OTTAWA — Starting Monday, March 3, 2025, Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will be adding a total of 39 hours across eight of its 10 rural branches including Greely, Richmond, Metcalfe Village, North Gower, Osgoode, Constance Bay, Munster, Vernon. This change aims to provide more consistent service hours, improve the client experience, and create opportunities for additional programming and community engagement.   

The changes come about after a comprehensive review of all rural branch hours and feedback from rural residents. The goal was to review sought to ensure that branches of similar size and populations have comparable opening hours and services, and to coordinate geographically proximate branches to ensure resident access to library services six days a week (Monday-Saturday), from morning until evening.     

“The increased rural service hours represent a step forward in meeting the needs of clients in rural communities. A move to more consistent and standardized opening hours across OPL’s rural branches ensures more clients can benefit from library services,” states Sonia Bebbington, Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer. 

Since amalgamation, rural branches have had inconsistent hours, interrupted hours of service, and limited capacity for programming. Earlier this year, the OPL Board directed OPL staff to review rural branch hours for potential standardization within the existing budget envelope, as part of the 2024 Corporate Workplan. 

Specific changes to branch hours of operations will be announced early in 2025. For more information regarding current library services and hours, please visit BiblioOttawalibrary.ca.