The Librarians' and Archivists’ Association of the University of Waterloo (LAAUW) exists to support, promote, and create opportunities for professional librarians and archivists at the University of Waterloo Library.

LAAUW was established on October 22, 1976. On this day, a draft constitution was assembled and presented to librarians who then voted to create the association and accept the draft constitution in principle. Shorty after, a nominating committee was established to accept nominations for the posts of President, Vice-President, and Secretary. The first Executive Committee elected consisted of Murray Genoe (President), Gene Damon (Vice-President), and Carla Hagstrom (Secretary). The first duty of the executive was to present a final version of the Constitution to members for approval. A final version of the Constitution was presented to members on January 19, 1977 and was approved. At this time, the Programs Committee and the Compensation Committee were also formed.

LAAUW was active until 1995 and then underwent several years of dormancy. A motion to formally revive the association was passed during the annual general meeting on March 23, 2000.

The association was formally known as the Librarians’ Association of the University of Waterloo (LAUW) until Archivists was added to the association’s name in 2019.