service are provided to other
clients such as the Lieutenant-Governor, senior officers of the
Assembly and the Press Gallery, and other persons may have access
to the Library at the discretion of the Executive Director when
materials are unavailable elsewhere.
Number of reading rooms: 1 (20)
Number of loans per year: 4.410
Reference services: 7.529
Current bibliographies: No
Retrospective subject bibliographies:
No
External database searches:
15,500
Analysis and research: Yes
Right to deposit: government
documents - Ontario and Canada
IFLA membership: No
Publications published by the
Library
Annual report of
the Executive Director of the Legislative Library = Rapport annuel
du directeur general de la bibliotheque de l'Assemblee
Legislative ISSN 0832-8005 - Reviews major Library
developments and services in detail: French text printed
separately. Has not been produced since 1992/93.
Bills Before the
House Provides information about Ontario bills as they
proceed through the legislative process -- plus background
information such as press releases, studies, and stakeholders.
Access is by bill number, title, subject and Member introducing the
bill. Updated each morning when the House is sitting. Intranet
version is searchable.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/bills/billshome.htm
Briefing
Pages To keep Members and staff informed about the major
policy areas of the Ontario government. Provide a broad set of
resources including direct links to stakeholders, government sites,
press, major research papers and more. Updated frequently.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/BPs/BPhome.htm
Periodical
selections=Selection d'articles de periodiques Published
monthly; features a selection of recent articles in magazines and
journals arranged by subject.
Provincial Press
=Dans la press provinciale Issued weekly in eight sections
(including one French language section); provides clippings from 15
Ontario daily and 3 Ontario weekly newspapers, selected to provide
regional coverage from across the Province.
Research
Papers Notes, Backgrounders and Current Issue Papers
providing background and analysis of key issues and policy
developments. Available in print to primary clientelle.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/publications.htm
Status of bills
report=Etats des projets de loi Published weekly when the
House is sitting; records the progress of Bills through three
readings, committee stage, royal assent and proclamation and
provides an index to Bills by subject.
Selected news
titles = Selection de nouveautes ISBN 0709-275X Published 9
to 11 times a year; lists new books and reports added to the
Library by subject
Toronto Press
Today = Aujourd'hui dans la presse de Toronto Issued six
times a week; provides a selection of news and feature articles
appearing in the Toronto daily newspapers of interest to
Members.
Virtual Reference
Desk Easy access to reference items on the Internet.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/vrefdesk/vrdfr.htm
What's Hot
Provides quick access to just released budgets, reports and other
government statements, election news and press releases. Archive of
hot items beginning in March 1999. Updated daily.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/ehotfr.htm
Publications concerning the
Library
Donna Burton:
Changing Times at the Legislative Library In: Courier:
Special Libraries Association, Toronto Chapter. 34:2,
(November/December, 1996).
http://www.sla.org/chapter/ctor/courier/v34/v34n2a4.htm
Canadian
Legislative Information Access to legislative sites,
sessional documents, budgets, elections, and sessional dates for
all Canadian jurisdictions. Kept current.
Internet at:
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/leginfo/contents.htm
Internet Sites
for Ontario Legislators The Library's links page provides
organized access to the Internet and oriented for Ontario's
Legislators.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/eisolfr.htm
Issue
Gateways Each provides a brief overview of a critical policy
issue and access to a wide range of resources on the Internet an in
the Library's collection. Kept current.
Internet at:
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/issuegway/ighome.htm
New
Products Occasional newsletter to Members providing
information about new titles and series produced by the
Library.
New Releases -
The Monthly Checklist = Nouvelles publications - la liste
mensuelle formerly Ontario government publications monthly
checklist=Publications du gouvernment de l'Ontario liste
mensuelle/Co-produced by Publications Ontario and Bibliographic
Access and Ontario Documents Section, Ontario Legislative Library
Searchable database that includes all issues of the Monthly
Checklist since January 1997. Identifies new publications and
indicates whether they are priced or free.
Internet: English at
http://pubont.stores.gov.on.ca/pool/english/checklist_current.asp
French at
http://pubont.stores.gov.on.ca/pool/french/checklist.asp
Ontario Press
Highlights Electronic selections of Ontario focussed news
stories from the current week's papers. Updated daily. Available
only on the Assembly's Intranet.
Ontario Press
Highlights Database Ontario news from the past year chosen
from 23 Ontario newspapers. Searchable by key word, by line, date,
newspaper, title or a combination of fields. Updated daily.
Available only on the Assembly's Intranet.
Parliamentary
Information Resources that explain the Ontario legislative
process, track Ontario bills as they proceed through the
Legislature, and provide the legislative history of bills. Access
to legislative documents and information in Ontario and other
jurisdictions.
Internet at: http://www.ontla.on.ca/Library/parliaments.htm
Cudney, Ola: A
chronological history of the Legislative Library of Ontario
//Ottawa: Canadian Library Association. - 1969
Kerfoot, Jean:
The Ontario Legislative Library?? In: Bulletin/Special
Libraries Association, Toronto Chapter. -28 (1968), p. 34-39
Land, R. Brian:
Ontario // In: Canada's Parliamentary Libraries = Les
bibliotheques parlementaires du Canada / The Association of
Parliamentary Librarians in Canada. - 1989
Ontario
Legislative Library: An introduction to the Legislative
Library // Rev. ed. Toronto: Ontario. Legislative Assembly.
Broadcast and Recording Service, (1999). videocassette (11 min.44
sec.).
Watson, Fiona and
Aileen Weir: Services to Members of the Ontario Legislative
Assembly in the 1990's. //In Government and parliament
informatoin issues in the 1990s: perspectives from Australia and
abroad: papers from the Colloquium on Government Parliamentary
Information, July 21-22, 1994. Sydney: School of Information,
Library and Archive Studies, the University of New South Wales,
1995. p. 221-228
Watson, Fiona and
Ontario Legislative Library: A Credit to the Province: a history of
the Ontario Legislative Libary and its predecessors,
1792-1992//Toronto: The Library, 1993.
Parliamentary Papers:
Orders and
notices =Feuilleton et avis
Daily during session; contents in English only
Official report
of debates: Hansard=Journal des debats
Daily during session; in English and French since 1990
Votes and
proceedings=Proces verbaux
Daily during session; replaced by corresponding Journals; contents
in English only
Journals Annual
1867/68 Standing orders =Reglement 1989- In English and
French Report Standing and Select Committees Bills Public and
private
Status of bills
report=Etat des projects de loi
Weekly during session Interim status of business and final status
of business Published sessionally
Available on the Internet at http://www.ontla.on.ca
(updated in September 2007)
