The Library is one of the Community’s most significant institutions and aspires to be an intellectual centre and focal point for literary, scholarly and artistic activities in the Hellenic Community of Montreal.
It was founded in 1952 with the name Hellenic Christian Cultural Library and came into operation with the help of volunteers, who were mainly Greek university students in Montreal, as well as other artistic and progressive Greek-Canadians.
The Library was acknowledged by the Government of Quebec in 1974 with the name Hellenic Cultural Centre and Library of Montreal. In 1976, it was transferred to a special location next to the hall of Evangelismos Church.
After the Hellenic Community Centre of Montreal was built, the Library was moved in 1982 to the building that houses the Socrates Primary School (Campus II), where it is still in operation today next to the school library. From time to time it was enriched with donations made by Greek Canadians, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, as well as the National Bank of Greece. Book donations by Greek Canadians continue to this day.
The Library contains more than 12.000 volumes including many rare books. It carries a complete series of ancient Greek classic authors and poets, Byzantine and modern Greek authors, books in English and French pertaining to Greece and Greek people, all the elementary and secondary school books, all Greek and foreign encyclopedias, dictionaries, history and religion books, as well as issues of the local community newspapers.
An important section of the Library is the Greek Canadian Archives that has been accumulating for 20 years and contains Greek Canadian publications, photographs, old manuscripts, material from various activities of the Community and the ethno-local associations, albums of cultural activities, social events, and other materials. The content is continually being enriched and is very often a source of information for Greek and foreign researchers, and for high school, college and university students whose research topics or school projects pertain to Greeks in Montreal or Canada in general.