Safeguarding Canada’s Print Collections through National Shared-Print Collaboration
North/Nord brings together Canadian libraries to preserve, steward and provide access to print collections—including Indigenous and governmental materials.
Why this matters?
North/Nord is stewarded by the library community to ensure long-term preservation of Canadian research materials and our cultural sovereignty. By minimizing duplication, reducing waste, and optimizing storage solutions of physical collections, we strengthen Canada’s ability to independently manage its knowledge resources. This initiative ensures that Canadian institutions remain resilient, forward-thinking, and committed to preserving our nation’s intellectual and cultural legacy for future generations.
North/Nord is proud to be a member of the Shared Print Partnership (SPP), joining libraries across Canada and beyond in collaborative efforts to preserve and steward print collections. Through this partnership, we contribute to national coordination and the sustainable management of shared print resources.
Project Examples
Government Documents
Our first Gov Docs project built on the work of the National Overlap Study conducted in 2019 and funded by LAC. That study resulted in the identification of scarcely held materials and the addition of scarcity notes into local records. The first phase focused on identifying widely held titles and securing commitments from participating libraries (Title List).
Canadian University Presses
Our first Canadian University Presses project focuses on monographs. This project identified both widely and scarcely held titles across academic and government libraries with the aim of securing retention commitments for preservation and access copies.
2025/2026 Researcher-in-Residence Program
The Canadian Shared Print Network (North/Nord) is pleased to announce the launch of its inaugural Researcher-in-Residence Program for the 2025/2026 cycle. This program offers a unique opportunity for researchers to engage with projects pertinent to shared print initiatives. Specifically, we are seeking proposals aligned with one of the following three research streams: Canadiana, Indigenous Works, and Government Information, as well as studies related to collection analysis and collective collecting. This position is not remunerated, as it is a voluntary Researcher-in-Residence role intended to support independent scholarship and collaboration.
Our Funders
We acknowledge with appreciation the leadership and support of our seven funders, whose commitment is helping to strengthen shared-print coordination across Canada. To learn more, visit Our Funders page.
North/Nord acknowledges that we are on the traditional territories and homelands of many Indigenous peoples, who have existed here since time immemorial. Many Indigenous Peoples call the territories in which North/Nord works home including First Nations, Métis and Inuit. We uphold relationships and seek to collaborate with all Indigenous peoples to share truth, reconciliation and learning.