• Kudos # 1:  Congrats to the person(s) in charge of dvd acquisitions. We have a great collection, including many films that I had read about and even taught about (I used to teach Film Studies at the University of Ottawa) but had never seen. Now I had. And the collection is being kept up-to-date.
• Kudos #2:  To everybody at the OPL. It is certainly one of the best services this city provides. Yes, I appreciate it as much as the paramedic/ambulance services or the fire department. The personnel is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. It is a pleasure to visit. We even discuss films, books or other relevant goings-on when I go through the check-out. (I use mostly Main and Sunnyside, but I am sure it is the same at all branches).
• One – relatively minor – suggestion: I might be old fashioned, but when in the seating/reading areas of a library, I like to have silence.  Perhaps a few signs to encourage patrons to keep it quiet, go outside or speak in a hush if using a cell phone might be appropriate.  To all, thanks and keep up the good work!

One happy library user exclaimed:

“I am SOOOO impressed with your digital and online services! Wow, talk about keeping up with the times! I love that we can borrow digital and electronic material, and that you send reminders when to bring back hardcopies. Amazing work! I have just made a $50 donation to the OPL foundation in support of what you do.  Thanks so much!!!„

Carlingwood:

A written note from a grateful patron reads:

“Dear Ms. Archer, I am writing to you as manager to commend Anne Shannon, Public Service Assistant, at the Carlingwood branch.  Not owning a computer and not knowing how to use one, I came in last Thursday to use your Internet services on a vital personal matter.  She was an invaluable assistant, for which I am grateful.  Many thanks.„

Main:

Romaine Honey, Librarian at the Main branch, received the following email from an e-reference customer:

“This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I thank you for your efforts regarding this. If you ever become interested in a career change I’m sure you would make a first class detective!  Thanks again!„

A crowd of over 100 people gathered in the Chamber at Ben Franklin Place last night to view the top 10 videos created by Ottawa teens, and to find out which ones would be deemed top three. Participants, their families and friends all came out to support their favourite filmmaker.

The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) hosted the Awards Night & Video Screening for the Teen Tech Video Contest it held in March this year to highlight Teen Tech Week. Contestants 13-18 had to create a one-minute video about their favourite book. Whether it was a trailer, a parody, a review or a dramatization, all the participants delivered with creativity and talent.

(Read more)

Ottawans love and use their libraries.  Citizens made 36.7 million uses of their Ottawa Public Library in 2011, an increase of 9.1% over 2010. This included 11.2 million items borrowed (up 5.7%); 1.2 million French items borrowed (up 13.1%); 204,714 attendees at programs (up 5%); 15 million virtual visits to the OPL website (up 20.3%); 5.3 million physical visits to branches (up 0.4%;) 144,669 on-site wireless uses (up 36.1%); 261,358 electronic media downloads ( up 205%). Reference transactions at 646,000 information questions were down by 5.1%.

A happy patron left this comment card:

“Paul (in the Adult Section) went above and beyond to help me find both online and print sources of critical essays to use in my annotated bibliography. He was so friendly and helpful. I will now ace my summative on The Catcher in the Rye. Thank you so much!„

Carlingwood:

A comment card from a regular patron reads:

“I am frequently in the Carlingwood Branch of the public library and a gentleman named Nigel serves me most days when I am in. Nigel always puts a smile on my face and I leave in a cheerful mood. I would just like to let you know what a pleasant experience I have at this branch and would like you to pass this message on to him.„

E-Book Services:

E-book services received this e-mail from grateful OPL patrons:

“My wife and I often travel and we are absolutely thrilled with the e-book services provided by the OPL!! We have been reading selections from the e-book collection since we first got our e-readers. The request, email notification, and download functions work well. Please keep up the good work.„

Hazeldean Depot:

“Thank you for keeping the Hazeldean depot open! Although the original plan was to go to Beaverbrook and it’s not that far from me, I much prefer the Hazeldean depot! The service is great, as usual, and the staff are always friendly and welcoming. I also love the email reminder of when my items are due – saves paper too! Keep up the great work and I look forward to the branch re-opening in June.„

North Gloucester, St-Laurent, and Vanier:

“J’apprécie beaucoup le service offert dans les différentes succursales de la BPO. Je fréquente les succursales Vanier, St-Laurent, Gloucester Nord, et le service y est toujours à la hauteur de mes attentes. Merci beaucoup!„

Orléans:

We received this rave review from an Orleans branch customer:

“I am happy to say that I love the Orléans Library! The employees are friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is awesome and the level of customer service meets my expectations. Keep up the GREAT WORK!„

Rideau:

A message from an appreciative customer said:

“I want to commend Cathie Bergeron at the Rideau Branch for her great help in tracking down materials about teen development. (I requested this for use in an adult literacy programme. ‘My’ adult learner, who is learning to read, is also keen to deal well with parenting challenges.) Not only was Cathie able to locate some useful references, she kept me in touch with her persistent search as it developed. Many thanks to her!„

Rideau and Vanier:

One patron commented on the exceptional service at both Rideau and Vanier branches:

“Although we happen to live in the area of the Rideau (excellent) branch, we dog walk at the White Fathers in Vanier, and so often use the SUPER library there! We have had nothing but FANTASTIC service there… Nice, nice people, bilingual, kind, intelligent and thoughtful, professional and caring… We cannot thank you enough, and congratulations to ALL involved! SO MANY dog walkers talk about how totally user-friendly that library is… They go out of their way to accommodate needs, are warm, friendly, kind, bilingual, professional… we are all so impressed, and many use the library, though they come from another district! Can’t tell you what an excellent job your people are all doing! MANY THANKS!!! We tell everyone we see!„

Rockcliffe Park:

A customer commented about the service received from Steven Rogers, Public Service Assistant. She said that “the new guy” was great. When she mentioned that all her holds came in at the same time, he explained to her about suspending her holds, and offered to show her how to do it. She said that he was very friendly, helpful and full of enthusiasm.

St-Laurent:

An e-mail received from an avid patron reads:

“I have had computer training sessions at the St-Laurent branch with Michel K. and he is great. I have learned so much from Michel and I do suggest to my friends that they also sign up for computer tutoring sessions with Michel K. too. Thanks to Michel, I can now download my resumé onto my little memory stick and I am applying for part-time work and volunteer work in our city….. All the staff at the St-Laurent branch of the OPL is kind and very eager to help everyone. They are always working, yet when someone approaches their desk, they immediately acknowledge us to offer any sort of assistance that they can. I do appreciate this and the OPL staff in so many locations have helped me along my path. My journey the past few years has been much better because of the Ottawa Public Library staff.„

Sunnyside:

Here is an excerpt from “Great Places in Canada” http://www.cip-icu.ca/greatplaces/en/place.asp?id=6028:

“The Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library is one of the most active in the city and has very enriching educational programs — it recently expanded to include meeting rooms and more. Great staff, outstanding services.„

Vernon:

A frequent branch user shared these kind words:

“I wanted to compliment the staff at the Vernon location. They are always friendly and helpful, serve their customers with professionalism, and do a great job. I have become a frequent user of this branch since September, and I have always had a great experience in dealing with these folks. Well done!„

The new James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre was declared a winner of a design excellence award.

The OPL Foundation welcomes two new board members: Vicken Koundakjian works for the Government of Canada in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade as a Senior Advisor in the area of Emergency Management. In addition to French and English he speaks seven other languages. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Library and uses the Sunnyside Branch.

Danielle McDonald has recently been appointed the CEO of the Ottawa Public Library and joins the Board in an ex-officio capacity. She has more than 25 years of management experience with the City of Ottawa including the last three years as senior Manager for the Library’s Facilities and Business Services Division

The Ottawa Citizen interviews the Ottawa Public Library’s new CEO. Read about her plans here.

Feedback received from a satisfied Greenboro customer read:

At the top of the comment/suggestion card, the customer wrote “I love my library branch.” She shared how much she enjoyed the Human Library event and then went on to say  

“All my interactions with library staff, without exception, have been courteous, friendly and most helpful at all times. I enjoy the ongoing and special event hosting that the library has e.g. Toastmasters, conversational French etc. „

Osgoode:

Fostering literacy and promoting life-long learning one step at a time:

“The new staff person at the library, Aileen (Latulippe), who has been running “Storytime” has been great. We still attend regularly and there are many new children and families that have been coming out on Monday mornings. We’ve appreciated all the extra events that have gone on too… like crafts around Christmas. She’s also had some really creative ideas to help encourage the children to read more (like earning marbles for each book read and getting to put them through a maze). All the effort she puts into preparing for storytime really shows and there’s a lot of variety from week to week. She’s good at reading the children and adapting the program based on their moods or interest level. One other thing I wanted to mention is that I really like the library’s “tumblebooks.” We use it almost every day. It’s a great alternative to TV and the kids get so excited when they actually find the “real” book at the library or on their shelf. „

Rideau:

An appreciative customer commented:

“Very nice. Knowledgeable hard working staff. „

Rosemount:

A handwritten letter included in a thank you card commended Jennifer Johnson, Librarian at Rosemount branch:

“Dear Jennifer, I feel compelled to write and thank you for your kindness. I am the sloppy old doll who used to come sweating in with my oversized walker, tottering off with as many books as I could balance on it, always pestering you for book lists of my faves, like Dick Francis, Nevil Shute, and Laurence Black. I also racked up horrendous late fines, due to my physical and mental (Bipolar) difficulties. You were always so easy and warm to me, and never made me feel awkward or weird or out-of-place (my natural default). First you arranged to forgive two shamefully large overdue fines. I had almost resolved to stop using the library and try to confine myself to the questionable fruits of second-hand bookstores – as much to spare myself humiliation as it was to stop bleeding money. You set me up with Homebound Services, and it is just wonderful for me. Yes, I miss browsing a bit, and I wish OPL sent out a newsletter naming new acquisitions! But they are inspired at divining the very type of reading I love. I have discovered some terrific new authors, and had the leisure to recall many old favourites of poetry and prose. The deliveries are absolutely dependable and the staff so pleasant. Bless your heart for your sensitivity and gracious dealings with me. You have truly made a welcome and positive change in my life, and I will be forever grateful. You are a blessing to this world – I hope your family appreciate what a gem they have. „

Rosemount:

A few vignettes show the significance of libraries in peoples’ lives.

“A young woman who has come to the library since her childhood, came in to show staff her recently awarded certificate in food service. Many, many nutrition books from Rosemount contributed to this success. The certificate is a requirement of her part-time job at a senior’s residence. Her next goal is to complete her secondary school diploma, which she is pursuing on a part-time basis. „

“A patron who lived close to Rosemount for many years, dropped by the branch to share some happy news. As newcomers, she and her son were frequent visitors and borrowed a wide range of materials as part of their goal to learn English as a second language. She was happy to report that her son is now a university student at Waterloo University and he has recently been awarded a co-op placement at MIT. In her words, “you have a part in our successes,” a wonderful compliment to the services and staff of the public library. „

“A young man who was a long-time visitor as a child, came in to update his library card so that he could use the public Internet stations to check e-mail. He also shared that he is a new father, and step-father. He was able to take a 1,2,3 Read with me book and a directory home, as well as books to read to his stepdaughter. „

St-Laurent:

This feedback came from a very impressed customer, praising circulation assistant Joëlle Sunter.

“I was at the St-Laurent branch last night at around 7:15 p.m. returning books. The employee at the desk was dealing with a client that became very upset about overdue fees. I was amazed at how calm, cool, and collected she remained, continually smiling and using open body language, despite being subjected to provocative comments, even when this client returned and interrupted our transaction. She remained positive the whole time and offered solutions to address the client’s issues at every turn. The employee’s first name is Joelle, and I have never seen such a fine example of grace under pressure. Her conduct was exemplary and should make everyone at OPL proud. I must admit, watching her keep her composure made me feel proud as well. „

North Gloucester:

A Valentine’s Day card, accompanied by chocolates, left by a happy customer read:

“For the staff of the North Gloucester library: In appreciation of all of your work to help others in the community! Whenever I visit the library I am always grateful to see your familiar faces before I get down to work on whatever I am doing that day be it photo, video, or internet work. „

The Ottawa Public Library Foundation announces with great sadness the passing of Lori Nash, a member of our Board of Directors.

Lori was a passionate supporter of the Ottawa Public Library and a tireless member of the Foundation Board. She contributed much energy, many ideas, advocacy and focussed strategic direction during her tenure on the Board, in support of her great passion – the Library and the services it provides to our citizens.

Prior to her work with the Foundation she was the President of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library and provided tremendous leadership to that group. Lori was a city champion, a library and literacy advocate, a dear colleague and we will miss her greatly.

Danielle McDonald has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa Public Library, effective March 5, 2012.

McDonald holds more than 25 years of management experience, including strategic planning, finance, human resources and technology with the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Public Library. Since joining the Library as Division Manager, Facilities and Business Services in January 2009, she has led significant initiatives in library facilities planning and development, including: the delivery of $5.75M in renovations and new construction of branches; business services, where she has been responsible for OPL budgets, finance, and risk management; and public services in 18 Library branches, including all those which serve Ottawa’s rural communities.

To listen to a CBC Ottawa Morning interview with McDonald about next steps for the Ottawa Public Library, click here.