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OTTAWA, May 13, 2010  —  At its 2010 Spring Membership Meeting held April 28 to 30, 2010, in Seattle, WA, the membership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) voted to invite the University of Ottawa Library to join as its125th member. Leslie Weir, University Librarian, accepted the invitation.

“This membership is significant as it is a reflection of the importance that the University of Ottawa has placed on research, making it the centrepiece of its academic programs,” said Leslie Weir, the University Librarian. “Scholarly communication is undergoing fundamental changes, and ARL is instrumental in advocating for and developing sustainable, viable models that meet the needs of the research community.”

“It is with pride and a great sense of commitment that our Library becomes a member of the Association of Research Libraries,” says Allan Rock, president of the University of Ottawa. “As Canada’s university, we understand that supporting our library is critical to our institution’s success in research and learning.”

The vote of membership followed a multi-year review process of the uOttawa Library that considered both qualitative and quantitative documentation and involved site visits. The review also examined the breadth and depth of collections, uniqueness of research resources, services to the Library’s community, potential contributions to scholarship, and leadership in the library and information science profession. The review committee noted in particular the sustained growth of the institution and its support for the Library over the past decade.

"The Association of Research Libraries welcomes the University of Ottawa Library as our newest member and looks forward to working with them on addressing the many significant common issues currently facing the global research library community," said Brinley Franklin, ARL president. Charles B. Lowry, executive director of ARL, added, "ARL is delighted the University of Ottawa accepted our invitation to become a member of our association. The unique position it brings to membership in terms of location and language are of benefit to the Association and to the students, the faculty and their scholarly colleagues and researchers throughout North America."

The University of Ottawa is a cosmopolitan community of over 40,000 students, faculty and staff who live, work and study in both English and French in the heart of Canada's capital. As one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities, we are committed to excellence and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation.

Our Library brings together people, expertise and knowledge resources in physical and virtual environments that foster research, teaching and learning in both official languages. As a valued partner in the University community, the Library builds and preserves our collections and facilitates the discovery and use of knowledge resources both within and beyond our walls through innovative services and technologies.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher-education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations.

For more information, visit the University of Ottawa Library and the Association of Research Libraries.