Ontario Council of University Libraries
The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is an academic library consortium of Ontario’s 21 university libraries located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 1967, OCUL member institutions work together to maximize the expertise and resources of their institutions through shared services and projects. OCUL works together in a number of key areas of importance for library services, including collective content purchasing, shared digital infrastructure, external partnerships, and professional development initiatives. OCUL is governed by the library directors of the member institutions and is supported by an executive committee, made up of five officers  elected from the library directors. OCUL members form working groups, committees, and communities of practice to accomplish specific tasks or projects. OCUL is an affiliate of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). History. OCUL was founded in 1967 as the Ontario Council of University Librarians, working with the Council of Graduate Studies to ensure that graduate students and faculty members across the province had equitable access to the advanced library materials needed to support their research. The first chair of the Council was Doris E Lewis. OCUL changed its name to the Ontario Council of University Libraries in 1971. Some  of OCUL’s initiatives have included: Scholars Portal. Scholars Portal is the technology service arm of OCUL. Founded in 2002, they provide a variety of services for OCUL members, including e-book and journal platforms, a repository of accessible texts for university students with print disabilities, and software hosting services. In 2012, Scholars Portal won the Ontario Library Association's OLITA Project Award for the Scholars GeoPortal. In 2013, Scholars Portal was accredited as the first Trustworthy Repository in Canada. The service provider for Scholars Portal is the University of Toronto Libraries.