“We are carefully planning a gradual reopening of Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) service points across the country. The health and safety of employees and visitors is our priority. The offices located in Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg and Vancouver may open independently, following a staged approach. On this page, you will find the latest details and opening dates for each office as they become available.

Reopening stages

In the past few months, our staff has been hard at work to provide remote services to the public.

On August 12, 2020, it is expected that a limited number of staff will begin to return to the worksites. In this first stage of gradual reopening, LAC will remain closed to the public. However, we will resume copy services (online orders only) and be able to provide enhanced remote reference services, as staff will be on site and have greater access to items from the collection.

Although we do not yet have specific dates for when this will happen, we will increase our service offerings as additional staff return to the worksites. As such, we will begin to offer limited public access services by reservation only. These services will be gradually broadened, and access to the public service points and collection will be increased all the while following local and national health and safety measures. These will include limited reserved seating in our consultation, reference and genealogy rooms, expanded research capabilities, and greater services offered by our reference and information desks in our various locations.

We will continue to monitor the situation as we move toward a return to more open and accessible services to the public, including reopening of the DigiLab services and, when possible, a return of in-person public events, workshops and tours.

Current status per region

Here you will find region-specific links to the latest information on the stages of reopening and the gradual resumption of online and in-person services. In all cases, LAC will apply and reinforce local and national health and safety measures. Check back regularly and follow our social media accounts for the latest news. We are looking forward to welcoming you back soon!

• Ottawa: Online Services Available – Closed to the Public
  Halifax: Online Services Available – Closed to the Public
  Winnipeg: Online Services Available – Closed to the Public
  Vancouver: Online Services Available – Closed to the Public”

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