Canadian Health Libraries Association
Open-knowledge reference entry

The Canadian Health Libraries Association or Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada was founded in 1976. It represents the views of Canadian health sciences librarians to governments, the health community and fellow librarians.
Chapters
CHLA/ABSC has twelve regional chapters:
Section Santé et services sociaux de la FMD (3S) (FMD3S)
Golden Horseshoe Health Libraries Association
Health Libraries Association of British Columbia
Manitoba Association of Health Information Providers
Maritimes Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé des Maritimes
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Libraries Association
Northern Alberta Health Libraries Association
Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé de la Vallée d'Outaouais
Saskatchewan Health Libraries Association
Southern Alberta Health Libraries Association
Toronto Health Libraries Association
Wellington-Waterloo-Dufferin Health Library Network
Conference
CHLA/ABSC holds an annual, peer-reviewed conference which rotates among regions in Canada.
Publications
eNews (2015-present)
Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association (2004–present)
Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana (1979–2003)
CHLA/ABSC Newsletter (1977–1979) Nos. 1-8.
References
External links
Canadian Health Libraries Association - CHLA/ABSC
CHLA / ABSC Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada Fonds Osler Library of the History of Medicine
Article by David S. Crawford (CHLA's first President), reprinted from the Association's journal, Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana, describing the formation of the Association.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Canadian Health Libraries Association” is open-knowledge reference entry. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Canadian, Health and Libraries, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “open-knowledge reference entry” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5030086. VIAF identifies the subject as 139185768. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1976, 2015, 2004 and 1979.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Canadian Health Libraries Association”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Canadian Health Libraries Association primary sources, Canadian Health Libraries Association archive and Canadian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Canadian Health Libraries Association”?
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- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Canadian Health Libraries Association” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.