Order published material in Ottawa

Learn how to order publications from our library catalogue.

You can only consult material on site in Ottawa. There is no published material available for consultation in Vancouver, Halifax or Winnipeg.

On this page

• Search Aurora
• Create and use your Aurora account
• Request items
• Need help?

Search Aurora

To find published material, you must search for it using the library catalogue. Enter your search terms and press “Search,” then click the title of the item you want to view.

See how to do library research for strategies on how to search effectively.

Create and use your Aurora account

You will use Aurora to request most published items from our collection and to track what you have requested and what is checked out to you.

To order library materials, you will need to:

Get a LAC user card

First you will need to sign up for a LAC user card. You will receive an email with your user card barcode number. Use this number to sign in to Aurora.

Create your Aurora password

Once you have a user card number, you will need to create a password to access your Aurora account. (You can also follow this process to renew your password.)

• Visit the Request new password page
• Enter your user card number in the “Barcode or username” field. You can find your user card number in two places:
  • In the email you received after signing up for your LAC user card
  • On the back of the physical card if you have picked it up
• Click “Request”
• You will receive an email at the address you provided when you registered that includes a link to set or reset your password

If you didn’t provide an email address when you registered or if you need help, contact us.

Sign in to Aurora

• Go to the Aurora website
• Click the “Sign in” button in the top right corner of the page
• Enter your user card number in the “Barcode or username” field. You can find your user card number in two places:
  • In the email you received after signing up for your LAC user card
  • On the back of the physical card if you have picked it up
• Enter your password
• Click “Sign in”

When you’re signed in, your name will appear in the top right corner.

Check request status and renew items

To track the progress of requests or renew materials, please go to your account.

• Log in to Aurora
• Under your name, click “My account”
• Select “Checkouts” from the drop-down menu
• You’ll see an overview of your account. Click on the various tabs to see
  • Items checked out to you by LAC staff
  • Items you’ve requested that have not yet been verified by staff
  • Your search activity
  • Your borrowing history
  • Your profile, with options to review your contact information and change your Aurora password

Request items

Once you have found items you would like to order:

• On the right-hand side of the catalogue record under “Retrieval Options,” click “Request.”
  • If there isn’t a request button, there may be a “Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / Library and Archives Canada” link to an online version in the “More Information” field, or we may not hold a copy of this item. If you need help, contact us.
• Log in to your account if you haven’t already.
  • If you don’t have an account, see the instructions above.
• Select the items you would like to request. See “Item location impacts retrieval time” for help choosing the best copy.
• Click “Submit.”
• The following message will appear: “You submitted [X] hold request(s).”
• LAC staff will then locate and retrieve the item(s) for you.
• If your item is checked out to you, you will receive an email notification that the item is on its way to the Consultation Room or Special Collections Room. If you do not receive an email notification, see “Checkout not confirmed by email” below for details.

How to know if we hold a copy of an item

Aurora is both LAC’s library catalogue and Canada’s national bibliography. This means that our catalogue includes some records for items we don’t have in our collection. Aurora also has records for different types of publications: hard copy only, hard copy and online, and online only.

If we don’t have a copy:

• The “Retrieval options” box will only say “At Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / Library and Archives Canada.” It will not include a button, and there will either be no links in the “More Information” field or the field will not appear at all.
• If there are no copies listed for a bilingual item, check the “More Information” field for a link that says “French equivalent / Équivalent français” or “Équivalent anglais / English equivalent.” Our copies may be listed on the equivalent record in the other language.

If we have a copy:

• If we have both online and hard copies, you will see a “Request” button in the “Retrieval Options” box as well as a link or links in the “More Information” field.
• If we only have a hard copy, you will see a “Request” button in the “Retrieval Options” box, but no links in the “More Information” field or that field will not appear at all.
• If we only have an electronic copy, you will see a button in the “Retrieval Options” box or there will be one or several links in the “More Information” field that could take you to LAC repositories or external websites.

Item location impacts retrieval time

The library collection is held at several different storage facilities. Also, many items in LAC’s collection have multiple copies which are held at different locations.

This means that when you request items located at 395 Wellington, they will generally be available for you much faster than items held at other locations. The chart below lists how long it takes for items to be delivered for consultation. Library materials must be consulted in the consultation rooms in Ottawa.

How to know where an item is located

Locations are noted in three places in the Aurora catalogue:

1. In the search results

   After you do a search in Aurora, a list of items will be returned. If we have holdings for that record, one or more storage locations will be listed.

   

   Example of a preview record in a search results list noting the storage location of the item.

2. In the catalogue record

   When you click on an item in the catalogue and view its full catalogue entry, location information will be listed at the bottom of the page in the grey horizonal box AND in the box under “Retrieval Options.”

   

   Example of a catalogue record noting the storage location at the bottom of the page and in a box at the top right.

   If there isn’t location information in these places, we either don’t hold a copy of this item or it is available electronically. Please see “How to know if we hold a copy of an item” above.

3. 3. In the Place Hold Request form

   Location information is also in the Place Hold Request form after you click on the blue “Request” button.

   

   Example of a “Place Hold Request” form noting the storage location in the order form.

The location of an item will impact how long it takes for it to be available in the Consultation Room.

To get your item faster, request items held at 395 Wellington when they are available.

How to order serial issues

Serial publications, like newspapers or magazines, have multiple issues that can be ordered from one record. In our catalogue, some issues are grouped together and some are listed separately.

If issues are grouped by date range rather than individually, this will be shown in the Place Hold Request form in these two columns:

• Copy or Volume
• Status

To order a specific item from a group:

1. Tick the box next to the line for the date range that covers what you’re looking for.
2. In the text box under “Need a specific or volume?,” write
   1. the issue you’re looking for. If you would like to see all issues in the group, please note that.
   2. the day you’re planning to visit, taking into consideration the wait time listed in the “Item Location” column.

Example 1.

Example of a Place Hold Request showing how to order a specific item in a group. The box on the left of the row is checked, and the issue number and date of your visit are added to the notes box on the right of the form.

Items that cannot be ordered in Aurora

Some library materials listed in Aurora, like rare books, need to be ordered using the Material Retrieval Form. These items can be identified by their shelving location.

Instructions for ordering these materials are organized by “Shelving Location” below. All items will need to be consulted in the Special Collections room in Ottawa unless otherwise noted.

Checkout not confirmed by email

Before you visit us on site, check to make sure you have received an email confirmation that your item was checked out. If you did not receive an email, check your Aurora account.

If the item is not listed under “Checkouts” but still shows under “Requests,” staff have likely not completed the procedure to locate the item and check it out to you.

If the item is not listed under “Checkouts” but has disappeared from “Requests,” it likely means that staff were unable to locate this title in our collection. You will receive a paper notice on the pick-up shelves in the Consultation Room indicating why this item is not available for you to consult (for example, missing or lost).

Please contact us or see staff in the Reference Room on the second floor at 395 Wellington for assistance in finding alternative materials.

Need help?

If you have any questions about this process or require assistance, please contact us or speak to staff on site.