| PLANNING TO VISIT LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA? | |
Are you planning to visit Library and Archives Canada? If so, here’s some information to help you plan your trip.
Location:
The main building of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is located at 395 Wellington Street, in downtown Ottawa. It is between the Du Portage Bridge and the Supreme Court of Canada, a few blocks west of Parliament Hill.
Parking:
There are a handful of parking spots on the west side of the building that may be used free of charge for a three hour maximum on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. There are also two spots on the east side of the building for the use of handicapped persons. During evenings and weekends, all parking spaces next to the building may be used free of charge.
Public Transit and Paratransit Services
Transit and paratransit services to and from LAC are provided by the City of Ottawa's OC Transpo and the City of Gatineau's STO public transit systems. For further information visit www.octranspo.com or www.sto.ca.
Accommodations:
There are several hotels within a short (5-8 minutes) walking distance to LAC. Below is a listing of some of the closest hotels with the necessary contact information:
Crowne Plaza Ottawa Hotel
101 Lyon Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1R 5T9
To make reservations call 1-800-2CROWNE or 613-237-3600, or visit www.crowneottawa.ca, or send a fax to 613-688-6821.
Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites
361 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1R 7S9
To make reservations call 1-800-268-1133 or 613-238-6000, or visit www.deltahotels.ca, or send a fax to 613-238-2290.
Ottawa Marriott
100 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1P 5R7
To make reservations call 1-800-853-8463 or 613-238-1122, or visit www.marriott.com, or send a fax to 613-783-4229.
If you plan to fly, Ottawa International Airport offers a shuttle service to all of these hotels. It departs every thirty minutes from outside the baggage area and costs $12.00 one way or $20.00 return. The taxi fare to any one of these hotels is approximately $20.00 - $25.00 one way.
If you plan to take the train, the taxi fare from the Ottawa train station to any one of these hotels is approximately $10.00 - $12.00.
Alternate accommodations may be found by calling the Ottawa Tourism Reservation Centre at 1-866-644-1234 or by visiting www.ottawatourism.ca. You may also wish to visit www.ottawagetaways.com.
Restaurants/Dining
There is a cafeteria located on the fifth floor of LAC and it is open from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, except statutory holidays. There are also restaurants and a sizable food court in the immediate vicinity of LAC. My personal recommendation - irrespective of budget - is to go to Cafe Zucchero, 340 Queen Street. Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, it is a fabulous Italian eatery.
Hours of operation:
LAC had revised its hours of operation not once, but twice since September 1, 2007. As it stands LAC is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday, except statutory holidays. In order to register, and make use of the reference rooms you must arrive between these hours. That said, the Textual Documents Consultation Room - the room to be used for consulting unrestricted materials - and the adjoining Restricted Documents Consultation Room - the room to be used for consulting restricted materials - are open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Suturday to Sunday, except statutory holidays. So, if you have a valid LAC user card and you have picked up your research materials from the consultation rooms staff between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., you may continue to work in either consultation room after the staff have left. If you are using the Textual Documents Consultation Room and you have finished your work for the day, you simply have to put all your research materials into your designated locker(s) and leave the key(s) to the locker(s) with the commissionaire on your way out of the building. You may return the next day, sign in, pick up your locker key(s) and resume your work. If you are using the Restricted Documents Consultation Room a similar procedure applies. Please speak with a member of the consultation rooms staff during regular office hours on how to access the restricted documents lockers outside of office hours.
LAC User Card
Access to LAC and its holdings is restricted to persons holding a valid user card. A user card may be obtained during regular office hours at LAC by completing a registration form and presenting a piece of photographic identification (e.g., driver's license, faculty library card, student card, or passport). A user card may also be obtained on-line. Simply visit LAC's web site at www.collectionscanada.ca. Click on the "Public" heading. Then, click on the "Consulting and Borrowing Material" heading. Under the "Consulting and Borrowing Material" heading, click on the "User Card Registration Form" sub-heading. Fill out the "User Card Registration Form" and submit. The user card is valid for one year from the date of issue.
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