Posted by: Charlotte Halstead
This past January marked the 75th anniversary of the Sunnyside branch opening our doors at the intersection of Bank Street and Echo Drive. Of course, the history of this branch spans back much further. In the 1906 annual report from then-Chief Librarian, Lawrence Burpee, he called for an Ottawa Public Library branch to be established in Ottawa South (as it was known as pre-amalgamation). It would take several more calls until a modest book depot was opened inside of Hopewell Avenue Public School in late 1911. The library quickly outgrew this space and moved over to 1200 and 1208 Bank Street before funding was secured to open a larger library at our current location at 1049 Bank Street. We look forward to hosting a commemorative celebration of this milestone later this year.
New logo
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) recently launched our new branding campaign. This is the first time we have revamped our brand since Ottawa’s amalgamation in 2001. The campaign kicked off on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. To celebrate, we offered donuts and tote bags to visitors, featuring our new logo. Out with the former navy and teal, OPL’s new logo features yellow, red, and purple hues that weave together in the shape of a circle. These colours were inspired by the colour of tulips, Ottawa’s official flower that blooms across the capital each spring. Known as Tapestry, the symbol of our logo represents the library’s role of being a ‘third space’ in society – a place where people can gather freely. There is no expectation to spend money to be able to access our space; the library is free and welcomes clients from all walks of life.
Family Literacy Day
January 27 also marked Family Literacy Day, a nationwide annual initiative aiming to raise awareness about the importance of engaging in literacy related activities, like reading, as a family. First launched in 1999, this year’s theme was “Make mealtime family learning time,” emphasizing that you can find opportunities to teach children literacy during routine daily tasks. At the Library, we have an extensive collection of cookbooks. Recent additions include The Best Kids Cookbook by Danielle Kartes, The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook by Coco Morante, and The Ramadan Family Cookbook by Anisa Karolia.
Charlotte Halstead is a librarian and the Branch Coordinator at the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Featured in the February 2026 OSCAR.