[3] OCUL works together in a number of key areas of importance for library services, including collective content purchasing, shared digital infrastructure, external partnerships, and professional development initiatives.

OCUL members form working groups, committees, and communities of practice to accomplish specific tasks or projects.

[7] OCUL was founded in 1967 as the Ontario Council of University Librarians, working with the Council of Graduate Studies to ensure that graduate students and faculty members across the province had equitable access to the advanced library materials needed to support their research.

Founded in 2002, they provide a variety of services for OCUL members, including e-book and journal platforms, a repository of accessible texts for university students with print disabilities,[15] and software hosting services.

[19][20][21] The service provider for Scholars Portal is the University of Toronto Libraries.