APPENDIX E
OPL History Primer
In 1909 the OPL Board Chairman Mr. Otto Klotz Esq L.L.D, F.R.S.C
ended his section of the report with the following: “I cannot close without
making a plea for increasing remuneration for our librarian and staff, who are
rendering such efficient service. The plea is to the Council, for our Board has
already recognized the justice of the claim and recommended increases. We must
never forget that there is a limit to the amount of work that is and will be
done without adequate remuneration. Let us make our staff feel that we
appreciate their work in a tangible manner. It pays.”
The 1912 annual report focused on
international relations and board governance: “The meeting of the American
Library Association in Ottawa was a notable event in the library annals of this
city. It proved a stimulus to all those connected with libraries and moreover
it brought home to the mind of the average citizen how widespread and important
a movement library work in America is. No doubt it contributed somewhat to the
vote in January 1913 to place the Library under another form of government. …
Since its opening, the Carnegie Public Library of Ottawa has been governed by
the City Council. The Library Committee consisted of 10 members of the Council
(including the mayor) and three other citizens chosen by the Council. This form
of government, which was unique in Canada, has according to our experience,
serious defects. In 1911 permission was obtained from the Ontario Legislature
to submit to the people a by-law to bring the Ottawa Library under the Public
Libraries Act of Ontario. For some reasons this by-law was not submitted at the
end of 1911 but after a delay of a year was voted on in January 1913. Numerous
public bodies had pronounced in its favour and the city newspapers of both
languages and differed political opinions urged its acceptance. It carried by a
majority of 248.”
The OPL Annual Report for 1913
contained a section at the end entitled “Library Needs.” Item #1 read: “We
need at least two new branches: one chiefly French in character located in the
north-eastern part of the city; the other in Ottawa South. Probably the initial
cost for site, building and furnishings would not exceed $12,000 each. They
could be maintained at first for about $1200 a year each. The revenues of the
Library, at one quarter mil is not sufficient to warrant such expenditures.
Could the City authorities be persuaded to give a special grant as Toronto did
for a specific purpose such as a branch library? Would one of our wealthy
citizens perpetuate his memory and confer a benefit on his fellow townsmen by a
gift of the XXXX branch library? Or is the wish of Ottawans that Mr. Carnegie
be appealed to again? In 2005, OPL Board members continue the work of
constantly seeking financing for new facilities.
In
1916 the OPL annual report focused on a decline in circulation at the Central
library the previous year: “The Central
Library was not used by either as many adults or children as in the previous
year. … The figures as to books lent out in books are: adults in 1916 171,921
as against 175,835 for 1915; children 35,563 as against 36,513 for 1915. And
yet, both n the case of children and adults, there were more non-fiction books
lent out in 1916 than in 1915. Why has our good rate of progress in 1915 been
checked? We think chiefly because of the changes in population resulting from
the War and because of the appearance of an unusually large number of cases of
measles in the city during nine months of the year, which led scores of
families for a time to cease using the library. Many young men formerly card
holders are now on active service and many families have moved out of the city.
Of course a number of people have come here lately but newcomers do not at
once, as a rule become library borrowers.” The report goes on to note that
the falling off was more than compensated for by growth in the branches and
other agencies of circulation.
From
the 1917 annual report - what goes around comes around: “Ever since the Ottawa Public Library tried to live within its income
without borrowing, it has not had enough money yearly for its book fund. It
probably needs a larger fund proportionately to the population it serves than
any other in the Province (because it ought to furnish a good collection of
books in both French and English) and yet it has relatively one of the
smallest: $3,000 a year should be added to it. In several cities of the
northern United States, notably Springfield, Mass and Grand Rapids, Mich., the
public library has received substantial gifts from citizen, the proceeds of
which, for the most part are applied to the purchase of books. It is suggested
that an effort be made to build up an endowment fund for the Public Library of
Ottawa that public-spirited citizens who believe in education be asked to
consider, either now or when drawing up their will, the question of a gift to
the Board of the Carnegie Public Library of Ottawa specifying that the proceeds
be used to augment the book fund.” Board Chair Stewart McClenaghan, 1917.
What goes around comes around. “Endowment funds for the public library. Ever since the Ottawa public Library tried
to live within its income without borrowing , it has not had enough money
yearly for its book fund. It probably needs a larger fund proportionally to the
population it serves than any other in the Province (because it ought to
furnish a good collection of books in both French and English) and yet it has
relatively one of the smallest -$3,000 a year should be added to it.
In several cities of the Northern United States, notably in Springfield
Mass, and Grand Rapids, Mich, the Public Library has received substantial gifts
from citizens, the proceeds of which, for the most part , are applied to the
purchase of books.
It is suggested that an effort be made to build up an endowment fund
for the Public Library of Ottawa; that public-spirited citizens who believe in
education be asked to consider, either now or when drawing their wills, the
question of a gift to the Board of the Carnegie Public Library of Ottawa,
specifying that the proceeds be used to augment the book fund.” From the preface of the 13th
Annual Report of the Carnegie Public Library of Ottawa for the year 1917. The
chair was Stewart McClenaghan.
In 1921, the OPL Board decided
not to issue annual reports, feeling that it was not worth the time or expense.
The Chief Librarian felt that time would be better spent preparing reading
lists for the public. Of course, internal reports were prepared and submitted
to the appropriate bodies. Ten years later, in 1931, the Board issued a 10-year
document titled, “A Retrospect and
Forecast.” Why then? “Because it was
felt that from time to time it is well to look back on the road we have
travelled, to note the direction and the pace, to draw any useful lessons from
our experience, and to make some forecast of the future.” Some of the
noteworthy comments included:
·
Collection increased from 77,524 to 115,324 volumes for the
10-year period. ”After all, however, it is not the number but the quality that
counts. On the quality of the books in
the Ottawa Library, it is difficult to speak with certainty. The collection has been praised by
librarians and by book lovers who have examined it – whatever such praise is
worth. We have not gone indiscriminately for fiction; we have emphasized
popular non-fiction, popular science, biography, travel, literature, etc. In
preparing selected reading lists we have always discovered gaps in the
collection….The librarian who says there are not gaps in his collection is
an utter stranger to the truth.”
·
Staff: “It has seemed
to us that our Library Schools do not take enough interest in helping girls
already in library work…..Library schools are important but they should not fly
so high that they lose touch with actual, every day library work. … Many
librarians prefer to take a girl who has won her spurs in a junior position and
when possible train her for a higher one.”
·
Book lists prepared by staff included: Some Good Reading in Science; Some Reading Courses in History; English
Literature I and II; Some Good Books on Health; Canada: a reading list.
·
Circulation increased from 287,446 in 1921 to 378,123 in
1931.
·
The future: The two
most urgent needs are: a stack room for the West End Branch and a new building
for the Rideau Branch.
Here is a brief synopsis of the early days of the Nepean Public Library. For the full story, check out “Shelf Life: The Short, Full History of the Nepean Public Library” by Phil Jenkins.
In 1853, the City of Nepean realized that a community library was needed. By means of a bylaw and a tax levy, a library was created. A local innkeeper was put in charge of it for an annual stipend of £5. Rather than being collectively housed in one place, the books were divided, distributed throughout the school section, and rotated among the schools four times a year. In 1869 the innkeeper moved to Ottawa, and a year later a large fire swept through Nepean, destroying several of the schoolhouses where books were stored. For the next eighty years, the library was but a memory. It was in 1951, when Ruth E. Dickinson moved to Nepean from Calgary, that she become the driving force to develop a library in Nepean. She was aided in her quest by the chief librarian of Ottawa, who sent a box of books to each classroom during 1953-54. However, the following year the school board curtailed this project, citing concerns about the budget, damage, etc. Ms. Dickinson approached the City Librarian in Ottawa with a request for a bookmobile stop in Nepean, but quickly discovered that the Mayor of Ottawa (Charlotte Whitton) and the City Librarian had a serious disagreement over the bookmobile. Ms. Dickenson turned her efforts to the Head of the Department of Public Library Services at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Origins of the former Cumberland
Public Library: Cumberland
Township was part of the system of land divisions established in Upper Canada
after the American War of Independence.
In 1850, Cumberland became a separate municipality. The boundaries of the township were established
in the 1700's and remained that way until the Ottawa Amalgamation Act of
1999. It was the most easterly
municipality in the former RMOC. The
first meeting of the Cumberland Township Public Library Board was held in
January 1978, at which time it was agreed that the best way to provide library
service to the diverse urban/rural and bilingual population was through a
bookmobile. In October 1978, office
space was provided in the municipal offices in Leonard for the first staff
member. Library service officially
began in April 1979 with a biweekly bookmobile schedule. In 1981, library service expanded to a
physical location in the Dunning-Foubert Elementary School, a joint
school/public library. Co-incidentally,
Sheila Minogue-Calver, the teacher librarian at the school became Chair of the
Cumberland Public Library Board in 2000.
The bookmobile continued to serve the rural villages of Vars, Navan,
Sarsfield, Cumberland and Notre-Dame-des Champs. In 1991, having outgrown its
space, the Library relocated to a new 7,000 square foot facility within the Sir
Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School.
Twenty years from inception, Cumberland Library moved to its present
location, a state-of-the-art 24,000 sq. ft. facility connected to a secondary
school and a recreation complex. The new library offered public Internet
Access, electronic reference workstations, web-based databases, an integrated
library system and a trained staff offering information, children’s and
circulation services in both official languages. Service to the rural areas has
continued by means of a 20-year-old bookmobile.
A Brief History of the Gloucester Public Library: Library service in Gloucester began
in 1958 with a volunteer library in Orléans. A few years later, in 1966, as a
result of public pressure in Rothwell Heights/Cardinal Heights, the Township of
Gloucester established the Gloucester Township Public Library. Over the next
decade, the 4-branch structure of the Library was put in place:
·
Orléans
Branch moved to new premises on St. Joseph Blvd. in 1967
·
Ogilvie
Road Branch in opened in 1971
·
Mini-library
established in Leitrim in 1972
·
Blackburn
Hamlet Branch opened in 1973
·
Leitrim
mini-library became South Branch in Blossom Park in 1974
The next decade saw a number of branch moves to bigger and better
premises, but until the mid-1980’s, Gloucester Public Library was still highly
decentralized. In 1985, a central Technical Services department was created and
the Library commissioned its first strategic plan. This was followed by major
strategic planning initiatives in the early 1990’s, including:
·
Sunday
service in all branches as of 1990
·
Blackburn
Hamlet Branch renovated and expanded in 1992
·
Opening
of new Blossom Park branch in 1993
·
Full
implementation of an automated circulation and catalogue system in 1994
·
Construction
of new Orléans Branch in 1995 (first Board-owned facility)
·
Internal
reorganization, including outsourcing of cataloging and processing, in 1996
·
Construction
of new North Gloucester Branch (Ogilvie Road) in 1997
(second
Board-owned facility)
·
New
strategic plan, including refinement of Mission Statement and three core roles,
in 1997
By its final
year, with an operating budget of over $3 million, Gloucester Public Library
could boast excellent facilities and collections, extensive hours of service, a
dedicated staff, an excellent ILS, and, finally, public Internet access.
Despite this progress, it lacked an adequate staffing structure at all levels –
and especially at the management level. A study was undertaken in 1999 to try
to correct this problem, but implementation of recommendations was overtaken by
amalgamation.
A brief history of the Kanata Public Library: Dreams of a public library led the first residents
of the new community of Beaverbrook, far to the west of Ottawa, in rural March
Township, to establish a library as a Centennial project. In 1967, the March Township Public Library
opened its doors in a small room in the new Beaverbrook Community Centre. In 1968, the first paid staff member was
hired, Chief Librarian Joan Dodsworth.
This location was quickly outgrown and in 1970, a new
firehall/library building was built in the heart of Beaverbrook. When March Township became the new City of
Kanata in 1978, the library became the Kanata Public Library, adding a second
location in 1981 to serve the community of Glen Cairn, formerly part of
Goulbourn Township. Residents of the
branch’s community chose the name Hazeldean Branch for this new 9,000 sq. ft.
building.
The growth of Kanata has consistently been a factor for the
public library that serves Kanata. By
1992, Chief Librarian Linda Sherlow Lowdon and the Library Board began planning
to replace the tiny Beaverbrook Branch; in 1996, doors opened on the 10,000 sq.
ft. branch, which continued to be called the Beaverbrook Branch, following the
wishes of the community.
Technology and Kanata are synonymous; the library is no
exception, having embraced technology throughout its history. In 1984, the Hazeldean branch was one of the
first public libraries in the area to employ an automated circulation
program. In 1986, KPL was one of 20
libraries in Ontario to pilot a new computer-based Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
network (OPLIN) and followed this in 1998 by piloting the web-based ILL module.
In 1993, card catalogues made way for an online library
catalogue, and in 1996, access to the Internet was made available to the
public. In September 2000, after more
than a year’s collaboration between the Nepean and Kanata library systems, both
libraries moved to the new Ameritech automated library system.
Kanata Public Library moves into the future as part of the
Ottawa Public Library, bringing with it a strong tradition of close links to
the community, and eager to use information technology in the provision of
quality service to its residents.
A Brief History of the Rideau
Township Public Library: In both Manotick and North Gower, the first collections of
books for circulation belonged to "Mechanics Institutes," organized
to inform and educate their members through lectures and lending
libraries. Over the years, the
libraries in the Manotick/North Gower/Kars area went by different names, moved
from one inadequate location to another, and struggled for funding until the
Public Libraries Act of 1965 put them on a firmer financial footing. As a result, the North Gower Township
Library Board, uniting three association libraries, was formed in January 1967.
Rideau Township Public Library Board was established in 1974 after the
amalgamation of Marlborough and North Gower Townships. At that time, all
residents lived within six miles of one of the three library branches (there
was a public library in Kars Public School, in addition to those in North Gower
and Manotick).
The library hit the headlines
nationally in the early 1990s when the majority of the 80-odd volunteers went
"on strike" over a personnel dispute (by that time there were a few
part-time staff in the library system). The matter was resolved after
negotiation with the board and township council. Verna Preston was subsequently
appointed the library system's first full-time CEO, a position she held for
some years. At the time of amalgamation, Rudi Denham was CEO.
North Gower: North Gower’s Mechanics Institute Library began in the fall
of 1891, with the collection housed in the Township Hall on Main Street
(currently the home of the Rideau Township Archives).
Of the three libraries in the former Rideau Township, North
Gower has provided the most continuous service and consistent hours. It closed
only once for seven months in 1982-83 when the current building was renovated.
When the municipal offices moved in 1977 after the amalgamation of North Gower
and Marlborough Townships into the Township of Rideau, the library books were
transferred to the old fire hall on Main Street – still the site of the North
Gower branch although transformed by work on the exterior with prodigious
volunteer effort. The branch opened officially in that building in January
1978. At the time of amalgamation into Rideau Township, the circulation of
books was less than half its current level, and the collection has increased
and broadened from books alone to audio and video cassettes, with computer
access to the Internet in both branches.
Kars: The Kars Library was formed as a Mechanics’ Institute in January 15,
1895, in a corner of Ira Byce’s general store. There were 127 members, 337
books and a circulation of 1,669 and it was open six days a week. The North
Gower Township Public Library Board assumed responsibility for the library in
1971 and it was known as the Eastman Resource Centre. The Centre was closed in 1988 and the books were divided between
Manotick and North Gower.
One common thread runs through the histories of these three
libraries: a series of determined and dedicated volunteers who have fought for
the libraries, beseeched councils to provide funds and premises, and worked
long hours to administer them. In 2000, Rideau Township operated two branches
on less than $200,000 per year or $11 per capita. Seventy-five volunteers, who
worked at core functions such as circulation, levying overdue fines and reading
books to children, made this possible. Volunteers made up more than half the
workforce providing the equivalent of three full-time staff; rarely was more
than one staff person on duty at any one time.
A Brief History of the West Carleton Township Public
Library: The origins of the Library
Service in former West Carleton Township. The
following excerpt was found in the newspaper "Carp Review" dated
November 5, 1908.
"The
Library is situated in the review office and is open from 8am to 8pm on
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A
ticket costing 50 cents, entitled the holder to a book which may be changed for
another on any of the above days until December 31, 1908; people living in the
country and who cannot get to the library very often, are entitled to two
books. Catalogues, containing titles and authors of all the books in the
library, 10 cents each. A box of the
latest books and by standard authors loaned the library every three months by
the Provincial Government so that the institution is never without new
books. Leave your subscription with any
of the Directors or Officers or with the Librarian at the library."
There is no record of how long
this particular library was in operation.
The next recorded history of the library in the former West Carleton
Township is 1974 when three local people got together to discuss the formation
of what was to be known as the West Carleton Township Public Library.
West Carleton Township Public
Library started its operation in a Recreational Vehicle, locally known as the
"Bookmobile." The Bookmobile
was on the road 5 days a week going door to door from 8:30 to 6pm and three
days a week from 8:30 to 10pm. This was
the library until a permanent home could be found.
In 1979 the library moved into
the basement of the Memorial Hall in the center of Carp. This location had
little parking, little staff space and couldn’t house all the library’s
collections.
In 1979 the Kinburn Branch was
opened in the original Fitzroy Township building. It stayed in operation for
about 18 months.
The former West Carleton Township
Public Library operated two branches located in rooms of local community
centres. The Fitzroy Harbour Branch was opened in June 1980 and the Constance
and Buckham's Bay branch was opened in May 1983.
The Township of West Carleton
bought the decommissioned Canadian Forces Site at 3911 Carp Road and made plans
to move the library into the structure previously used as the Engineering
Building. Guided tours of the "Diefenbunker" raised enough money to
retrofit this building to accommodate the library. Fundraising efforts have
continued through the Friends of the West Carleton Library and the annual
Diefenbooker Run / Walk and Ride event.
The new “main” library of the West Carleton Township Public Library
opened in April 1997 to serve the population from its 6000 square feet. Local
groups have played a large part in the life of the library. The local arts
society raised funds to install picture rails and a display case in the library
and regularly display local artists’ works. The local garden club hosted garden
tours to raise money for the reading garden on the grounds of the library and
most recently the local historical society have installed a shadow box to
display artifacts of local historic interest.
A Brief History of the Vanier Public Library: In order to
trace the foundation of the Vanier Public Library, one must go back to
September 25th, 1944. During a meeting held at the St-Charles
Parish, a committee of nine members was elected to lead the Eastview Library
Association and manage a public library approved by provincial authorities. At
that time, the Ontario Public Libraries Act provided for libraries under municipal
jurisdiction, benefiting from provincial subsidies, and also for libraries
administered by private associations with subsidies to a lesser degree.
This Association inherited a book
collection from a library founded by Father Gérard Charette, comprising of
books that had been donated by his parishioners. In 1945, the Association
received its first cheque in the amount of $103.14 from Toronto, equivalent to
one cent per resident.
In 1949, its president, Mr.
Marcel Robert, inquired from provincial authorities about the possibility of
opening a branch that would serve the entire city. The Ministry of Education,
in its letter addressed to Mayor Lavergne, reminded him that there could not be
more than one association in Eastview. Instead, it invited him to establish a
publicly funded library. The following year, in order to fill this need, the
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Library was established and elected an autonomous council
of governors. However, the latter received its subsidies through the Eastview
Library Association that transferred half of the statutory subsidies it
received, as well as grants obtained from the municipality, to the
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Library.
Up to the end of 1966, the
libraries of St-Charles and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes served the Eastview
population from premises that were made available to them, free of charge, by
the Beechwood Street and Marier Road recreation centres. Operating strictly on
a volunteer basis, these two libraries were only open two to three nights a
week and were mostly patronized by children. Mr. Armand Barrette was the first
Association treasurer for the St-Charles Branch, while Mr. Henri Rozon was its
president for over ten years. The tireless Fernand Guérin was the librarian of
the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes branch until 1950, the year in which the assets were
bought out by the City.
In 1967, the new Public Libraries
Act forced the Eastview City Corporation to set up a public library, as library
associations were no recognized under the law. The administration board consisted
of 9 members, one of whom was Mayor Gérard Grandmaître, ex-president of the
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Library. Three taxpayers were appointed by the city,
three by the public school board and two others by the separate school board.
This new Board first and foremost
took upon itself the task of finding a larger location to house the library.
Thus, in 1968, the library moved to the basement of the old Montfort School,
located at 297 Dupuis Street. Along with the transformation of this school into
the City Hall, it was therefore necessary to move once more. In 1972, the
library moved to the second floor of the Fire Hall, at 197 Ste-Anne Street.
Finally, in 1976, the library relocated to Richelieu Park, in a building next
to the Frères Blancs’ old monastery.
Library services were improved
over the years, as the needs arose and subsidies were increased. Business
hours, which, until that time were restricted to evenings, were progressively
extended to include day-time hours. During this time, Fernand Guérin became a
full-time librarian. The purchase of new releases attracted more adults, and
maintained the child clientele. Some carefully preserved rare books fed the
pride of those who showed them and made those who read them, want to own them.
With the end of the 70s, the
Vanier Public Library surpassed the role which its founders had undertaken,
namely to promote healthy reading. More and more, it became an advocate of
culture by inviting authors, lecturers, singers and comedians to perform for
young and old alike. It opened wide its doors to artists and craftsmen,
allowing them to make their works known while developing a sense of aesthetics
among its members. In closing, even if in 1984 the Vanier Public Library was no
longer confined to its initial role of lending books, it has remained, as its
first president, Aurélien Bélanger founders' great work.”
Prepared by Gérard Matte (Archivist, former city of Vanier)
A Brief History of Osgoode Township Libraries: The following is the final
installment of the histories of the former library systems of Ottawa-Carleton.
For many libraries in rural
Ontario, the history of the development of library service started with an
interest in sharing reading, and the establishment of a "small book
lending service" by one or two interested people. Osgoode Township is no exception.
What was to become the Vernon
Branch started in a small corner of the Porteous General Store at the corner of
Lawrence Street and Highway #31 in 1900. It did not become official until 1972
when space was rented in the former one-room schoolhouse (built in 1882 next to
the Osgoode Baptist and Vernon United Church). The Vernon Community Association
owned this building. To share this facility, shelving was built on the back
wall complete with curtain rods, and curtains covered the books when it was
being used as a clubhouse. The Township finally bought the building for the
exclusive use of the library in 1982; curtains were removed, although the rods
remain behind their valances as a legacy. In 1987, the first of the renovation
projects was carried out to improve it to the state it is now.
The Osgoode branch had the same
kind of auspicious beginning starting around 1925, with donated books set up on
a few shelves in a combination corner store/ice cream parlour. Membership was 25 cents and each member
could have 2 books for 2 weeks. The Athletic Association and the I.O.O F., the
two active groups in the village, supported the library. In fact, they built
their own small building in 1929 with donated materials and labour, and funds
raised during the many organized field days and other social gatherings. The
little library became known as the Osgoode Station Association Library after
receiving recognition from the Department of Education, and it remained here
being run largely by the members of the Women’s Institute until the township
established its first library board in 1969 and the Osgoode library was
officially opened in the same little building.
In 1974, when the firefighters
built their new fire station, the old fire hall was converted to a
library. The current library building
is the only one of the four Osgoode libraries to be originally designed and
built as a library, and officially opened in 1990.
The next township library with a long history was the
Metcalfe library, which started in the back room of the town hall around
1968-69. In March of 1977, the Board purchased the Alstan Snack Bar and
established the library in it. With government grants, many volunteer hours and
generous public donations, the library grew, and extensive renovations were
made in 1986, adding the two wings and the tower entrance. The library ran out
of water in 1997. The well, which was in the library under one of the wings,
was declared "dry" and an exterior well was finally dug outside. You
can still see in the north wing where the capped dry well was situated.
The "newest" Osgoode
library is in Greely. It opened in 1979 in the room adjacent to the fire hall
and was considered "on loan" from the firemen because they wanted to
have the room back as a meeting room. At one point, the Board commissioned
architectural drawings for a geodesic dome library for the community of Greely,
to be built adjacent to the community centre; but the community was quite
appalled by the idea, not only for the style and cost, but because the
owner/architect wanted to have his residence on the second floor. As a result,
the project was abandoned, and the library is still in the old fire hall
meeting room, although the firemen have long since gone to their new
facilities.
During library week in 1992, the
Tri-Valley Crier did a full-page spread on the Osgoode Township libraries. The
Board chairman boasted about the Township being "well supplied with four
libraries, in comparison with Rideau which has only two." He also praised the staff, noting that it
would be impossible to have the library services they had "if it weren't
for the dedicated librarians.”