ARLIS/NA MOQ was founded in 1987 as the first Canadian chapter of ARLIS/NA (the Art Libraries Society of North America). The chapter is a non-profit, volunteer-run association of art librarians, archivists, curators, technicians, documentation specialists, and students in the regions of Montréal, Ottawa, and Québec City. Originally known variously as “ARLIS/MOQ,” “ARLIS M/O/Q,” or simply “M/O/Q,” the chapter officially changed its name to “ARLIS/NA MOQ” after 2006; although the more colloquial “MOQ” is often used by its members. The chapter’s founders recognized the benefits of coming together to build a professional community that straddles two provinces (Ontario and Québec), operates bilingually (in English and French), and comprises members associated with academic libraries, archives, museums, visual resource centres and other educational and cultural institutions. Drawing on archival sources from the ARLIS MOQ fonds and a close reading of the chapter’s publications, this history aims to document the origins and evolution of ARLIS/NA MOQ and draw attention to the association’s unique contributions to the field of art information specialists at the local, national, and international levels.

This bilingual publication was produced as part of the author’s six-month sabbatical research carried out in 2024.