News, information, and statements from the Ex Libris Association. Toggle the headings to view (or hide) messages and statements.

The Ex Libris Association of Canada is proud and humble to have been granted vice-regal patronage by Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.

The Governor General plays a key role in promoting national identity by supporting and promoting Canadian values, diversity, inclusion, culture and knowledge. As such, the Governor General recognizes exceptional contributions to Canadian society by associations and organizations through awarding vice-regal patronage.

As a national association of retired librarians, archivists, publishers, and information professionals that seeks to bring attention to significant issues affecting the provision and advancement of information services in Canada, we are deeply grateful for this recognition.

Her Excellency’s priorities and clear commitment to equity and inclusion are shared by Ex Libris’ focus on building an informed, inclusive, and equitable society through the promotion of intellectual freedom and access to information.

Ex Libris hopes to continue to earn Her Excellency’s support through its activities, which include a bursary for an Indigenous student in library sciences and an award for library services to seniors.

Libraries have to consider many issues for disaster plans to be successful. Guy Robertson is a senior instructor based in Vancouver at Langara College, where he teaches library history, reference and readers’ advisory services, and records management. He works as a consultant to organizations across North America. Guy's 45-minute webinar covers a broad range of risks involved with future planning for natural disasters, human-caused problems, technological accidents, security breaches and threats, as well as organizational difficulties. His survey highlights the need for planning to mitigate risks and ensure staff preparedness in the event an unexpected threat should arise. The entire presentation in audio format can be accessed here (requires software for WAV files):

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An accompanying brief resume of his talk is available as a PDF download at this link.

The Ex Libris Association Board is pleased to report that the Indigenous Student Bursary, created in 2023, has been awarded to William Fayant, a student with an excellent GPA in his second year in the Library and Information Technician Program at RRC Polytechnic in WInnipeg, Manitoba.

William sent us the following thank you message:
“I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Ex Libris Association for their support in the 2023-24 academic year. As a Library and Information Technology student, and as a Cree/Metis man from Treaty 4 Territory, receiving this bursary has been a life-changing experience for me: I am now enrolled full-time in my studies, and can begin my path to a life-long career in the library field much sooner than I could have without the Ex Libris Association’s generous support. Thank you very much, ELA, for your kind investment towards my future!”
— William Fayant, Ex Libris Association Indigenous Student Bursary recipient (2023)

We are currently fundraising to ensure we can fund the 2024 award. We have a healthy start but welcome further donations. If you would like to donate to the bursary, please contact bob.exlibris@gmail.com.

More information on the bursary award is available at this link.

Congratulations to Innisfil ideaLAB & Library, winner of the 2023 W. Kaye Lamb Award for Innovative Services to Seniors !!!

The Ex Libris Association (ELA) and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations/Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA-FCAB) are pleased to announce that the W. Kaye Lamb Award for Innovative Services to Seniors recipient for 2023 is the Innisfil ideaLAB & Library. ELA’s W.Kaye Lamb Award Committee was unanimous in selecting Innisfil ideaLAB & Library for their outstanding work for Kits and Community: Activity Kits for Older Adults. The award was presented by ELA’s chair of the Lamb Committtee, Christina Wilson (below on the right-hand side) at the OLA Super Conference. Accepting the award, from the left, Kathryn Schoutsen, Director, Community Development & Advocacy, Jocelyn Martin, Library Programmer, Programming & Outreach, and Erin Scuccimarri, CEO, Innisfil ideaLAB & Library.
The W. Kaye Lamb Award is named for Canada’s first National Librarian and is given biennially in recognition of library service specifically designed to meet the needs of seniors.

Please read our full official statement on the winner of this year’s W. Kaye Lamb award in both French and English.

On November 6th Dick Ellis made a presentation via Zoom on intellectual freedom for members attending the ELA annual general meeting.

His presentation outlined current issues and addressed problems libraries face with this issue: drag storytimes, controversial speakers in public libraries, and, of course, “offensive” books in school libraries. His presentation has been reworked at a PDF and can be accessed at this link.

Kayla Lar-son is the Indigenous Programs and Services Librarian for the Xwi7xwa Library at the University of British Columbia. Her webinar on the topic of Indigenous Data, Knowledge and Cultural Sovereignty and Libraries was arranged by the Ex Libris Association and presented to members on Monday, October 24, 2023. It is approximately fifty minutes in length with close captioning and an auto generated transcript. The session is viewable to the public on YouTube.

ELA member Peter McNally attended the April 2023 launch of a new book on library and book history. Peter published a chapter, “Administrators and Scholars: Directors of Libraries at McGill University, 1964-2010,” chapter 12, pages 247–264, in Carol Couture et Ēric Leroux, eds., Le Livre et la bibliothèque: la quête des savoirs et de la culture: Mélanges offerts à Marcel Lajeunesse. Québec, Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2023.

The photo below shows Peter with Marcel Lajeunesse, who is professor emeritus at the Faculté des Arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal.

March, 2023 —The Ex Libris Association (ELA) is excited to announce the launch of its Indigenous Student Bursary. ELA’s goal in offering the bursary is to encourage more Indigenous voices among staff in all types of libraries. ELA has partnered with Indspire to manage the bursary, and is also pleased to acknowledge a significant donation from Library Bound Inc. in the bursary’s inaugural year.

The $2,500 bursary will be awarded annually to an Indigenous student in the first year of library or archival studies – at the masters or technician level.

Donors can find more information about the bursary and ways to donate at https://www.exlibris.ca/doku.php?id=awards:indigenous-bursary.|

Applications will open in May. Students can find more information on the Indigenous Student Bursary and how to apply at https://indspire.ca/programs/students/bursaries-scholarships/

ELA is the national Canadian association of people who have spent an important part of their work life in libraries, archives, publishing houses, and adjunct fields, and who are now attracted to historical and current issues related to those institutions, as well as to issues concerning the personal welfare of their fellow members.

Having grown into one of the Top 10 Charities of Impact in Canada, Indspire is an Indigenous charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. Since 1996, Indspire has provided over $190 million in financial support to more than 59,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis students.

Library Bound is Canada’s largest wholesaler solely dedicated to serving the needs of public libraries. For more than twenty-five years, its committed and experienced staff have been striving to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for the changing needs of Canadian libraries.

In November 2022, Richard Beaudry spoke to the Ex Libris Association annual meeting about the censorship of materials in Canadian libraries and current threats to intellectual freedom. His presentation is available on YouTube at this link.

ELA sent a letter from its President and Advocacy Committee on July 28 to Demiotrios Nicolaides, Alberta Minister of Education and Childcare, expressing the Association's growing concerns about the Alberta government's announcement to introduce content guidelines to limit materials in Alberta school libraries. Ex Libris strongly urges the Minister to meet with representatives to the Library Association of Alberta (LAA) to discuss their concerns. ELA stands behind school librarians as experts in early literacy.

The letter by ELA is available at this link. The reply to ELA by the Alberta Minister is at this link.

More information on ELA's advocacy activities for intellectual freedom can be viewed at this page.

ELA has sent a letter from its Advocacy Committee on May 25, 2025 to Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, requesting that the 1670 charter for the the Hudson's Bay Company be kept in Canada at Library and Archives Canada. This charter is a vital historical document that should be accessible to all Canadians: “The acquisition of this Charter would align perfectly with the mandate of Library and Archives Canada to preserve and make accessible the documentary heritage of our nation. Furthermore, it would demonstrate the government's commitment to protecting irreplaceable cultural treasures for future generations of Canadians.” ELA is joining its voice with other library, archival and historical associations in urging the Ministry to acquire this document and keep it in Canada where it will accessible to Canadian researchers.

The letter is available at this PDF link.

In April 2025, the President of ELA, David Harvey, forwarded a letter to the Ontario Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security about the Association's concerns regarding the underfunding of colleges and universities, specifically libraries. ELA maintains that the provincial government must recognize the fundamental importance of colleges and universities and the financial problems threatening these institutions. Increased government investment can assist post-secondary institutions to meet the economic challenges of today and provide a better future for the Ontario graduates of tomorrow. ELA strongly urged the government to provide (1) an emergency infusion of $1.4 billion into college and college libraries; and (2) an additional $1.34 billion annually to bring Ontario up to the national average for per-student funding.

The ELA letter is at this link.

Older ELA statements, conference presentations, and items of interest are archived at this link.