2004 marks the 100th anniversary of formal education for library and information studies in Canadian universities and colleges. To celebrate, the Ex Libris Association has published A History of Education for Library and Information Studies in Canada, available from the Association for $7.00 including mailing costs. This history charts the rise of university degree education starting at McGill University in 1930 and the University of Toronto in 1937. There had been courses for a degree before those dates. French-language academic study began at the Université de Montréal in 1961, the University of Western Ontario in 1966, the University of Alberta in 1968, and Dalhousie University in 1969.

It also records the programs for paraprofessional library education following the inaugural courses at the Manitoba Institute of Technology in 1962, Vancouver City College in 1966, and Lakehead University in the same year.

Since 1930 over 12,000 persons have been granted one or more degrees in library or information studies in Canada, and there have been more than 10,000 graduates that come from every province in the library technology and paraprofessional courses.

Additional material on this subject can be found in ELAN, the bi-annual newsletter of the association. This website provides additional material, the chronologies of the faculties and of the library technician programs.

To complement the articles in this special ELAN issue, chronologies have been compiled for each institution on the ELA website at this link.

To order a print copy of this issues go to the Shop Ex Libris page.