Debate over the Ottawa Public Library’s new central branch has heated up following a recent partnership between the library board and Library and Archives Canada.
In June 2015, the Ottawa Public Library Board approved an estimated budget of $85 million for a new library branch, with construction slated to begin in 2018. This was an alternative to upgrading the main branch on Metcalfe Street.
Since then, plans have run smoothly, but now Coun. Tim Tierney, who is chair of the library board, says the working with Library and Archives Canada may cause some delays.
Now that public needs have been identified, the question arises whether the federal partner will have any requirements.
It is still unknown how much input Library and Archives Canada will have.
With more funding, the library’s main branch can meet the board’s needs, but will also share space with the archives. How that space will be shared is unclear, but Tierney says he has a “blue skies” vision for the new branch with a nearly 50-50 split.
Tierney acknowledges the library may exceed its budget because it may be bigger than the originally planned 132,000 square feet.
The next step is to find a new home for the library.
Somerset, Coun. Catherine McKenney has voiced concerns about the proposed LeBreton Flats site.
She says the library needs to go in a more central location than LeBreton Flats.
In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, McKenney says a new branch should be somewhere between Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal.
The same day the partnership was announced, the board released results from a public Nanos Research survey with suggestions for the new library.
Ninety per cent of participants in the Nanos survey are already library users, and a majority visit the central branch the most.
Results from the Nanos Research survey, released Jan. 12, show the public wants the library to be accessible by public transit or foot.
The Citizen also reported that Library and Archives Canada might prefer a location not far from their current spot on Wellington Street.
However, Richard Provencher, head of media relations at Library and Archives Canada, says details of the partnership are not finalized, and a location has not been decided.
Results from the Nanos survey also concluded accessibility was a top priority, both in terms of the location of the building, and in the building itself.
“It’s very important for public spaces to be accessible,” says Brian Tardif, executive director of Citizen Advocacy Ottawa. “But we first think of physical accessibility. It’s much more than that.”
Examples of physical accessibility include wheelchair ramps and elevators.
Tardif also says creating a space accessible for those with physical impairments or mental disabilities is important.
“It’s not just the design of a space, its how people are going to use it,” he says, “we look at how to make sure a library is a welcoming space for everyone. That’s accessibility.”