What is AMICUS?

AMICUS is a free catalogue listing the holdings of libraries across Canada. As a national catalogue, AMICUS not only shows the published materials held at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) but also those located in over 1300 libraries across Canada.

AMICUS contains over 30 million records for books, magazines, newspapers, government documents, theses, sound recordings, maps, electronic texts as well as items in braille and large print.

Why should I use AMICUS?

AMICUS can save you time and money. It's free of charge and searchable anytime. Better still, AMICUS saves you time searching multiple catalogues by bringing together millions of records from hundreds of Canadian libraries. Use AMICUS to find where the item you need is located. If it's not in a library near you, consult your local library for interlibrary loan services available to you. Here are a few examples of how AMICUS can help you.

Benefits for researchers, students and teachers

• Locate theses, government documents and other items not available in your local library;
• Identify websites, e-texts and other electronic sources available free or for a fee;
• Build bibliographies or other lists and e-mail them to yourself or others;
• Discover your family history using genealogical sources.

Benefits for library personnel

• Order AMICUS items from other libraries via interlibrary loan;
• Find authorities and Canadian subject headings;
• Copy and download records.

Do I need to register?

No. AMICUS is available with and without registration; in either case it is free of charge. You can register for additional free services at any time. Check our comparison table to see whether registration suits your needs.

Compare AMICUS with and without registration
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