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OCUL Communities

Join a member-driven virtual group to network and share knowledge on library practices and services.

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OCUL provides Ontario university libraries with shared services and technology infrastructure to support academic teaching, research and learning.

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AI and Machine Learning at OCUL

Exploring how AI and machine learning tools can enhance library expertise through hands-on learning and experimentation.

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Latest News

The application period for 2027 OCUL Visiting Researchers is open until November 17. Library professionals from the consortium’s membership are invited to submit an application that aligns with OCUL strategic priorities and/or academic library services or librarianship.
OCUL has released its 2025-2026 annual report, highlighting the deep collaboration that powers the consortium. The report celebrates progress made on four strategic plan priorities, new shared digitization standards for accessible content, programming to build AI readiness across academic libraries, and more.
OCUL’s virtual reference service is marking a major milestone and a new name. Ask the Library / Biblio-Clavardage, which connects students and researchers at participating OCUL institutions with real-time help over chat or text message, celebrates its 15th anniversary this September.
The latest post in our AI Tools for Academic Libraries blog series highlights some of the open-weight AI models that can be alternatives to the familiar commercial frontier tools like ChatGPT or Claude that often raise concerns about privacy, transparency, and equity. For libraries, open-weight models provide greater control over data and AI environments for better alignment with professional commitments to intellectual freedom and access to information.