The Montreal Association of Independent Libraries (MAIL), founded in 1997, is composed of Atwater Library and Computer Centre (founded 1828), Fraser-Hickson Library (founded 1870), Jewish Public Library (founded 1914) and Montreal Children's Library (founded 1929).

These institutions are among the oldest libraries in Quebec providing continuous service to their users. By virtue of each library's special collections, they serve not only the communities and neighbourhoods in which they are located, but also a large segment of the population of the island of Montreal. They also have a national and international clientele.

The libraries formed this Association in order to achieve the following
objectives:

• To support joint activities and projects such as inter-library loans, development of a community web site, shared programmes, and other initiatives.
   
• To enhance services to users by combining and sharing resources.
   
• To increase the visibility and raise the profile of each member library.