Fort Frontenac Library
Encyclopedia
The Fort Frontenac Library, located within the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Fort Frontenac
, Kingston, Ontario
, is the main research library for the Canadian Army. Established in 1947 this library remains one of the oldest focused collections of volumes, monographs, documents, and artifacts dedicated to the study of conflict and land warfare in the Canadian context. The Fort Frontenac Library assists the army's advanced officer development programs as well as its research and development communities across the country. The current director of the library is Major Andrew Godefroy
, and the current acting Chief Librarian is Mr. David Willis.
to its current site on the grounds of Fort Frontenac. In order to support the research needs of the CASC as well as the newly created National Defence College (NDC), a small library was established within the Fort in late 1947. Its initial accession consisted of roughly 2100 volumes, which included academic books, technical material, doctrinal and training manuals, popular military texts, and even novels. These donations came from a wide variety of sources, including the Canadian Army overseas, the YMCA
, the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as individual officers and soldiers.
saw a significant reorientation of the Canadian Forces
, which affected all of its organizations including its education and training systems. Several legacy establishments were closed including the NDC, which graduated its last class in 1994. With this closure, the future of the Fort Frontenac Library became tenuous. Oversight and direction of the library initially returned to the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, but in the late 1990s its supervision was again transferred to the Land Forces Doctrine and Training System. Responsibility for the library moved again in 2003, this time to the Directorate of Army Doctrine.
, the library has recently refocused its efforts on the accession of both old and new volumes on land warfare, as well as the development of a number of special collections unique to the Canadian Army.
Fort Frontenac
Fort Frontenac was a French trading post and military fort built in 1673 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It was positioned at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario , in a location traditionally known as Cataraqui...
, Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, is the main research library for the Canadian Army. Established in 1947 this library remains one of the oldest focused collections of volumes, monographs, documents, and artifacts dedicated to the study of conflict and land warfare in the Canadian context. The Fort Frontenac Library assists the army's advanced officer development programs as well as its research and development communities across the country. The current director of the library is Major Andrew Godefroy
Andrew Godefroy
Andrew Godefroy CD, M.A., Ph.D. is a Canadian soldier, scholar, and author noted for his work in strategic studies, technology innovation, biography, and military history.- Scholarship :...
, and the current acting Chief Librarian is Mr. David Willis.
Origins
At the end of the Second World War the Canadian Army Staff College (CASC) was relocated from its temporary wartime home at the Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
to its current site on the grounds of Fort Frontenac. In order to support the research needs of the CASC as well as the newly created National Defence College (NDC), a small library was established within the Fort in late 1947. Its initial accession consisted of roughly 2100 volumes, which included academic books, technical material, doctrinal and training manuals, popular military texts, and even novels. These donations came from a wide variety of sources, including the Canadian Army overseas, the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as individual officers and soldiers.
Expansion
Between 1950 and 1994 the library was expanded and evolved significantly. Its core collection grew to include a significant holding of volumes on politics, economics, strategic studies, international relations, and military history, a reflection of its association with the internationally focused NDC courses. As well, the collection benefited from several important donations from foreign students and Canadian Army officers. Its relationship with the NDC and the army staff courses allowed for the creation of unique collection focused on land forces and land warfare studies.Post Cold War era
The end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
saw a significant reorientation of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, which affected all of its organizations including its education and training systems. Several legacy establishments were closed including the NDC, which graduated its last class in 1994. With this closure, the future of the Fort Frontenac Library became tenuous. Oversight and direction of the library initially returned to the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, but in the late 1990s its supervision was again transferred to the Land Forces Doctrine and Training System. Responsibility for the library moved again in 2003, this time to the Directorate of Army Doctrine.
New mandate
In 2006 the library received a new mandate to directly support research and development associated with ongoing army capability development. Under the supervision of the Directorate of Land Concepts and Designs (DLCD) with development and operations overseen by Major Andrew GodefroyAndrew Godefroy
Andrew Godefroy CD, M.A., Ph.D. is a Canadian soldier, scholar, and author noted for his work in strategic studies, technology innovation, biography, and military history.- Scholarship :...
, the library has recently refocused its efforts on the accession of both old and new volumes on land warfare, as well as the development of a number of special collections unique to the Canadian Army.