Ontario Petroleum Institute

Serving the Oil and Gas Industry in Ontario for 50 years

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Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library

The Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library (Library) is a resource centre for the study of the subsurface geology, petroleum, salt and underground hydrocarbon storage resources of Ontario. Its principal function is to provide information services to library clientele. Library services and facilities are utilized by approximately 600 clients a year from Ontario, Calgary, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other states. These clients represent industry, universities, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and other government agencies. Part of the building is reserved for public use and can be set-up for educational and scientific workshops and courses.

Areas of Special Expertise

The Library specializes in the collection, generation, and dissemination of data, information, and knowledge about the subsurface geology, petroleum and salt resources of Ontario. This includes information on:

  • subsurface stratigraphy and structure of southern Ontario
  • oil, gas and salt exploration, drilling and production
  • oil, gas and salt reservoirs of southern Ontario
  • subsurface storage and fluid disposal resources
  • natural gas storage reservoirs
  • solution mining

History

The Library can trace its origin to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, when the Geological Survey of Canada solicited voluntary submissions of drill cuttings and core from oil and gas wells drilled in Ontario and other parts of the country. This informal collection evolved into the establishment of a core and sample processing, storage, and study facility in Ottawa. In 1950, a similar facility was established in Calgary and all western Canada samples were transferred to Calgary. In 1971, the Ontario core and cuttings were shipped to the new Petroleum Resource Laboratory in London, Ontario.

The Laboratory was originally located in rented facilities at 458 Central Avenue in London. A new building was constructed at the present location in 1987. In February of 1988, responsibility for library operation was transferred to the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Trust. This change was the start of a new era for the library and it continues to be a valuable source of geological information.

Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Corporation

The Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library is operated by the Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Trust, created by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources under the authority of the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act.  The Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Corporation (Corporation), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ontario Petroleum Institute, was appointed the “Original Trustee” by the  Minister of Natural Resources.

The Executive Officers of the OPI are the officers of the Corporation:
Scott Lewis, Chair
Peter Budd, Vice Chair
Mark Emmanuel, Officer
Jeff Luckovitch, Officer
Peter Rowe, Officer

The Corporation operates the Library according to the terms of a Trust Agreement with the Ministry.

Library Operations

Operations of the Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library are lead by a manager and a technician attending to various data requests and maintenance of existing resources.

Facilities and Resources

The Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library occupies a 600 m2 building, located near Highway 401 in the city of London.

Resources available for public study include:

  • cuttings samples from approximately 13,000 wells
  • core from 900 wells
  • file information on over 20,000 wells, including well history and construction, geology, fluids, geophysical logs, core analyses, chemical analyses of subsurface fluid samples, etc.
  • an extensive collection of publications on subsurface geology

Laboratory Equipment Includes:

A sample washing and drying machine; one 14″ and one 6″ diameter diamond blade saw; a trinocular petrographic microscope; and five binocular microscopes. The microscopes are available for on-site use by library clients. Other facilities available for client use include 4 semi-private cubicles; roller tables for display and study of drill core, and a photocopying machine.

For more information visit the Library at: Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library