I walk into John Latour’s office
I walk into John Latour’s office at Concordia University in Montréal and glance at my sister’s name. Tu parles d’une coïncidence! Laid out before us is a copy of Jessica Kelly-Rhéaume’s profile of the beautiful Morrin Centre in Québec City, featured in the 23rd issue of MOQDOC in 2013. Our names are next to each other in the bibliography of the bilingual document Latour has produced after a deep dive into the chapter’s history. A History of ARLIS/NA MOQ charts the events, happenings and changing hands of the long-time Canadian association, ending with a list of all its publications.
However, there was a time John was a newbie himself:
“One of my earliest memories of the chapter was when I attended a MOQ luncheon in a restaurant near the Canadian Centre for Architecture in 1995 or 1996. At the time, I was still a student enrolled in McGill’s library school. I arrived at a very long table of library professionals who were all so friendly and welcoming. I was terrified.”
During his scholarly sabbatical in 2024, Latour visited the ARLIS/NA MOQ fonds in Ottawa, housed at the Library and Archives of the National Gallery of Canada since 2012, assisted by a handy finding aid.
Before ARLIS/MOQ came to be in 1987, there was the equally euphonious but short-lived CARLIS (the Canadian Art Libraries Association), a sub-section of the Canadian Library Association (CLA). Latour notes the determination of ARLIS/NA MOQ founders in setting up an organisation that would last over time and gather people from across different provinces.
That spirit is manifested in one of Latour’s fondest recollections of the association’s biannual excursions, a trip to Trois-Rivières in 1997. “We visited a 19th century prison that was transformed into the Musée des arts et traditions populaires du Québec and Les forges du Saint-Maurice. The most memorable part of the day, however, was the bus ride home. Then President Rosemary Haddad pulled out a microphone and conducted our business meeting on the spot. Three new committees were struck by the time we reached Montréal. It was a masterclass in volunteerism with no possible chance for escape!”
I don’t think everyone approved of his experimental and playful approach.
The zine you are reading has also taken many forms over the years, which Latour is familiar with. “I think my favourite issues were produced in 2003 with Peter Trepanier as editor. Peter’s intentionally bland approach to MOQDOC’s design (think Courier font) was inspired by Conceptual Art of the sixties and seventies; and they included artists’ projects by myself and Sylvie Alix. At the time, I don’t think everyone approved of his experimental and playful approach.”
Perhaps at this year’s conference, in a bid for a little historical sightseeing, you will be tempted to peek at the 1995 100+ page conference program and city guide for Montréal, where ARLIS/NA held its 23rd annual conference. Or even take a Via Rail trip down to Ottawa to see that year’s “very smart-looking conference tote-bag – all nicely arranged in the archives.”
As to whether John plans on being a lifelong ARLIS/NA MOQ member, the answer is most definitely
