Hello and welcome to Library and Archives Canada!
At the Wellington Street location in Ottawa, commissionaires are currently the first point of contact between users and the federal institution. Ādisōke will enable a mini-revolution in this regard: Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will have its own reception area, where its employees will be the greeters.
Not only will the LAC staff welcome visitors, but it will also guide and advise them on the resources available on site and online. For example, our experts will be able to help someone looking for their great-great-great-grandfather to find him—not in Ādisōke but through the resources of our genealogy centre on the second floor! Employees will become guides and key resources the minute visitors arrive.
In the middle of Ādisōke’s central gathering space, LAC’s reception area will face that of the Ottawa Public Library. It will be clearly visible from both inside and outside the building thanks to the wide windows overlooking Albert Street, which will bathe it in natural light.
This will also be the perfect place to stop with a coffee for a few minutes in order to watch photos or images from LAC’s collections scroll across large screens, offering the opportunity to learn more about the institution’s mandate—the commitment and passion of its staff to preserve the memory of the Government of Canada and a vast national heritage—and to discover the wide range of publicly accessible resources.
We look forward to welcoming you!