Library Collections

As reported to the Canadian Association of Research Libraries for the 2009-10 academic year, members of the Concordia community have access to over 3 million print and electronic books, 50,000 online journals, 125,000 government documents, 3,500 musical scores, 50,000 sound recordings, films, videos, and more.

The Concordia University Libraries collect print and electronic books, journals, databases, and materials in many other formats to support current undergraduate and graduate programs in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, as well as the professional faculties and an increasing number of innovative multidisciplinary programs.

Library collections are housed in the Vanier Library on the Loyola campus in west end Montreal and the Webster Library on the Sir George Williams campus. Generally, collections are located on the same campus as the faculties or departments they support, or on the campus where the majority of teaching in that subject area takes place. Collection and item locations are always given in CLUES, the Libraries' online catalogue. The Media Collections and Interlibrary Loan unit is located at the Webster Library. Special Collections are located at the Vanier Library.

Over the past several years, more and more scholarly materials have become available electronically. As a result, the Concordia Libraries, like most academic libraries in North America, now spend a significant portion of the annual collections budget in acquiring and maintaining access to online journals, databases, and books. A move from print to online journals and other resources where the Libraries have perpetual access or a reliable online archive speaks to a desire to avoid print and online duplication, as well as a need to manage resources, staff time, and library space. Moreover, library users increasingly expect comprehensive electronic collections to support them in their classes, assignments, teaching, and research.

In 2009-10, the Libraries' operating collections budget for print and online books, journals and other serials, and databases as reported to the Canadian Association of Research Libraries was $4,233,439 CDN. A significant portion of the budget contributes to consortial purchases of important or expensive electronic resources.