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Amidst a decline in bodily guide leases and in-person visits to its 33 branches, the Ottawa Public Library is doubling down on a rebrand. One who positions it as a “3rd house” for shoppers.
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In its 2025 end-of-year document, the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) mentioned the closing yr used to be spent laying the groundwork to approve and transfer ahead with its new emblem, which used to be formally unveiled in January this yr.
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This transfer is supposed to move “past visible id,” in step with Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff, who could also be board chair for the OPL.
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The rebrand is supposed to convey to existence the core values of the library, which is to move past the books and to construct a way of group by means of being “a 3rd house”, in step with Luloff’s message in the document.
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However what has triggered this id rebrand? The OPL’s 2025 end-of-year document supplies a fascinating perception.
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In 2025, the OPL reported a lower in bodily borrowed books and in-person visits from the yr earlier than, whilst web-related actions noticed a spike.
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There used to be a complete of three.5 million in-person visits to OPL branches in 2025, a one in keeping with cent decline from 2024. In a similar way, bodily pieces borrowed noticed a 4 in keeping with cent decline to 7.9 million.
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In the meantime, web site visits greater (13.8 million) by means of 19 in keeping with cent from 2024, with a 9 in keeping with cent build up in borrowed eBooks and eAudiobooks (3.2 million) from the yr earlier than.
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The extra notable build up, regardless that, used to be the spike in wi-fi products and services, the place “self-directed” equipment noticed a 119 in keeping with cent build up, with 1.3 million wi-fi logins, in comparison to 2024, in step with the document.
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This integrated the OPL’s new quick-access virtual stations that have been positioned in some library branches to make it more uncomplicated for folks to look and find pieces with out ready to entry a pc.
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In spite of the upward push in far off job, the OPL spent 2025 upholding its imaginative and prescient to be a 3rd house. In 2025, the OPL reported its team of workers delivered 721 one-on-one appointments each in consumer and just about, “with the majority going down in consumer.”
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In step with the document, workers “play a very important function in connecting the group to wisdom, products and services and reports.”
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There have been a complete of greater than 51,000 telephone calls that yr, 4,399 chats and greater than 5,000 emails responded by means of the Information Provider.
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This mindful effort to hook up with the Ottawa group used to be additionally visual thru techniques, workshops and occasions, which have been attended by means of a complete of 202,638 folks.
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The OPL has additionally been making an investment in the capital’s “tremendous library,” which is the new central department of Ādisōke at 555 Albert St.
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The brand new library used to be slated to open this summer, but was delayed in spite of ongoing building. The cause of the extend is unclear.
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