Library Collections

Main Collection

The Legislative Library maintains a general collection, of approximately 40,000 volumes.

As a parliamentary library, the library collection emphasizes material which relates to public issues and the activities of governments. The collection is especially strong in the social sciences and humanities, with emphasis on administration, economics, Canadian history, political science, and social questions.

Government Publications Collection

The Legislative Library holds approximately 200,000 government publications. It is a full depository for all publications officially issued by or for the Government of New Brunswick. The Library staff compile a annual checklist of New Brunswick government publications.

Also, the Library receives certain legislative papers of the other Canadian provinces, and a selection of their other government publications.

The Library maintains a collection of certain Canadian federal government publications including publications of Statistics Canada.

New Brunswick Collection

The Legislative Library has had a long tradition of collecting New Brunswick material. This special collection contains books, pamphlets, and selected documents about New Brunswick or written by New Brunswickers. Excluding the pamphlets, the collection totals more than 10,000 items, making it the largest of its kind.

Reference Collection

The reference collection contains books designed for quick access to specific information. Examples of this type of material are dictionaries, encyclopedias, and yearbooks. Subject dictionaries, atlases, city and telephone directories are other aspects of this extensive and varied collection. Some reference tools are on CD-ROM; others are available via the internet.

Recreational Reading

The Legislative Library has a small recreational reading collection. This collection is comprised of fiction and general biographies and memoirs.

This collection does not include any New Brunswick fiction or biographies as they are part of the New Brunswick Collection.

Audio Books

The Legislative Library has a collection of audio books available on both CD and cassette. These were obtained through donations and are therefore only English recordings.

These audio books are not listed in the library's catalogue but can be browsed through this list and then requested by telephone, fax or e-mail.

List of Audio Books

Newspapers & Serials

All newspapers of the province are acquired, as well as selected national titles. Back issues of the newspapers are kept for varying lengths of time.

The Library maintains a collection of newspaper clippings concerning public issues and the activities of the New Brunswick government from 1986 to the present. Clippings are primarily from four New Brunswick dailies, three of which are in English and one in French. They are classified by subject.

An extensive periodicals collection is maintained, providing an invaluable source of current information. Back issues are readily available.

The library also has a large collection of newsletters, serials and publications from many New Brunswick associations and organizations. Since these belong to the New Brunswick collection, they are kept indefinitely for historical purposes.

List of Newspapers and Serials