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Contact Information Ontario Library Association 2 Toronto St. 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON M5C 2B6 416-363-3388 Toll-free: 1-866-873-9867 Fax: 416-941-9581 Toll-free fax: 1-800-387-1181 E-mail: info@accessola.com Website: www.accessola.com |
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Founded in 1900, the Ontario Library Association is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. With just under 5,000 members, the OLA is among the ten largest library associations in North America. This prominence has allowed the OLA to develop a national network among provincial and territorial library associations that provides education, research and professional publications that enhance education in the library field in Canada.
Purpose
The Association exists to give profile to the librarians, library workers and trustees in the school, college, university, public and special libraries of Ontario 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.
Structure
The OLA’s vision and programs are developed by OLA members through the OLA Board of Directors, comprised of the President and Vice-President of:
- The Ontario College and University Library Association
- The Ontario Public Library Association
- The Ontario School Library Association
- The Ontario Library and Information Technology Association
- The Ontario Library Boards’ Association
- L’Association des bibliothécaires francophones de l’Ontario
The Association also has a program and membership agreement with
- The Ontario Health Libraries Association (an affiliate)
Fiscal Profile
The Ontario Library Association is a registered non-profit charity. Revenues are derived from membership, education, publication development and sales, donations and sponsorships and contract management.
Major Programs
Projects
- Research with Queen’s University and People for Education on the impact on student success of school libraries. Second phase. OLA investment, $60,000.
- New guideline for school libraries to replace Partners in Action. Ministry grant, $70,000.
- Leadership by Design, a four-year program to increase the capacity of library boards to be leaders and partners in community development. OLA investment, $20,000 per year.
- First Nations libraries. Develop, produce and distribute posters for First Nations Public Library Week, First Nations One Community Reads program and the Saskatchewan storytelling program. Distribute books read by reviewers in the OLA’s Forest of Reading programs. Provide a scholarship to indigenous peoples through the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto.
Continuing Programs
- Super Conference, Canada’s largest and best attended library event.
Attendance: 4,600. Over 200 events. Canada’s largest library tradeshow. - Education Institute, year-round library professional development. Approx.150 programs per year.
- The OLA Store. OLA is Canadian agent for twelve major professional library publishers and the International Reading Association.
- The OLA Press, publisher of manuscripts by Ontario members.
- Access and The Teaching Librarian, plus five newsletters, two of them electronic. A vetted electronic research journal called Partnership is developed with OLA’s partner provincial and territorial library associations across Canada.
- A dynamic communication network including 67 listservs and an increasingly interactive Web site.
- Free access to WilsonNet’s Library Literature database.
- A career centre and a very active job hotline. Mentoring services for the newly employed and those in mid-career.
- 1-800 phone and FAX services to respond to questions and problems.
- Libraries Advance Ontario, the OLA’s project to market the value of librarians and library workers provincially.
For the Book and Periodical Council
- Sponsorship of Freedom to Read Week Poster and distribution to the Ontario Library community.