Jean-Léon-Allie ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ and Archives
Welcome to the Jean-Léon Allie University ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ and Archives. Our staff is ready to assist you in person, by e-mail or online and to offer you a variety of services: reference, inter-library loans, reserve, photocopiers, etc.
Our collection contains over 500,000 volumes, 1,000 current periodicals and some 100,000 microforms. Our patrons can also access the print and electronic resources of the University of Ottawa.
Our staff can offer on-site lightning tours. These will familiarize you with the many resources available in the ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ and last about 20 minutes. The online catalogue can be consulted on ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ computers or at home through our website.
History
The library began on April 27, 1937, as the library of the University of Ottawa's seminary. The late Father Jean-Léon Allie, OMI, was its founder and first Chief Librarian. After occupying that post for more than 40 years, Father Allie continued to devote all his energies to the ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´, first as Acquisitions Librarian and then as University Librarian Emeritus, and did so until his death on November 26, 1996.
Starting with only four books, the library immediately began to grow through generous donations from other religious institutions as well as through the founder's judicious purchases, and went on to become the largest of its kind in Canada. The excellent quality of the library has long been recognized by scholars in philosophy, medieval studies and theology. As early as 1963, in a survey conducted for the National Conference of Canadian Universities and Colleges, Edwin E. Williams of Harvard University stated: "Ottawa (i.e. ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´) has nationally outstanding collections for philosophy and religious history, with advanced research holdings for work in ... medieval studies."
The organization of the collection follows that of the ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ of Congress, with some adaptations in the fields of theology, church history and canon law.
As a research library, our institution seeks to embrace the principal languages and intellectual traditions in its fields of concentration (i.e. theology, philosophy, canon law and related topics). Beyond these specialties, the user will also find general works in other disciplines.
A non-circulating research facility, the Jean-Léon Allie ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ serves an international student population with a high percentage of students at the post-graduate level. Our location in Ottawa provides a unique opportunity for our students to partake of the riches of other government and research libraries. To name only a few, these include ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ and Archives Canada, the library of the Dominican College, and those of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.