The Canadian and American academic library environments are remarkably similar. This factor is traceable to similarities between the nations themselves and their academic institutions. Both countries have experienced comparable shifts in governmental support and growth patterns in the academic library sector. This has led many to observe that Canadian academic libraries are "American with a difference." These differences concern academic library governance, the extent of faculty status for librarians, library cooperation, and the degree of national planning emphasis. Overall, the components of the two nations' academic library systems are both similar to, yet distinct from, their respective complements. A bibliography is included. (Author/BBM)