Library service in the Beaverbrook area started in a room, in a community centre, in 1967. In 1970, it moved to a space next to the firehall. A new building next to the Mlacak Centre opened in 1996, and the branch found a new home. The branch was closed from February 19, 2013 to August 5, 2014 to receive extensive renovations and an expansion at this same location. The branch now features two public meeting rooms, as well as numerous small rooms for group work. There is an expanded children’s area, increased seating, and a book store run by the Friends of the OPL. The Kanata Room houses the stained glass window designed and produced by Beaverbrook customers - a colourful reminder of the community spirit that lives in the branch.
Thirteen concrete turtle sculptures roam the Beaverbrook branch. A turtle mural meanders across the building near the John G Mlacak Centre entrance. Local artist Christopher Griffin created the artworks, Blanding’s Turtles of the South March Highlands, with a team of volunteers in 2014. The project was inspired by the natural ecosystems of Kanata and its important local species.
