What is the Library of Parliament?

The Library of Parliament (in French, the Bibliothèque du Parlement) is the federal research and information service that supports Members of Parliament, senators, and parliamentary officers. The Library was established at Confederation in 1867 (succeeding the Library of the Province of Canada, founded 1841) and operates under the Parliament of Canada Act. The Library has about 380 employees and is led by the Parliamentary Librarian (currently Heather Lank, appointed September 2018).

The Library has three principal services. The Reference Service provides quick-turnaround answers to factual queries from MPs, senators, and their staff. The Research and Education Service produces longer analytical reports, briefing notes, publications, and educational programmes for members and the public. The Library's Information Resources branch maintains the Library's print and digital collections of about 600,000 items specialising in politics, public policy, law, and Canadian history.

The Library of Parliament Building, designed by Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones in High Victorian Gothic Revival style, is one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings on Parliament Hill. Construction began in 1859 and was completed in 1876. The Library survived the catastrophic fire that destroyed most of the original Centre Block on February 3, 1916 because of fast-acting library staff who closed the iron fire doors that separated the Library from the Centre Block. The Library underwent major renovation between 2002 and 2006 and is one of the principal heritage features of Parliament Hill.

The Library publishes major research and reference products. The Compendium of House of Commons Procedure is the principal procedural reference. The PRISM (Parliamentary Research and Information System) database catalogues parliamentary materials. The HillNotes blog provides timely briefings on current issues. Statistical Briefs and PRB papers (Parliamentary Research Branch) provide independent non-partisan analysis on legislation, policy issues, and current events. The Library also operates the Hill Times Subscription, the Question Period Database, and the Parliamentary Outreach programmes for schools, teachers, and the general public, making it one of the most accessible parliamentary libraries in the world.