Seventy years ago today, 18 June 1952, Bill C-245, to establish the National Library, received Royal Assent. That was one of the critical milestones, from the introduction of the Bill by Prime Minister Louis St Laurent on 20 May 1952 to passage by the House of Commons on 27 May to passage by the Senate on 3 June.
A fire in the Library of Parliament in August 1952 accelerated plans for establishing the National Library. On 22 December, Dominion Archivist W Kaye Lamb received the additional appointment as National Librarian, and a site near the Supreme Court on Wellington was mentioned as the future site for the Library. Work had been underway for four years, with two and a half million books catalogued. A monthly list of new Canadian publications was also being prepared.
Proclamation of the Act came on 1 January 1953.
For the early history of the National Library, during the tenure of Dr. Lamb, see https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/download/10972/11905/