This branch of the Ottawa Public Library is located at Ben Franklin Place, a beautiful building in…read moreCentrepointe. As Darren mentioned, this place is super helpful for Algonquin Students, which was why I ended up there in the first place - but not for the reason you might think! I needed to find a location for a photography assignment and my professor suggested Ben Franklin Place. "Really? A library?" was my first thought. Never doubt your photography teacher. This place is beautiful - a little oasis in the heart of Nepean. The building itself is beautiful, but the landscaping is fantastic (yes, I'll get to the books, I promise). There's a huge fountain that's turned into a skating rink in the winter, a lovely garden with beautiful flowers and plants and a shaded seating area. This first time I didn't even make it inside! I now visit this library every Saturday where I tutor a six year-old. Their children's section is outstanding - sweet librarians like you read about in books, a massive selection of books and crayons and colouring pages to keep little ones busy. The library also offers a ton of services for job seekers, new Canadians and those interested in learning about computers. The book selection is fantastic, and I love that you can rent e-books online. If you're looking for a quiet spot to study, a playgroup for the little ones or a place to learn something new be sure to drop by. The building also houses the Centrepointe Theatre, tons of meeting space and a beautiful inside fountain (you know, in case you need to make a wish). Happy reading Yelpers!

Great selection, friendly staff. Love the fact they're ope 7 days a week, just wish they had…read morelonger hours on Sundays!

Thank you so much for the generous, thoughtful and fun programs that you offer for children! The…read morestaff at this site is so kind and engaged. Super selection of bilingual children's books too.

I studied using this one through high school and even college; much wider range than those places…read more I still love the size of this one; resembles more a museum.

This library ruined my life. To start I am a young man, In my mid sixties, I still have my whole…read morelife ahead of me, well I did before this HELL of a place took my soul. I was minding my own bisness, looking for some books to steal, then I found one, this big book, I don't know how to read so I don't k ow the title, but it was big so it was expensive. Then I left the store to pawn the book. I went to the pawn shop to sell the book, he only gave me five bucks, he said "The dictionary is worth nothing, your luckyvim giving you this much!" This was the first sign of my unluckiness. I jumped over the counter and started to give him what he deserved. I bit into his neck, as I did, another sign of unluckiest flushed over me. His friend came and kicked me in the stomach! "WHY would you do that" I said "GET OFF MY SON YOU RAT" he kicked me again and I ran out of the store. The unluckiest of the curse of the local library really got to me there. I then went back In to try to steal some money, they stabbed me in the stomach with and antique knife. I then pushed a kid to the floor and took his money for some percocet. I went to the ally where I usually buy it. I buy it from a 15yr old who steals it from the pharmacy his mom works at. "Yo, are you the guy who jumped my friend? He got aids from you!" As soon as he said thst I knew he was an enemy, so I jumped at him trying to bite him, giving him my infections as payment for his foul words. My last stroke of the curse hit me and he hit me in the stomach with a bat and killed me. I'm writing this while bleeding out on the floor, the police came but they said my face was too mangled, and I must already be dead. I was hit in the stomach. This is all this stupid fucking library's fault!

Very small, but busy library. This Rosemount branch is the oldest Ottawa Public Library branch…read morestill operating in its original building (which was built in 1918!) It did undergo renovations in 2021 though. It has a modern-looking entrance, but most of the library is still classic-looking. It has big glass windows and let's in lots of natural light. This library accepts used batteries for recycling. The recycling container is a long cylinder and it's located to the right when you enter the building. I almost missed it the first time I was looking for it. I was expecting a big box like at places like Lowe's or Home Depot, but it's a small-ish cylinder. Great neighbourhood library! (39)

This is my local OPL branch and even though it's small, it's still one if my favourite spots in the…read moreneighbourhood. The area immediately surrounding the library is currently under renovation which makes it a tad noisy, but that will be done in the coming months. There's a decent collection at this branch and I can almost always get a recent DVD or museum pass from the Express section. Jennifer, the librarian is great, as are all the staff that I've interacted with. They offer lots of programs, including baby, toddler and family storytime programs for kids that I have been bringing my son to for years. It's a great activity for the kids and a nice way to meet some other parents in the neighbourhood.

Finally tired of constantly buying books (thereby needing to store them SOMEwhere!) I've been…read moretrying out different libraries in the west end of Ottawa and close enough to home. Solution to my storage issues: read 'em and return 'em! This location had two very helpful and alert staff on hand to guide me and help me on my visit. This branch has a lot of selection, and is well laid out. I like biographies and seem to be on a big book kick these days. I've borrowed a fat tome on Mary Queen of Scots. I will be busy reading for a while... Did you know that you can borrow a book at any Ottawa Library and return it to any other Ottawa Library outlet? It works! I did this myself for this visit. Very accomodating! I was pleasantly and eerily surprised by this branch, which seems to have more books than the Stittsville branch. I thought the Stittsville branch looked big but relatively empty, and assumed wrongly that it was relatively new. Apparently that location has been there for some 10 years. This one in Carp is older, in what used to be a storage area for Diefenbunker. THAT was the eerie part! The cold war escape hatch gave me the heebie jeebies on this otherwise sunny day, hiding undiscerned under grass the colour of hay, with cows chomping what they could of it. Next stop will be the branch on Campeau Road. I do love to read!

Our local Public Library is a great place to visit. Enjoy…read morebrowsing through the aisles and shelves. So many interesting books to read but time is at a premium. Due to the current Health concerns now is not a good time. The staff has always been understanding and helpful. Now there are apps to search for authors and their stories then arrange to pick up books at the Library or download E-books to tablets. Although popular Authors books usually have a long waiting time there are many books that are available to read in between. Still it will be nice to visit and see the tangible books again. Something to look forward to, soon...

UPDATE October 2017: (really, 3 1/2 stars if only I could award half-stars) I did not know that…read morethe library had that big room at the back for special functions - until I attended a monthly event there this month. The Goulbourn Museum (south on Stittsville Main St.) is under renovations. It's a heritage building, having been built in 1871 as a centre of commerce in Stittsville when there was literally NOTHING else around there. The problems with the dip in the floor are being addressed in the Museum, and naturally it's taking longer than planned. Meanwhile, the monthly knitting and other crafter's group is meeting in this big room in the library until at least January. We had a good turnout! Two people with spinning wheels, a new member who needed help with her project (she got it sorted out!!), lots of knitters and crocheters, and we were visited by a baby! What fun!! - - - - - - - - Update July 2017: the library has been renovated and looks much bigger. They have automated now too. I really miss dealing with people! ---------- Really, this would be a 2.5 star. I love to read, but this library is very small. Not so much in the space, but definitely so in the reading materials. They do have special events here at least once in a while, and intriguingly, they recently had art works from a local painter up on display and for sale. There's a great children's section. Maybe this outlet is just new and building, ro maybe this is the new reality with libraries. I will have to compare this one to two or three others that are also close by. However, I can say that I picked up a delicious novel that is based on Leonardo Davinci's life. Great reading!! "Signora Da Vinci" by Robin Maxell. I'm about half way through it now.

This is my usual location for the Ottawa Public Library and have had a great experience here. Love…read morebeing able to put holds on books and have them delivered here for pickup. Relatively small library but with the holds, you can get any book you want. Often wait times can be quite long for books so it can be tough if you want to read something more urgently. High tech checkout self service computers. Staff are super friendly and helpful! So happy to have access to this great place

This is the library I frequent most. True, it's the closest one to me, but it doesn't hurt that it…read morehas a quaint location next to the Rideau Canal with a flower garden along the front. The Sunnyside location is small and I sometimes run into problems with getting available copies of certain books without having to resort to interlibrary loans. However, I've also found some great titles here, including fiction, non-fiction and films. I also enjoy that books can be renewed online if you're having troubles finishing that last book before the deadline. I just have two big beefs with this branch. It seems no one enforces the time limit on the computers. So if you go and all the computers are in use, you may be waiting a long time. I waited until closing one time when my Internet was down at home; needless to say, I didn't get a computer. Second beef: the staff is almost always grumpy. I've gone here many times so I find this track record weird. I've even had some of them pretend they didn't hear me when I was asking for help. Honestly, it's the worst I've ever seen to the point it's funny. But this is still a great spot. Come down and snuggle up with a book in a comfy chair by their big windows that face the canal.

Nice place overall. Not a welcoming entrance, but once you're past that it's very welcoming. Very…read moremuch a "find it for yourself" feel, rather than help you find what you need. However I'm sure if you ask, you'll be helped. Incredibly quiet, especially for the number of people in the building. Every floor is silent. There's big open seating areas as well as many computers and chromebooks to loan (in library only).

This library is huge! I used to love coming here as a child for storytelling in the children's…read moresection. Now, as an adult, it's kind of like a candy store for those that love to read. They have 3 levels of pretty much any kind of reading and research materials that you would need, including maps, academic journals, public records, dictionaries, encyclopedias, historical/special collections, fiction/non-fiction, children's books, comics, and audio tapes/CDs and videos. There is plenty of tables and seating for reading and studying, computer stations for Internet browsing and catalogue searching, and even a small coffee and tea shop with very reasonable prices. The library is fully accessible and easy to navigate around, and they have the most helpful staff. The 24-hour book drop and the fact that they take Interac are extremely convenient. The only problem I ran into was trying to get a library card. They have separate desks just to sign up for a library card, but they wouldn't let me because my ID didn't have an Ottawa address on it. I had just moved here and they were asking me for utility bills or a tenant's agreement, which, of course, I didn't have on-hand. So I decided to just sit and read inside the library, and before I knew it, I ended up spending hours there!

This library is attached to the Greenboro Community Centre. It's extremely convenient for children,…read morestudents, and all members of the community. It has both an automated express check-out and a book-drop outside of the building. The library is two floors, with stairs, elevators, and numerous exits. They have private "quiet" rooms for reading or tutoring, meeting rooms, tables for studying and group work, little desks and chairs for individual reading, and even computer labs on both floors for Internet browsing and looking up book locations. Like other libraries, it has sections for books, videos, CDS and audio, and even a childrens section for group readings. The selection of books is actually quite large, especially considering the size of the library is no where near that of the Ottawa Public Library downtown. It's also very modernly designed, but still carpeted and not cold or stuffy in any way. If you're in the South Keys/Hunt Club area, it would definitely be a great resource for you and your children.

I was looking for a new place to study near me and decided to check out the Greenboro District…read moreLibrary. The library is attached to the Community Centre so there were quite a few people there. Despite the foot traffic, the library was pretty quiet, which I really appreciated. The space is actually pretty big and had nice big desks on the second floor. They also have designated quiet rooms and lots of computers. I will most likely come back here to study!!