Following CLA's lead, the American Library Association and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions have also applied for and received registration privileges. Excerpt from the CLA application to the World Trade Organization for NGO accreditation Public, school and post-secondary, government and corporate libraries play a vital role in linking people and businesses with an increasingly overwhelming array of information. Libraries continue to develop their role as leaders in the digital information society. They struggle to balance the interests of rights holders with the importance of public access to information and the need to promote and preserve cultural diversity. CLA works for the principles of intellectual freedom and free universal access to information in open and democratic societies.
Libraries are the most frequently used public information service in Canada.
Over 3,400 public libraries can be found from the largest urban centres to the smallest rural and northern towns and villages, from the richest communities to the poorest. As we enter the new millennium and this knowledge economy continues to burgeon, information in all its forms is fast becoming of vital importance to every sector of society. As organizers, disseminators and, in some instances, creators of this information, libraries will continue to play an essential role in the information society. It is imperative that libraries' unique perspective be represented at the WTO ministerial conference this fall. The extension of the AGP to sub-federal levels of government needs to be carefully considered because of its potential impact on libraries and library collections, which ideally should represent the broadest range of information and ideas.