Special Libraries Committee
The Ontario Library Association’s Special Libraries Committee (OLA-SLC) is a group of special librarians and information professionals operating outside traditional library workspaces. These libraries operate as part of an organization, specializing in resources of interest to the organization of which it is a part, and usually serving the staff or members of this organization.
The committee advocates for awareness of special libraries and their unique challenges, and provides opportunities for partnerships and knowledge sharing by coordinating professional development events, special library and research tours, and community socials.
Chair: Natasha Kwiatkowski, ArcelorMittal Global R&D Hamilton
Staff Liaison: Gina Freitag, Ontario Library Association
Committee Members:
- Astrid Lange, Toronto Star
- Christina Ransom, Access Copyright
- Rebecca Efrat, CBC
- Maggie Tiong, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
- Corrina Taccone, Ministry of Education
- Alex Turcotte, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
- Jordana Winegust, Kids Help Phone (on leave)
Read the Committee’s Terms of Reference or contact Gina Freitag (gfreitag@accessola.com) for more information.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- January 29, 2025 – Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) Library Tour (for OLA Super Conference attendees)
- February 19, 2025 – TLA Courthouse Library Tour (registration coming soon)
- March 19, 2025 – Toronto’s First Post Office Tour (registration coming soon)
- April 2, 2025 – AGO Library and Archives Tour (registration coming soon)
PAST EVENTS
- December 6, 2024 – Archives of Ontario
- November 14, 2024 – ROM Library and Archives
- October 16, 2024 – The ArQuives Library Tour
- September 25, 2024 – Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
- August 8, 2024 – Summer Social at Glad Day Bookshop
- July 11, 2024 – National Ballet of Canada Archives Tour
- June 19, 2024 – Toronto Symphony Orchestra Library Tour – Revisited!
- May 31, 2024 – The Great Library Tour at Osgoode Hall
- March 21, 2024 – Special Libraries Spring Social at Glad Day Bookshop
- February 29, 2024 – Escape Room Research Tour
- January 25, 2024 – Toronto Symphony Orchestra Library Tour
- December 7, 2023 – TLA Courthouse Library Tour
- August 10, 2023 – Special Libraries Summer Social
- July 7, 2023 – Toronto Cemetery Research Tour
- May 26, 2023 – Chinese Canadian Archive Tour at TPL
- April 20, 2023 – Snakes & Lattes Games Library Tour & Social
- May 30, 2018 – Tour the Frank and Anita Ekstein Holocaust Library
- May 3, 2018 – Lunchtime Tour of the ROM Library and Archives
- April 24, 2018 – Tour the Ontario Historical Society’s library
- December 6, 2017 – Tour Double Feature: Ryerson University Library’s Archives and Special Collections, and the Ryerson Image Centre
- November 21, 2017 – Open Community: An Info Pro Intro Event
- June 7, 2017 – Join us for a tour of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s library and archives!
- March 2, 2017 – Improve Your Data Literacy: Tips for spotting misleading statistics
OLA’s Super Conference is an annual multi-day education event involving all associations and divisions of the Ontario Library Association, sponsored by the OLA Board of Directors.
The Special Libraries Committee encourages special librarians and information professionals from non-traditional workspaces to submit to the call for proposals to help advocate and educate about special libraries.
Submission details for the upcoming Super Conference are found here.
The OLA Special Libraries Committee has created a Community of Practice (CoP) intended to bring together special librarians and non-traditional information professionals in an informal virtual setting. OLA members are encouraged to join, but participants need not be members.
Join us to learn about upcoming events and published articles of interest, seek out collaborations, and share knowledge, project updates, and challenges/learnings within this professional community.
