Ottawa Public Library
|
|
Ottawa_Library.jpg
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is the library system of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The library was founded in 1906 with a donation from the Carnegie Foundation.
The main branch of the library is located in downtown Ottawa at the corner of Metcalf and Laurier streets. The library has thirty-three branches spread throughout Ottawa. Before 2000 the library was divided with separate library systems for each of Ottawa-Carleton's municipalities. After the other municipalities were merged into the city of Ottawa the libraries were also merged and restructured.
The current head of OPL is Barbara Clubb the library is governed by a board of part time members appointed by the city of Ottawa. The library is funded by the city through local tax revenues. Some income also comes from fees and fines and fundraising.
The library system has 2.4 million items, 94% percent of which are books. The library also has a large audio-visual collection including DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes. Since Ottawa is a bilingual community a large portion of the collection is in French. Smaller collections are also held in a wide array of other languages. According to the latest Ontario library statistics, only the Toronto Public Library has larger holdings.
External links
- Ottawa Public Library (http://www.library.ottawa.on.ca/)
- http://www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/culdiv/library/statistics2001/2001stats-over250000.htm