Historical Overview: The Parliamentary Library from Past to Present

In 2002 Quebec's National Assembly hosted an international conference on the history of parliamentary libraries. On that occasion, Gaston Bernier called for more research on the history of parliamentary libraries , inviting researchers to make use of the rich and unexplored archives of parliamentary libraries throughout the world (2003). This historical overview features some of the most prominent parliamentary libraries in the world, their evolution, and the collections and services the institutions provide to their constituencies. Parliaments are assemblies of elected representatives, usually of an entire nation, that have supreme legislative powers within a particular state or country. The distinctive qualities of different types of parliaments may be explained by the varying historical contexts in which countries have established their parliaments. Systems of parliamentary government vary according to the constitutional role assigned to the parliament and the electoral and party systems that determine their composition and political organization (McLean, 1996). Parliaments are an expression of democratic values. Democratic parliaments should be representative, transparent , accessible, and effective. In order to fulfill these characteristics, parliamentarians need access to up-to-the-minute unbiased research and information facilities. A well-resourced parliament, such as is typical in developed economies, will have, inter alia, a comprehensive library and information service (Beetham, 2006). Parliamentary libraries (also known under various terminologies such as federal libraries, legislative libraries, information resource centers, documentation centers, or reference services) enhance the research and information capacity of parliaments. As their histories show, however, some also came to consider their constituencies as lying beyond the confines of their parent legislature.