[3] After several moves and two fires, the Society settled into the northern wing of Quebec City's Morrin College in 1868.

The College closed at the turn of the 20th century but the Society stayed on, eventually taking over the entire building in 2004.

The Society's original aims were encyclopaedic, being founded in the infancy of Canada's cultural and intellectual development.

With the growth of national public institutions, the Society’s activities gradually became centred on the services of its private lending library, providing access to English-language books in a largely French-speaking city.

In the 1990s, the Society reassessed its mission and sought to expand its cultural services to Quebec City's small English-speaking community.